Icar - The Free Science Fiction RPG - Maison de Stuff

ICAR

C o n t e n t s

4 CoreRules4 Numberdiscs4 CharacterCreation5 Step1:Concept7 Step2:Deviant7 Step3:Attributes8 Step4:Skills13 Step5:CharacterInformation15 Step6:BodyAndArmour16 Step7:CloseCombatCombos16 Step8:Encumbrance17 Step9:RoleplayingPoints17 Step10:Psychotheatrics17 Combat19 CloseCombat23 Firefighting26 DogFighting29 Hacking30 SpaceCombat35 Background37 DroidSpace37 HumanSpace41 TheSectors42 Clusters44 Colonies49 Time50 Money50 SpaceStations53 SpaceTravel58 Gaia60 Automatons63 TheHumanRace65 AkarakNation66 Corporations68 Syndicates73 Recreation75 Bionics76 Borgware77 Cyberware77 IncrementalBionics80 BionicsInstallationExample84 ScavengerSetting85 ScavengerCharacters86 SpecialSkills86 ScavengerOperations87 ScavengerEquipment88 AnadarCluster96 GamesmasterGuide96 Mechanics97 Characters97 Background98 ScavengerSettingPlotlines100 RunninganIcarSandbox104 ScavengerSetting109 Anadar’sSystems111 CampaignSandbox112 IntroductoryMissions112 MissionOne:TheUngodlyAct114 MissionTwo:TheLethalRingsofObyrworld116 MissionThree:Porcupine118 Appendix119 TheTimeline123 AcademiaSkillList125 LifeSkillList128 MedicalSkillList

128 TechnicalSkillList131 TaskSkillList132 PsychotheatricsList146 AnadarCluster

IcarVersion4AlphaisreleasedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution-Non-Commercial-SharealikeLicense.

Youmayprintthisfornon-commercialuse.

YoucanreleaseyourownIcarmodulesbutonlyunderthislicense.

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C o r e r u l e s

Icar is a Roleplayinggame.A roleplayinggame is similartoafilmwhereyou take the rolesof thecharactersand

makeuptheiractions.TheplayersarethemaincharactersinthisfilmwhereastheGamesmasteristhedirectorandalltheothercharacters.

This is where the similarity ends. There is no script and thegoodguysdon’talwayswin.Howthestoryendsisuptotheplayersandasmallamountofluck.

ThesettingofIcarisaspaceoperasciencefiction,setinthefarfuturewhereabenevolentImperiumlooksafterthehu-manraceatlargeandprotectsthemagainstararely-seenraceof robotscalledtheDroids.Thecharacters takeonavarietyofhumancharactersinapost-warfeelsociety.Thereareno intelligentalien species, travelbetween the stars iscommonplace, robots calledAutomatons live somewherebetweenslavesandfamilymembers;andanvirtual realityinternetcalledGaiaisthebackboneofcivilisation.

Inasinglesession,characterswillbeexploringlongdesertedcolonies and abandoned space craft, starting bar fights,hacking intocorporatefiles,escapingcolonies invadedbyDroidsandzippingbetweenthestars.

ThemechanicsofIcarareintendedtobecinematic,basedeitherwithtensideddice(D10),twotensideddicetomakea percentile (out of 100 or D100). Common sense shouldreignoverrulings,keepthingsfastandifadescriptionaddstothegame,gowithit.

Thisbookcontainsadescriptionof thecoremechanics,asectiondescribingthebroaderGalaxyaccordingtoIcar,anexamplecampaignsettingcalledScavengersandaseriesof resources, such as character sheets and a quick refer-ence.

N u m b e r d i s c s

ThroughoutIcar,youwillfinddiscsthatyoucanwritenum-bersin.Thediscsareusedinthesamewaythrough-out.Adiscisacirclewithalinethroughthemiddleand a title on the lowerinside edge. Inside thedisc,thevalueyourollun-derisonthetophalfandthe original number (ormodifier)iswrittenonthebottomhalf.

For example, the exam-pledisc(ontheleft)showsthe Battle disc, which is

a statisticon the frontcharacter sheet. The topnumber isthecurrentvalueforBattle,thenumberyouhavetobeat.This is theonethatyourollunder.Thebottomnumberwastheoriginalvalue.Thischaracterwill,nodoubt,wouldhavetrainedtheirBattlestatisticupfromtheoriginalvalueto6tothenewvalueof8.

There are some other uses for these discs, but these aredescribedwhere required. As a general rule: You use the

numberinthetophalf.

C h a r a c t e r C r e a t i o n

Charactersare imaginarypeoplethataplayeruses tointeractwith thegameworld. Thecharacter is likea

singleplayingpiecethatcanbeimproved,equippedandkilled.Creatingacharacterisamatteroffillingineachofthepropertiesinturn.

ThemainpropertiesofanIcarcharacterare:♦ ConceptandSkeleton.♦ Attributes♦ Deviant♦ Skills♦ Body♦ Closecombatcombos♦ Psychotheatrics

The Concept of a character is a description of what thecharacter is about. Are they a pacifist star cruiser pilot ortechnology obsessed engineer? A Skeleton sets out whatSkillsandequipmentyoustartwith.Attributesarethenaturalproperties of the character, such as how strong they are,how quick they can run or how clever they are. TheCharacter’sDeviant represents thepersonalityof thechar-acter,whethertheyareflamboyantorwithdrawn,patientorrestless and so on. The Skills of the character are a list ofthings that thecharactercando.They includeflyingGravvehicles,mendingweaponsorbarteringinastreetmarket.TheBodyofthecharacterrecordstheirphysiqueandhowmuchdamageacharacter takesbefore it losesa limborevendies.Psychotheatricsarerandomlyrolledadvantagesanddisadvantagesandareoptional.

All this information is writ-ten down on a series ofCharacterSheets.Youcanfindtheseatthebackofthisbook.Youwillfindouthowtofillthecharactersheetsinthefollowingsections.

Character sheet one (top)contains theAttributes, theDeviant wheel and closecombat fighting combosas well as height, weight,place of birth and credits(cash).

Character sheet two(middle) contains spaceto write equipment andPsychotheatrics on the lefthand side and a place towriteSkillsontherighthandside.

Charactersheetthree(bot-tom) shows the body andarmour. This sheet is foldeddownthemiddleandcon-tains discs for writing thenumberofhitsthecharactercantakeineachlocation,how

Battle

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toughtheyareandhowmuchstuntheycantake.

Withinthefollowingsections,anewcharacterwillbemadetodemonstrateallthesteps.ThischaracterwillbecreatedfortheScavengerSetting,includedlaterinthisbook.

CChrhCter Crehtaon overvaewHereisasimpleoverviewofthecharactercreationprocess.Followeachsteptocreateyourcharacter!

1.PickConceptandSkeleton

TheConceptdefineswhoyoucharacter isandwhat theydo. The Skeleton defines the starting Skills, bonuses andequipment.

2.DecideonDeviantWheel

Thisisthepersonalityofthecharacter.Fillinupto5squaresintrait.Oppositesidesofthewheelmustaddupto5.

5.RollAttributes

Thephysicalpropertiesofthecharacter.RollaD10todeter-mineeachStatistic.

4.RollSkills

The Skills that your character gets is dependent on theSkeleton.RollforeachSkilleitherusingtheinformationpro-videdontheSkeletonorbyusingthestartingvaluesprovid-edintheSkilllist.

5.CharacterInformation

Thinkofanameandworkoutheight,weight,ageandplaceofbirth.Writeadescription,quoteandputinyourSkeleton.

6.FillinBodyandArmour

Ahumangets1ArmourRating(AR)everywhere,Hitpointstheyget10onhead,10oneacharm,15oneachlegand40onthetorso.Notallcharactersbeginwitharmour.

7.CreateCloseCombatCombos

Create chainedmoves for close combat. Make sure youhaveoneCombothatbeginswithadefensivemoveandtryanduseasmanydifferentmovesasyoucan.

8.Encumbrance

YourencumbranceisthesameasyourMeat,recorditinthesecond sheet. If you’vegotbionics, then thenewMeat isyourencumbrance.

9.RecordRoleplayingPoints

If you have any spare after character creation, put themhere.

10.RollPsychotheatrics

First,decidewhetheryouwant1,2or3Psychotheatricsandthenroll,takingtheaffectsasyougo.

11.IrritatetheGMwithQuestions

Optional.

S t e p 1 : C o n c e p t

Concept is theoveralldescriptionanddefinitionofthecharacter. Theconceptdefineswhothecharacter is

andhowtheymightreactincertainsituations.Theconcept

The Igniter,A pulse laser sniper rifle that is based on

the types of guns that get mounted on ships. Great for taking down rogue Borgs or Droids.

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maybebasedonacharacterfromafilmorbookandshouldbespecifiedsuchthatyoucanvisualisethecharacter.Theconceptisnotrecordedonthecharactersheetasitisusedonlyfortheinitialcreation.

Acharacterconceptshouldhavereferencetothesettingthatyouaregoingtobeplaying.Eachsettingprovidessomeexamplesofconcepts touseas inspiration.Donot feel re-stricted by the examples given. When creating your owncharacterconcept,beawarethatsomeconceptsarebet-tersuitedtosomesettingsthanothers.

Forexample,ananarchisticcharacterdoesnotfitwellinamilitarysettingwhererulesaretheretokeepyoualive.

Agoodwaytoquicklymakeaconceptistotaketwochar-actersfromfilmorTVandjointhemtogethertomakesome-thingmore interesting. The resultwill normally needa littlewarpingtoallittofitintotheIcaruniversebutthatbitiseastcomparedtocomingupwiththeconceptinthefirstplace.

Example.TakeJohnnyMnemonicandNeilfromtheYoungOnes.Aruthlesscorporateman,whoeatspurelyorganicfoodandhasadeeploveforfurryanimalsandflowers.

IfyouarestillstuckonacharacterConceptandyouarebe-inghurriedtodecide,thenchooseacliché,suchasaroguesmuggler (Han Solo from Star Wars). New players shouldavoidplayingcharactersthatarequiet,withdrawnoranti-social.ItismucheasiertoplayIcarifyoucharacteriskeenonfriendshipwiththeothercharactersandwantstospeak!

DonotworryifyouConceptisnotperfect,asyourcharacterexperiencesdifferentthingsitspersonality(orDeviant),skillsandmotivationswillchange.Ifyoudonotstartwiththechar-acteryourwouldlike,youcanalwaysmoulditintoanother.

OurexampleCharacterCreation(JohnSmith)willuseoneofthegivenConceptsintheDeepSpaceScavengerSetting(givenlater).OurCharacterConceptwillbeasgiveninthebox(below).

JohnSmith’sConcept

Idealised School Leaver

Aged18andleavingschool,John,decidedtoignorehisparent’sadviceabouttakingthejobasahandymanontheStarBase.Johnwantedadventure,toseestrangenew worlds and feel free to whizz around the stars.Completelyintoxicatedbytheromanceofspacetravelwithoutanyconsciousthoughtofthegrimrealities.

John is naive and his ignorance is complete bliss. Hemakesfriendseasilyandisverygoodnatured.

Beingtechnicallyminded,JohnSmith’sSkeletonwillbeScavColonyTechnician.Beyondhistechnicalabilities,he’snotverycleverandhastroubleholdingdownanymeaningfullongtermrelationships.It’snotmalicenorisitintroversion,hejustdoesn’tdealwithpeopleaswellashedoesmachines.

DroidMk3,theservantthatbecamethehunter

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skeleton hnd ConCeptA Skeleton is a package of starting Skills, equipment andbackground that needs to be chosen alongside theConcept.Skeletonsareroughlyequivalenttoclassesinothersystems.It’sbesttothinkofaConceptfirstandthenchoosea Skeletonbutexperiencedplayersmightprefer selectingbothatthesametime.IfnoSkeletonexistsforyoucharacterconcept, thenusethegivenonesasaguideandsuggestyourowntotheGM.

Skeletonscanbe found in theSettingyourGM isgoing torun,therearenogenericIcarSkeletonsasIcaristoobroadagalaxyforthistobeuseful.

S t e p 2 : D e v i a n t

The Deviant is the Character’s personality and suggestswhat thecharactermightdo inanysituation. TheDevi-

antofthecharacter is recordedintheDeviantwheel.Thewheelismadefromanumberofpersonalitytraits.Oppositetraits areonopposite sides of thewheel. For example, onone side is Selfish,on theother isGenerous.You’ll find thedeviantwheelonthefrontcharactersheet.

TofillintheDeviantwheel,goroundeachofthetraitsandcolourinupto5oftheboxes.Bothsidesofthewheelmustaddupto5.Ifyouhave5inFiery,thenyouhave0inCalm.Below shows an exampleDeviantWheel.Only one trait isfilledin.

Generous and Selfish are opposite and this character is only more generous than selfish.

Tip:Ifyouareunsureorarecreatingacharacterinahurry,picktwoorthreetraitsyouknowyouwouldliketoplay,col-ourtheminuptofourandcolourintheiroppositesatone.

Thenalltheothers,eithercolourtheminas3and2orleavethemblankandfilltheminasyouplaythecharacter.

Let’stakealookattheDeviantwheelforourexamplechar-acter,JohnSmith.It’sfilledinforagenerallynicepersonwhoisabitnaiveandiseasilyexcitable.

Tip: When creating the Deviant wheel, try to pick two tofourtraitsthatyouthinkbestdescribeyourcharacter.Makethosetraits4and5andthensettherestofthewheeltotraitsof2or3.Concentratingonacoupleof strongpersonalitytraitsismucheasierwhenyoustarttoplayIcar.

Ingeneral,pleasantcharactertraits(generous,honest,for-giving)areontherighthandsideofthewheel,andunpleas-anttraits(selfish,vengeful,dishonest)areontheleft.

Don’t worry if you don’t get it correct to begin with asDeviant wheel can be changed using Roleplaying points.This accounts for someone’s personality changing as theyexperiencelifechangingevents.

DonotbeboundbytheDeviantwheel,itisthereasaguidetohelptheplayerkeepthecharacter’sdecisionsconsistent.Theremightbetimeswhentheeventissolifechangingthatthecharactermayreactoutsideoftheirnormalpersonality.Inthosecases,youmightconsiderusingthateventasarea-sontochangepersonality.

S t e p 3 : A t t r i b u t e s

Attributesarethephysicalandmentalpropertiesofthecharacter.TherearefiveAttributesinIcar:Battle,Shift,

Meat,SoulandWit.EachStatisticisonascaleof1to10.Avalueof1ishumanlowestand10isthehumanmaximum.Thehumanaverageis4(althoughthestatisticalaverageis5.5). Therefore,mostcharactersare likely tobeabove thehumanaverage.IftheCharactergetsaugmentedinsomeway(withbionics, forexample), thenthesevaluescanex-ceed10. Thereare twoways todetermineAttributes, ran-domorpoints. It’sup to theGMwhetherheallowsyou tochoosewhichmethod.

rhndomAD10isrolledforeachStatistic.OncealltheAttributeshavebeenrolled,3pointscanbemovedfromoneStatistictoan-other.This istoallowtheplayertotune(orrescue)thege-neticmake-upoftheCharacter.ARandomsystemavoidslengthy tuning of the character and provides a more or-ganicoutcome.Aplayermayhaveelectedtoplayacool,calmfighterpilotbutgeneticsmaymean that theybeginone thatdoesnothaveanatural talent for flying.As SkillsandAttributesare notpermanentandwill changeduringthecourseofacampaign.

poantsIfyouknowpreciselywhatsortofacharacteryouwouldlike,randomrollsarenot ideal.Afterall, youmightnotget theminimumAttributestobeagun-totinglunatic.Instead,youcanuse28pointssplitbetweenthe5Attributes.Nostatisticmaybehigherthan10orlowerthan1.

Example:Youmightchoosethefollowing:Battle:10,Shift:10,Meat:6,Soul:1,Wit:1.

Ofcourse,thisexampleisyourtypicalfighter, lotsofbrawn

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andverylittlebrain.It’swisetohaveAttributesalittlemorebalancedoryoumightfinditverydifficulttoraiseSkillsinthefuture.

Using points rather than random rolls will slow down char-actercreationandleadsallthecharactersbeingofequallevel.Althoughthismightappearfair,itactuallyleadstolessinterestingplaysituationsifallthecharactersareidentical.

optaonhl httrabutes systemsSomeothersystemsofStatisticcreationinclude:

Roll5D10s,addthemtogetherandusethisasthenumberofpointsyouhavetospend.Roll 5 D10s and then decide which dicematches withwhichStatistic.

bhttleBattle is the ability of the character to fight. This includesphysical ability as well as natural prowess in combat. It ismostlyusedforclosecombatfightingbutisalsousedforde-cidinginitiative.ThisStatisticdoesnotcoverhowhardyouhitsomething,justhowwellyoudoit.

ABattleof1wouldbesomeonewhofightslikeaflailingchild.ABattleof10wouldbeaveryaccomplishedfighter,suchasBruceLee.

mehtMeat is character’s toughness. It controls howmuch theycancarry(seeEncumbrancelater),howhardtheycanhitsomething,howmanyhitstheycantakebeforefallingover(seeStun later),how resistant theyare topoisons (suchasalcohol)andhowphysicallylargetheyare.

AMeatof1wouldbeanunder-developedweaklingand10wouldbeahugebody-builder.

sCaftShift controls the quickness of the character. This includeshowfarthecharactercanmoveeachturn,howdexteroustheyaandalsothelikelihoodofthecharacterwinningtheinitiativeinafight.Atwalkingpace,theShiftdetermineshowfartheymoveinmetresinasingleturn(3seconds).MoreonmovementintheCombatsection.

soulSoul isameasureof thecharacter’s life forceandmentalstrength.Alowsouliseasilyfrightenedandhastroubledeal-ingwithgoryorbloodyscenes.AhighSoulappreciatesthefearbutisnotdrivenbyit.

FailingaSoulcheckcanleadacharacterintoablindpanic.PassingaSoulcheckcanmeanacharacterdoesnotblurtout the locationof themoney stash.Apanickingcharac-ter isn’tabletoperformanyusefulfunctionandtheplayershouldmakeuseofapanicstrickentofreeze,runamokoractirresponsibly.

watWit is themeasure of intelligence and being able to spotthings.AhighWitislikelytonoticedetailsandwillhavemoredivineinspiration(hintsfromtheGM).

A lowWit is unlikely to noticeeven themost obvious indi-cations and will have difficulty logically reasoning thingsthrough.

skeletons hnd httrabutesSome Skeletons providedwith the Attributes have recom-mended statistic values. These suggest that for a givenSkeleton,theWitshouldbeover4orMeatover5.Theaimofthisistohelpthefinishedcharactersurvive.Afighting-centredcharacterwithalowBattlestatisticwillfinditdifficulttobeatpeople up. This might be intentional from the player andthat’swhytheseAttributesareonlyrecommendations.

S t e p 4 : S k i l l s

Skillsarelearntabilities.WhereAttributesmakeupthenat-ural physical description of the

character, the Skills represent thelearnt Skills. A character is likely tolearnagreatmanySkillsduring theirlifetime in the game and is likely tomorph and change their role in theteam. Skills are also easier to improve than Attributes, al-thoughbothcanbe improvedby takinganactive role insociety.TheSkillsare jotteddownonCharactersheettwo,includedatthebackofthisbook.

ThissectionwilldescribehowtouseSkills;whatdifficultylev-elsare;whereyougetyourSkillsfrom;howtoreadtheSkillstrees;howtoimproveold-andgainnewSkills.

JohnSmith’sAttributes

For John, we’re going to use the standard methodof rolling Attributes randomly. Rolling a D10 for eachStatistic,weoriginallyget:

Battle 7Meat 6Shift 5Soul 6Wit 5

AlthoughtheseAttributesarequitereasonable,theydonotfitwellwithoutconcept,sowecanmove3pointsaround.Imove2fromWitand1fromBattletomakehimfearlessandabitmoreignorant.

Battle 6Meat 6Shift 5Soul 9Wit 3

We have already selected Scav Colony Technicianas John’s Skeleton. This has two recommendations forAttributes:

Wit>6,Soul>5.

Although hisWit is less than this, it fitswith Johnbeingnaiive.

Alltheskillscanbefoundinthe

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usang skallsWheneveraCharacterisattemptinganaction(ortry-ingtoretrievelearntinformation),theplayerneedstorollaSkillcheck.

Skillsaremeasuredbyapercentage(between1and99),beginningatacombinationofAttributes,usingitsparentorasset inthecharacterSkeletonandwithamaximum of 99%. Theplayer rolls aD100 (normally 2d10dice,darkestcolouredoneelectedasthe10s,theotheras1s). Theplayer firstchecks to see if this roll isundertheSkillvalueandtellstheGM.

When theSkill is used,makea tickmarkagainst it tosignify that you used it in the session.When the timecomestoimprovetheSkill,youwillonlybeabletoim-provethosethatyouuse-evenifyoufailed.

Example:JohnSmithhasGaiaKnowat55%.Heusesthis Skillwhen lookingup informationonGaia (theinternet).He’s looking for somecompany informa-tiononafarawaysystem.Theplayerrolls42.HetellstheGMthathehasrolledunderandplacesatickmarknexttotheskill.

daffaCulty modafaersNot all actions are of the same difficulty. Before theplayerrolls,theGMcanassignadifficultymodifierthatissubtractedfromtheSkill.Thebiggerthedifficulty,theloweryouneedtoroll.Allthedifficultiesareroundnum-berstomakethemathematicseasy.

Example:JohnSmithhasGaiaKnowat55%.Heusesthis Skillwhen lookingup informationonGaia (theinternet).He’s looking forall thenewsstories todowithacertaincompany.ThisisaTrickythingtodo,sohemustsubtract30fromhisSkill,meaningthatheneedstorollunder25%.Herolls27%,whichisnotun-dertheSkillanddoesnotmanagetofindthecom-pany.

Inthetablebelow,notethateasyactionsgetaposi-tivebonustotheSkill,makingthingseasier.

Difficulty Table

Difficulty ChangetoSkillEasy +20Normal 0Tricky -30Hard -40Difficult -60Impossible -80

modafaersTheremaybetimeswhereothermodifiersareaddedtotheSkill.Thisoccurswhenthecharacterisperforminganactionthatnotanormaluseof theSkill.Modifiersarealwaysap-plied to theSkill. Therefore,amodifierof -30 ismaking theactionmore difficult to achieve. Some examplemodifiersarelistedwitheachSkillandmorearegiveninthecombatsection.Whentherearemorethanonemodifier,addthemalltogetherandapplytotheSkillbeforerolling.

roleplhyang hnd skallsThereisatemptationforSkillstoreplacetheactofroleplay-ing.This isnot in thespiritof Icar.Before rollingaforaSkill,describetheactionasbestyoucan.Thebetterthedescrip-tion,thelessofadifficultytherollwillget.IftheSkillisperform-ingsomeacrobaticfeat,thenthetwistandturnthroughtheairshouldbedescribed.IftheSkillinvolveshagglingadeal,thentrytohaggle.TheGMisnotlookingforthebestdealeroracrobatintheworld,justsomeeffortindescriptionasitisthiseffortthataddsrichnesstothegameforeveryone.

The Character Sheetshowing some of the stat wheels and

part of the deviant wheel.

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Thereareafew instanceswherethisdoesnotapply(suchasfastfirefightswhereshootinglotsofgunsneedstobeper-formedquickly).

CrataChlsIftheplayerrolls‘1’ontheD100thenthisisalwaysapass.Iftheplayerroll100,thenthisisalwaysafail.Thesearecalledcriticalrolls.Thissystemisnotentirelyrealisticbutdoesaddsome interesting playability to the game - nomatter howgoodacharacterisataSkill,thereisalwaysroomforerror.

Complementhry skallsThere are caseswhere the player wants to do somethingthatisnotcoveredbyasingleSkillbutcouldbetreatedascombiningtwoSkills.

For example, convincing a large group of people togo towarmight need Persuade (Life Skill) andOration(AcademicSkill).

Forthesingleactionofgivinganimpressivespeechtothou-sandsofpeople,theplayershouldrollundereachoftheseSkillswithoutamodifier.By inventivelycombiningtwoSkills,therewardiseithernomodifierorareducedone.BothSkillrollsmustbepassed.

proCurementBeforeacharactercangainaSkill,theplayermustgivean

in-game justification of how the Skill is gained. Some Skillsneedinstructionandcannotbelearntusingtrialanderror.Skillsaregainedthefollowingways:

1.SkeletonSkills

TheseareSkillsthatareprovidedbythecharacterSkeleton.ThestartingvaluesfortheseSkillsaregivenontheSkeletonitselfandisnormallyacombinationofvaluesanddicerolls.

SomeSkeletonshavetheirownspecialSkillsthatarenotin-cludedhere.

2.SelfTaught

SelfTaughtmeansthatyoucangaintheSkillbeeitherhav-ingagoatitorbylookingaroundGaia(theinternet)tolearnit.LearninganySkillwill requirethevirtualworldofGaiaasa simulator in some form. For example, youcannot teachHistory toyourselfwithout somesourcesandGaiawillgiveyouthosesources.

YouteachyourselfbytryingtheSkillduringthesessionusinganotherSkillwithamodifier(suchasTaxing:30%)oranap-propriatestatistic(at-4).Regardlessofwhetheryoupassedor failed you then pencil it in. The skill can be purchasedwhen you haveenough tobuy it at thebeginningof thenextsession.

3.InstructorCourses

InstructorcoursesareeitheranArtificialIntelligence(AI)sim-ulation inGaiaor a human. If it’s a human, they need tohavetheSkillat70%todotheteaching.ThecostdependsonmanyfactorsbutshouldbehalftheArtificiallyIntelligent(AI)training.AnAIisanuniqueGaiaEntity(uncopyablepro-gram)andwillteachyoutherudimentsoftheSkillinanear-realisticvirtualworld.

Whenbeingtrained,thereisafeedbackintheprocess-theinstructorcantellyouwhatyouaredoingwrong.Forthisrea-son,youcanaddtheSkillduringthesessionaslong(asyouhavetherequired4RoleplayingPoints(RP)tobuy).Trainingcoursesvary in length.The time required(inhours) isgivenwitheachtrainingcourse(seetheEquipmentIndex).

DifferentAI trainershavedifferent limits tohowmuch theycantrain.Forexample,acheapAItrainermayonlybeabletotrainupto35%.

A human instructor cannot instruct to a level higher thantheirSkill.IfaninstructorhasaSkillof72%,thentheymayonlytrainsomeoneelseupto72%.

4.ProgressiveSkills

Specializationcomes through the need todoaparticulartaskmany timeswhich is not coveredby a Skill in the list.All Skills which are included in the new Skill must be 60% or above.TogaintheSkill,youmusthaveuseditfortheparticu-larpurposeatleastonceasessionfor3sessions.Thesessions

donotneedtoconsecutive.

Forexample,pilotingabikethroughaforestathighspeedisdifficultbutifpractised,anewSkill‘ForestDashing’canbederived.You’llneedtoForestDashatleastonceases-sionforthreesessionstocreatethenewSkill.

sthrtang skallsTheSkill’sstartingvaluedependsontheSkill,itsEpoch,andtheAttributesitisassociatedwith.FirstEpochSkillseachhavethreeAttributes that itdependsupon. The startingvalue isthe sumof theseAttributes. The startingvalue for SkeletonSkillsareasgivenontheSkeletonsheet.

Example:Johnisinterestedinlearninghowtofireagun.Anothermemberof theteamhastheSkill LightFiringat75%,sotheycanteachit.ThestartinglevelforLightFiringisWit, Shift, Battle. John’sWit is 3, Shift is 5and Battle is7;givinghimameagrestartinglevelof15%.Hegoingtoneed topractise (or train)a lotbeforebeinganygoodatit!

ForSkillsatEpoch2orhigher(seeSkillTreessection),thenthestartingvalueisthevalueofthelowestpreviousEpochSkillminus30.AnexampleofthisisgivenintheSkillTreessection.

Asymbolofourabilitytocreateanddestroy

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sthrtang skalls hnd baonaCsIfthecharacterhasbionicsandispickingupanewSkill,thestartingpercentageof the new Skill is that of their natural(pre-bionics) levels.Thebionicsmayhelp inperformingtheSkillbuttheydonothelpinlearningtheSkillwhenitisnew.

amprovang skallsImprovingSkillsisachievedbypractise.IfacharacterusesaSkillduringasession,theplayermusttickthatSkill.Atthestartofthenextsession,theplayercanimproveanytickedSkillswithRoleplayingPoints(RP).AsingleRPraisestheSkillby3%.TheGMwillsethowmanytimesyoumaytickaSkillperses-sion.Thenominalnumberis3times.IfacharacterisusingalowerepochSkilltoperformahigherepochtask,thentheymaynotticktheSkill.

IfthecharacterdoesnotgetachancetouseaSkillnatural-ly,theymaypractisetheSkill.A10hourpractisesessioncanyieldonetick(allowingaraiseonthenextsession).

IftheSkillisaSelfTaughtSkill,thenthecharacterneedsnoth-ingbutGaiatotraininit.However,iftheSkillisinaninstruct-edSkill,thenitneedstheinstructor(eitherAIorhuman)tobepresenttotrain.

OptionalRule:TenuousRaises

Whenaplayer is tryingto improveanareaofacharacterthatdoesnotgetmuchpractiseortheSkillistoolowtorisk

using, the playermay ask for a Tenuous Raise. The playermustthendescribehowtheSkillmighthavebeenused(al-thoughnotrolledfor)inthelastsession.IftheGMagrees,theTenuousRaiseis2RPfor3%.

Example:JohnSmithdoesalotofdrivingintheprevioussession but doesn’t do anything particularly special towarranttherolloftheGravPilotSkill.John’splayercouldwell ask for a tenuous raise, given that the traffic washeavy.Themoreinventivethereason,themorelikelytheraiseshouldbeallowed.

wCen you don’t Chve tCe skallIfyouwanttodosomethingbutdonothavetheSkill thenyouwillneedtofindanotherwayusingaSkillyoudohave.

skall treesSkillsareorganisedby typeor function intoSkill trees (theycanallbefoundintheAppendix).SkilltreesnotonlyshowwhatSkillstherearebutalsowhatacertainSkillrequires.Skillsonthe left-mostpartofatree(theroots)aresaidtobeatEpoch1.ThesearetheentrylevelSkillsandrequireonlytimeandefforttolearn.Asyoumovetotherightalongthetree,theEpochsincreasebyone.

EarlierEpochsrepresentgeneralorbroadSkillareasandwith

eachEpoch,theSkillsbecomemoreandmorespecific.

The example below is an extract of theAcademia Skilltree. TwoSkillsareshownwith theirEpochnumbers. TheSkill Chemical is a root of the tree and is therefore atEpoch1.ExplosivesrequiresChemicalandisatEpoch2.IfthereweretobeanotherSkillsontherightofExplosives,thiswouldbeEpoch3andsoon.

SkilltreesgroupSkillstogetherbytheirtype:AcademicSkillstendtobegroupedtogether,asareTechnicalSkills.Skilltreeareveryimportantbecause:

Therefore, in our exampleabove, a new characterwouldneedtohaveChemicalat60%beforetheycouldbuyExplosives. The value of thisnew Skill will be the value oflowestpreviousEpochSkillmi-nus30. Therefore, ifChemical(thelowestpreviousEpochSkillis65%,thenthestartingvalueofthenewSkillwillbe35%(65

-30=35). This slightly larger startingpercentageallows forsomeoftheknowledgeoftheearlierSkill tobetransferredintothenewone.

TheexamplebelowshowsanextractoftheLifeSkilltree.Life Skills tend tobe those that youpickupwhileactu-ally living, rather than those taught inaclass.Here, theSkillScamisbasedonbothDealandLanguage.Deal isfromtheLifeSkill treetoo,so thathasanunbrokenbor-der. TheLanguageSkill, however,canbe foundon theAcademiaSkilltreeandsohasadottedoutline.BothoftheseSkillmustbeat60%beforeScamcanbebought.TheinitialvalueofScamwillbethelowestofthetwopre-viousEpochSkills,minus30.Iflanguageisat66%andDealisat72%,thenthestarting levelofScamwillbe36%(66-30=36).

Jumpang epoCCsAcharactermayattemptaSkillatahigherEpochbutthisisconsideredasbeingofdifficultyTricky. Ifthecharacter istryingtodoanactionbelongingtoasimilarSkill,thisisalso

Chemical Explosives

1 2

TogainaSkillatanEpochhigherthan1,thecharactermusthaveallthelower

EpochSkillsthatfeeditatalevelof60%or

more.

Language Scam

Deal

no-onecouldguesswhatwouldcomenext

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givenamodifierofHard.Ifthecharacterdoesnothaveanappropriate Skill or similar Skill, then the most appropriateAttributemustbeusedinstead.

new (progressave) skallsFor more advanced players, it is possible to create Skillswhichcoveranareaof expertise notcoveredby the Skilllist.ThesearecalledProgressiveSkills.Youmightwanttodothistofityourscenariomoreprecisely.ToobtainanewSkill,itmustbeclearlystatedwhattheSkillisdesignedtocoverandwhichSkillsitderivesfrom.

TheSkillsthatarebeingderivedfrommusthaveavalueof60%ormore(showingaparticularproficiency in thefield).TogaintheSkill,youmusthaveuseditfortheparticularpur-poseatleastonceasessionfor3sessions.Thesessionsdonotneedtoconsecutive.

hChdemah skallsAcademicSkillsarethecoreSkillsformanyofthemorecom-plexareasintheSkilllists.AcademicSkillsaretaughttomostchildrenattendingclasses inGaiaas runby the Imperium.MostcharacterSkeletonswillhaveafewAcademicSkillsatlow levels. This indicatesa reasonableunderstandingwith-outknowingtheinnerdepths.TheseSkillsshouldbeusedasa springboard into creating new and interesting Skills thatmightrequireareturntobaseprinciples.

Example: Having read the technology index, a playermighthavesomewackyideasfornewtechnology.Ifthetechnology has no basis elsewhere, then it is likely thatoneoftheSkillsincludedherecanactasabaseforthenewone.

ExamplesofnewSkillsinclude:Energy Explosives. Thecreationofenergybasedexplo-sives:ExplosivesandEnergyDesign(fromTechSkills).FakeAntiques. Thedesignandcreationof realistic fakeantiques.AntiquitiesandForgery.Medicines. Creation of new medicines, perhaps fromdifferent starting materials. Chemical and Biological.Language.WitWit.Wit>2.SelfTaught.[LocalArea]Know.ThisSkillcoversthe localareawherethe characters begin or where they grew up. Replace[LocalArea]withthenameoftheplanetorsystemwherethecharacter spent themost time. The larger thearea,thelessdetailthecharactercanknowaboutit.

lafe skallsLifeSkillsarethoseSkillswhicharealmostimpossibletoteachinclass.TheytendtobeSkillswhichareobtainedwhilebe-ingonthestreetortaughtinformallyinapracticalwaybyafriendormentor.Thesecanbegainedbystudyingsomeoneelse do something and then practising, unlike Academia

Skills. Finding thementor is often themost difficult part ofattainingoneoftheseSkillsunlessanothercharacter intheteamalreadyhasit.

TheseSkillsareoftenperformedbythecharactersonaregu-larbasiswithoutanypriortrainingatall.Thatcanoccurifthecharacterisforcedtomakeadealonthestreetthereandthen.IftheplayermakesagoodattemptatroleplayingtheSkill,theeffortcanberewardedbypencillingintheSkillforpurchaseonthenextRoleplayingpointspendingsession.

ProcuringThroughDemonstration

IftheGMallows,thecharactermaypickuponeofthe1stEpochSkillsjustbydisplayingthatthecharacter’sexperienc-escover theSkill. Forexample,acharactermightpickupStreetwiseiftheyhavespentalongtimeonthestreet.Thismightbecateredforinbackgroundorduringplay.AttainingthesecondEpoch,however,ismoredifficultandwillrequiresomesortoftraining.

medaChl skallsMedicalSkillsareessentialtoallsectionsofsurvival.AsmostdiseasescanbecuredwithaninjectionofdrugsthefieldofDiagnosis is left touseof thesedrugs.With theadditionoftechnology,weobtainBionicswhichdealswithallformsofAugmentation.Outona limb isheBioweaveSkill,which isaspecial formofBionics. Inthediagrambelow,theuppertrackisthehumanmedicineareaandthelowertrackisthe

bionicsarea.

teCCnaChl skallsTechnicalSkillsaregenerallysplitupintoKnowledge,Systemsand Design. Each subject area has one of these Skills.Knowledge Skills are the 1st Epochanddealwith generalknowledgeaboutthesubjectarea.SystemsSkillsarethe2ndEpochanddealwith the repairandupgradingofexistingsystems. The systemSkill is normallyapractical Skill.DesignSkillsareinthe3rdepochandallowacharactertodesignnewtechitems.FittingthesenewsystemsrequiresaSystemsroll.IfataskrequiresaSkillfromanothersubjectarea,atestcanbedoneunderHard.

There isacertainamountofcross-overbetweenthetech-nicalSkills.Forsimpletasks, it isquite likely thatatechwithmanydifferent technical Skills cancompletea task that iswithinanotherSkillbranch,atamodifier.

ToLearnaTechnicalSkill,allKnowandSystemsSkillsareSelfTaughtandDesignandhigherrequireanInstructor.

Tofixsomething,rollonceatatime

AcheckontherelevantSystemsskillisrequiredtofixsome-thing. If the roll passes then the item is fixed, if it fails thentheitemcannotbefixedwithoutmoreresourcesbeingcol-lected.Thisstopstheinevitablefixingofanydevicebymany

mycraft:myhome.mycrew:myfamily.

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successiverollsuntilfixed.

John Smith tries to fixaBioreorganiser so that the teamcanhavedinner.HisColonySystemsskillisat17%.Herolls52,which isa fail. Thebioreorganiser isgoingtoneedanewdoohickytobefixed.Thiswillcosttheteammoneyandtimetogetthepart.

skalls exhmple: JoCn smatCTofurtherourexample,wewillnowaddskills toourexam-plecharacter,JohnSmith.TheSkeletonchosenatthestartwasScavengerColonyTechnician.AsnotedontheSkeletonsheet,theSkillshavedefaultvaluesunlessotherwisestated.Thestartingskillsare:

LanguageLawHistoryBiologicalPhysicalChemicalGaiaKnowColonyKnow (5xWit)+D10ColonySystems (5xWit)+D10ColonyDesign (5xWit)+D10VehicleKnow (5xWit)+D10Macromechanics (5xWit)+D10MechasysKnow (5xWit)+D10MechasysSystems (5xWit)+D10

The first groupof skills (Language toGaia Know)beginatthestartinglevelsasgivenintheskilllistabove.Thesecondgroup (ColonyKnow toMechasys Systems)use thevaluesgiven.After somemultiplicationanddice rolling,Johnskillsturnoutas:

Language 6%Law 6%History 6%Biological 6%Physical 6%Chemical 6%GaiaKnow 6%ColonyKnow 21%ColonySystems 17%ColonyDesign 18%VehicleKnow 25%Macromechanics 22%MechasysKnow 17%MechasysSystems 23%

Theskillvaluesareverylowacrosstheboard.Therearetwomainreasonsforthis:

1.ScavengerSettingsCharacterarequite lowpoweredandbeginwithpoorskills.2.We chose to ignore the recommendedminimum fortheWitstatistic.

TheseskillsareenteredontheSecondCharactersheet(seeabove).

S t e p 5 : C h a r a c t e rI n f o r m a t i o n

Itisdetailthatbringsacharactertolife.CharacterInforma-tionprovidesbasicinformationaboutwhothecharacteris,

wheretheyarefromandwhattheylooklike.TheCharacterSkeleton is often used to fleshout this part of thecharac-ter,asmuchoftheinformationisgiventhere.However,donotfeelconstrictedbytheSkeleton,ifthereissomefacetofthecharacteryouwouldliketoplay,thenconsulttheGM.Abriefdescriptionofthesectionsfollow.Thebetteryoucanpictureyourcharacter,theeasieritwillbetoplay.

skills

LanguageLawHistoryBiologicalPhysicalChemicalGaia KnowColony KnowColony SystemsColony DesignVehicle KnowMacromechanicsMechasys KnowMechasys Sys-tems

15159

15999

21171825221723

The Second Character Sheet

Showing John Smith’s skill list

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Theseitemsdonothaveadirectaffectongamemechan-icsbutwillaffectthemannerinwhichtheworldrespondstoyou.Ifyouhaveaverylarge,well-builtcharacter,thegalaxywill respondtoyoudifferently than ifyouareasmallchar-acter.

nhmeThisisthenameofthecharacter.It’sbesttochooseanamefromwithinyourownculture.Fromawhite,Britishperspec-tive,namessuchas‘AdamWilliamson’,‘SimonAubury’arecommon.Avoidusingnamesofcharactersfromfilmsunlessyouwanttomimicthatcharacter.WithinIcarsociety,peo-pleoftenhavejustonename,feelfreetoexperiment.

Akarakiannames(ifyouareplayingone)tendtohavethesyllablesounding‘Ak’somewhereinthename.NamessuchasJackarecommoninAkarakianculture.

CeagCtAs the human race evolved, they got taller (seemore inthe Evolution part of the BackgroundChapter). There arenohardandfastrulesforchoosingheightasthisshouldbedowntotheplayer.Ifyouarestuckfordecidingyourheight,pleaseusethisruleofthumb:

A low Shift (under 4) suggests you’re short

Thenusethetablebelowforreference:

Example Heights for humans in the 93rd Millennia

Gender Short Average TallMale 6’2” 6’8” 7’2”

Female 5’11” 6’5” 6’11”

weagCtAnotherfeatureofhumanevolutionwasthedensityoftheirbodies increased.Pleaseuse thetablesbelowasaguide.ThereisnoruletodetermineweightfromtheMeatAttributebecauselargepeoplecanbequiteweak,asageneralruleofthumb,usethefollowing:

A low Meat (under 4) suggests you’re thin

Then use the following tables as a guide. The first table is

formen,thesecondforwomen.Ofcourse,peoplecanbemuchlargerthangivenherebutthesearetobeusedasaguide.

Weight table for Men

Thin Average LargeShort 10st 15st 18stAverage 13st 20st 26stTall 18st 25st 34st

Weight table for Women

Thin Average LargeShort 9st 13st 15stAverage 11st 18st 22stTall 16st 22st 27st

hgeBetter genetics andmedicinesmeana long lifeandover90,000yearsthehumanracehasmanagedtonearlydou-bletheaveragelifespanofwhatitwasinthe21stCentury.Recommendedageof thecharacter isnormallygivenontheSkeletonas theamountofworldknowledge(andthusSkills) increaseswithage.However,this is justarecommen-dation, so feel free to discusswith theGMany ideas youmighthave.Usethetablebelowasaguidetoages.

Age Comparison Table

21stCenturyAge

921stCenturyAge

RoughDescription

0 0 Birth12 8 Startofpuberty18 12 Endofpuberty21 18 Physicalpeak26 50 Onsetofweightgainand‘middle

agedspread’35 70 Middleage(hairloss,etc.)

name

height weight age

birthplace

skeleton setting

John Smith6’4” 18st 18

Dellow

Colony Tech Deep SpaceScavenger

The Information part of the first character sheet.

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40 85 Greyinghair/menopause65 110 Retirementage75 140 Averagelifeexpectancy85 150 ‘Good’lifeexpectance125 180 Oldestrecordedhuman

plhCe of bartCThisfacetofthecharacterisverymuchdependentonthesettingthatisbeingrun.Withinthesetting,therewillbealistofplacesthatareeligibleforyourplaceofbirth.Tryandtieintheplaceofbirthwithyourintendedcharacterdescription.

skeleton hnd settangThisissimplythenameoftheSkeletonthecharacterismadefrom the settingdocument. TheSetting is thenameof theCampaignSettingyourGMisrunning.InJohnSmith’scase,thisistheScavengerSetting.

S t e p 6 : B o d y A n d A r m o u r

Thissectiondeterminesthephysicalstateofthecharacter.TorecordthebodyandarmourAttributesofthecharac-

teruseaBodyandArmoursheet(seeright).Thebodyissplitinto6areas,Head,Torso,RightArm,LeftArm,RightLegandLeft Leg. All objects, including the body, have anArmourRating(AR)intheleftcolumnandhaveHitPoints(HP)intheright column.AR is the armour capability of the object orhoweffectiveitisatstoppingdamage.Thehigherthebet-ter. HP is theamountof damage theobject canactuallytakebeforeitisdestroyed.Thehigherthebetter.WhenHPhits0, the limb is removed. If the limb is theheador Torso,thenthepersonisdead!

Hea

d

RigH

t aRm

RigH

t leg

Stu

nlef

t aRm

toRS

o1

1010

10

11

40

15

15100

11

left

leg

Body and armour sheetmexcities:prefab,gothic,busyand

hometotrillions

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Armourisincludedonanothersheet,withoutlineofahumanratherthanasolidshape(seetheexample).TheAttributesshownareforastandardhumannotwearingarmour.Ahu-manisthebenchmark,skinhasaARof1andhas100HPalladdedtogether.

Stunisameasureofhowawakethecharacteris.WhentheStunreacheszero,thecharacterisunconscious.Stuniscal-culatedasfollows:

Stun=Meatx10

TheStunyouhavelostbecomesanegativemodifieronyourskills(roundtothenearest10).ForExample:Ifyouhavelost8Stunfromakicktothegrointhen(roundingupto10)youhavea -10%modifieronyourskillwhenyouperformaSkillcheck.

TheArmourBoxlooksexactly liketheoneabove,except ithasablackoutlineratherthanafilledingreyoutline.

S t e p 7 : C l o s e C o m b a tC o m b o s

CloseCombatCombosarechainsoffightingmanoeu-vres that thecharactercanperform.Althoughevery

charactercanpunchandkicksomeone,tochainthemto-getherinaflowneedsaCloseCombatCombo.MostoftheinformationregardingCloseCombatComboscanbefoundintheCloseCombatchapterlater.

CloseCombatCombosareconstructedusinganumberoffightingpoints. If not specifiedanywhere,assume that thenew character gets 3 x Battle fighting points.Youdon’thavetospendthesepointsinitiallybutwaitinsteadforthecharac-tertoimproveBattlefirst.

TheCloseCombatCombosarewritten in theComboareinthebottomrightofcharactersheetone(seebelow).You

cankeeptrackofthefightingpointsyouhavelefttospendina spare row in this space.Whenyoubuynewcombos,youwillconvertRoleplayingPoints (RP)and,chancesare,willusethemall.

In the example below, there are three Fighting Comboswiththreemovesineach.TwopointsremainintheFightingCombobox,theymaybespentatalaterdate.

S t e p 8 : E n c u m b r a n c e

Encumbrancedealswiththeamountthatcharacterscancarry. In Icar,most objects that are heavy have some

GravAssistwhichtakestheweightaway.However,thereisstillinertiaandsizetoconsider.Aplayermustkeeptrackofwhattheyarecarrying.Encumbranceisapointsbasedsys-temtheamountacharactercancarryisthesameastheirMeatAttribute.Somethingsaresosmall,theydonotreallyhave an encumbrance value, so ignore them! The tablebelow isaguideline.Mostequipmentwill have itsencum-brancewrittenonit.Ifindoubt,usethistable.

Default Encumbrance Listing

Item EncumbranceClothes NonePersonalGaiaTerminal None

GaiaCard NoneLightArmour(AR<11) NoneMediumArmour(AR<16) 1HeavyArmour(AR>15) 2

SmallCloseCombatWeapon(knife) NoneLightWeapon(pistol,baseballbat) 1HeavyWeapon 24MagazinesforaLightWeapon 11MagazineforaHeavyWeapon 1100Roundsof7.4 3ClimbingHarness 1Anotherperson 4SmallMedkit 1LargeMedkit 2TechKit 2LasanimSword NoneSmallGenerator 2

Some itemshavenegativeencumbrance.Anegativeen-cumbrancesuggeststhatthepieceofequipmenthelpstheusercarrymore.

credits

closecombatfightingcombos

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Punch Punch KickBlock Block PunchTrip Stamp Stamp

69

The Close Combat Combo and cash section of the first character sheet.

speedisyoursalvation

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YoucankeeptrackofalltheitemstheCharacterownsandtheirencumbranceonthesecondCharactersheet.

S t e p 9 : R o l e p l a y i n gP o i n t s

RP

Roleplaying Points (RP)areawardedforroleplay-ing a consistent and be-lievablecharacter.RPareused to improve yourcharacter, as your char-acter experiences morethingsthenthecharactergains in knowledge orchanges personality. It isquitenormalforthechar-acteryoustartwithtobecompletely different inpersonality and strengthswhenyoufinishplaying.

RP is recorded on a disc on Character Sheet one under-neaththeDeviantWheel. In thetophalf,write thecurrentnumberofRPyouhavetospend.Inthelowerhalf,keeparunningtotalofRPyouhavebeengiven.ThissecondvalueisnotusedinamechanicanywherebutisinterestingtoseehowmuchRPhasbeenspentonacharacterinCampaign.

Ingeneral,aGMwillawardyouforplayingyourcharacter,ifyourportrayal is soaccurate that theGMthinks that thecharacterissittingatthetable,thenyouwillgetmorepoints.Somecanbeawardedforgoodideasandforputtingeffortintothegamebutmostpointsareforroleplaying.Thefollow-ingtableshowsthedifferentwaysinwhichRPcanbespent.Forthelastentry,theplayermustchoosethePsychotheatrictochangeand then rollon thePyschotheatric table forareplacement.

Roleplaying Point Uses

Cost Effect1 AlterasmuchoftheDeviantWheelasyou

please.ThisshouldbejustifiedwiththerestofthegroupandGM.Forexample,afteryougothroughaharrowingordeal.

1 Convertto3CloseCombatpoints.1 IncreaseaSkillyouhavetickedlastsessionby

3%2 TenuouslyraiseaSkillby3%withjustification.2 RaiseanAttributeby1.Mustbejustifiedwiththe

GM.4 StartanewSkill.10 ExchangeachosenPyschotheatricforaran-

domlyrolledone.

S t e p 1 0 : P s y c h o t h e a t r i c s

Bynow,thecharacterhasalreadytakenshape,allthatisleftnowistoaddquirksofpersonalitythatareselected

atrandom.Psychotheatricsarechoseninthefollowingway(andfoundintheAppendix).

1.ThePlayerstateshowmanyPsychotheatricsaregoing

tobeadded to thecharacter. Theplayermaychooseuptothree.Nomore.Oncethenumberisdecided,theplayermuststickwithit.2.TheplayerrollsaD100foreachPsychotheatricinturn,dealingwitheachseparately.3.AnyalterationstotheDeviantwheelorAttributesmustnowbemade.

psyCCotCehtraCs hnd tCe devahnt wCeelTheremaybecaseswherethePsychotheatricconflictswiththewayinwhichtheCharacter’sDeviantiscreated.Inthiscase thePsychotheatricwinsand theDeviantWheelmustbe altered. If two Psychotheatrics are opposing then theearlierPsychotheatricisusedandthesecondrollistobere-rolled.NoAttributemaygobelow1.

ThePsychotheatricistheretomakethecharactermorein-terestingfortheplayertoplayandisusedtogivethechar-actersometraitswhichareeasilyplayedoraddcolour tothecharacter.

wehvang tCe thleThePsychotheatricsshouldfitintothebackgroundthechar-acterhas.AcertainamountofweavingorfittinginmustbedonemakethePsychotheatricmakesense.TheGMshouldreadthePsychotheatricbeforereadingitouttotheplayer.SomeoftheinformationisthePsychotheatricmayneedtobekeptbackfromtheplayer.

sCenhrao speCafaC psyCCotCehtraCsForsomeoftheSettings,aspecialPsychotheatriclistisgivenforthatspecificscenario.TheoneincludedintheAppendixisadefaultlist.

buy off pysCCotCehtraCsPyschotheatrics are not just for Morius day, they can beboughtoffby spending10RP.Choose thePsychotheatricyouno-longerwantandrollD100foranewone.Youhavetotakeanewoneifyouarebuyingoffanoldone.Thiscannotbedone lightly.ThementalaffectorproblemrepresentedbythePsychotheatricmustbeaccountedforingame.

Example: IfyouareHuntedthenyoumustconfrontandstopthekillerbeforebuyingoffthePsychotheatric.IfyouareaPsychopath,thenyoumustgothroughpsychother-apyorlivethroughalife-changingeventtochangeyourpsyche.

C o m b a t

CombatinIcarissplitintothreetypes:CloseCombat(fistfights),FireFighting(guns)andVehiclecombat.Space

combatisalsodealtwithbutisamatterofdescriptionandskills. Initiative isusedtodeterminewhogoesfirstandthenplayerstaketurns.Forallofthesecombattypes,distanceismeasuredbymetres.Thisisusedforrangesandmovementrates. Time is split into Turns. Each turn is3 seconds andaplayermaymake spend that turn doingwhatever actionthey like (providing it is possible). Actions can be combatonesormiscellaneous(listedatendofcombat).Allactionsinthatturnhappensimultaneously.

Example: John Smithandhisadversaryboth shoot their

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weaponsatthestartoftheturn.JohnSmithrollsdicefirstandsplatters theadversary’s rightarmallover thewall.Theadversary stillgets to shootbut fromtheendof thisturnwillhaveoneglovetoomany.

turn hCtaonsATurnisthreesecondsforaturnandthat isa longtimeinCombat.Insomecases,acharactercandomanydifferentquick tasks in this time.Here isa listofnoncombatactionswhichcanbeperformedinaturn.

Turn Action Table

Action EffectWalk MoveShiftAttributeinmetresinany

directionRun Move3xShiftmetresinanydirection.ChangeMagazine

PutanewMagazineintoaweapon.

ChangeWeapon

Selectanewweaponandstowprevi-ousweapon.

RecoverStun Acharacterwillrecoverstunat10perturnifnotdoinganythingelse.

Getinto/outofvehicle

Assuggested.

ThrowObject Fromknives,chairs,otherplayerchar-acters.

Sayonething Alongwithanaction,acharactermayutteronething.

Turnonshield Free!Doesnottakeaturnbutashieldcanberaisedinaturn.

enterang CombhtWhenacombatsessionisinitialisedeitherbyNPCsorbytheplayercharactersthemselves, theGMwilldothefollowingsteps:

1.Statethatcombathasstarted.This istomakesureno-bodyisunawareofwhatisgoingon.It’snormallyobvious!2.Describethesituation. (Orwho isdoingwhat).Thisal-lows each player to be certain of what situation theircharacterisin.Youmightliketodrawcrossesonthemaptoshowwhereyouare.3.Rollforinitiative.Thisgivesanorderofplay.Initiative=SHIFT+BATTLE+D10.Thehighestinitiativegoeslast(allow-ingthequickestandmostbattleawarecharactertoseewhateveryoneelseisdoing).

tCe turn sequenCeCombat runs through the turn sequence (there are differ-ent turn sequences for different types of combat) until allthecombatiscomplete.Atthispoint,theGMcalls‘combatover’althoughthisisnormallyobvious.

CanemhtogrhpCaCPunchesthud,chaingunsrattle,bloodgushes,armourcrum-bles.Cinematiccombatisallaboutdescription.Theendre-sultisrollingdiceandseeingwhohitswhatbutIcarhasbeendesignedwiththedescribedsituationinmind.Ifthereisnotaspecificruleforsomethingthenitdoesnotmeanthatthecharacter cannot do something. Make a judgement callandmoveon.

Cehlang hnd repharIcarisaverylethalgame.Ifacharacterisshotwithjustaboutanythingwithoutbeingarmouredor augmented, then it’sverylikelythatthey’regoingtodie.However,healingispow-erful forwhen the armour finally runs out. CharacterswithMedical skill training are essential because they can usemodernmedicaltechnologytokeeptheCharacteralive.

Althoughdamagecanbe taken in a number of differentways,healingandrepairarenormallyperformedinthesame

way.Healing isperformedonnaturalbiologicalcreatures.Repair isperformedonbionicsandarmour. The skill that isuseddependsonwhateverisbeinghealed.

Healing Damage

Damageditem SkillforrepairNaturalbiological,e.g.Human(lessthanhalfdam-aged)

MedicalBasic

Naturalbiologicalhuman(morethanhalfdamaged)

Surgery

Bionics BionicsSystemsArmour MechasysSystemsBioweave BioweaveSystems

nhturhl baologaChl CehlangA natural biological creature is one that has growth fromanatural source. This includes humansandanimals. If thedamage take on any part of the natural biological is lessthanhalfthetotal,thenarollusingMedicalBasicorSurgeryis sufficient. If thedamage taken is larger thanhalf of thetotalamount,thenSurgeryisrequired.

Example:JohnSmithhasbeenshotinthechest,taking15ofhis40(Torsoforanormalhuman)pointsofDamage.15islessthanhalfof40,soMedicalBasicisenoughtobind

gravcarsareunnecessary,butweallwantone

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thewounds.Ifhe’sshotagaininthesameway,thenhe’sgoingtoneedsomeonewithSurgery.

Thespeedatwhichpeoplehealisgiveninatablebelow.

systems repharForeveryother typeof systems (armour,bionics,poweredarmour),anappropriateskill isneeded.Thefollowingtablegivesaguidelineonhowmuchcanberepairedeachhour.Thisismeantasaguideline.

Cehlang hnd rephar tamangsThistablegivesanindicationofhowlongittakestohealorrepair items. Theseareactivehealing speeds, notnatural,themedicorrepairerneedstobepresentduringtherepair/healingprocess.Pleaseusethisonlyasaguide.

DamagedItem SkillUsed HitPointsperhour

HumanBody(Lowdamage)

Medbasic 2

HumanBody(Highdamage)

Surgery 1

Bionics BionicsSystems 100

Armour MechasysSystems 100Bioweave BioweaveSystems 200

wCen torso or Cehd go to 0Fortunatelyforthemortalityofhumans,medicaltechnologyhasimprovedapacewithweapons.Ifacharacter’sHeadorTorsoisreducedto0thenthemedicwithaMedKithas10turnstogettothecharacterandsuccessfullyrollaSurgery(forHumans)orBionicsSystems(forBorgsandCybers)roll.

Ifthispasses,thenthecharacterisneardeathandwillneedfurthermedicalattentionunder thenormalhealing rules. Ifthisfails,thentheMedicmightneedmoreresourcesorsomehelp from another character before another roll can bemadeThisisthesameasthe‘Fixingthings’rulesforTechnicalskills.

TheGMmustapplycommonsensehere,ifhumancharac-terisgroundzeroofanorbitalcannonthenabroomwillbemoreusefulthanamedic.

sCaeldsShields are an energy fieldwhich stops high energy itemsfrompiercing it. A shield hasanARof 99. If aweaponofBF100(energyweapon) isusedthenoneshotwillshuttheshielddown,butthishappensattheendoftheround-theshieldwill soakupallof thedamage in that round.Shieldscanberaisedatanytimeandareinstant-theydonottakeaturnaction.

Someshieldshavehitpointratingsonthem.Iftheamountofdamageappliedtotheshield(usingthe1/10rule)goesoverthisvalue,itwillbedestroyedandcannotberestarted.

AshutdownshieldcanberestartedwithasuccessfulSystemsroll(anyskillwithSystemsafterit)and60secondswork.

C l o s e C o m b a t

Close combat occurs when two people are close toeachotherandbegintofightwithoutfirearms.Close

combatincludesfightingwithweaponssuchasswords,ta-blelegsandbreadknives.Playersshouldnotbegivenmuchtimetodecidewhattodo,itshouldbedonequickly.

Theabilities of character candiffer greatly dependingonwhatskillstheyhave.TheskillsthataffectClosecombatareStreetFighting(Life),RailFighting(Life),AkarakArt(Life)andGunFu(Task).Theskillschangethebasicrulesgivenhere,soifindoubtthentheskillstakeprecedence.Theskilldescrip-tionscontainalistoftheadditionalabilities.Theskillsarenor-mallyboughtasacharacterdevelops,soyouwillnotneedtoworryabouttheaffectsinitially.

Combanhtaons (Combos)Intheworldoffighting,youareonlytrulyblessedifyoucantag fighting movements together that give you a flow ofmovement. Icar deals with this by using combinations orCombos. Combos are a number ofmoveswhich can bedoneinoneturn(3Seconds).

turn sequenCeOncecombathasbeenstarted,thecombatantsroll initia-tive(Battle+Shift+D10).Eachturnuntilcombatisover,thelower resultmustchoosewhichcombotheyaredoingfirstandtellthehigheroftheinitiativewhatthefirstmovementinthecombois.Thisallowsthequicker,betterfightertoknowwhatiscomingandthendecideswhichcombotodo.

Eachmovementisthenworkedoutsimultaneously.Defence

RollInitiative

BeginCloseCombat

CharacterwithLowerInitiative,choosescombo

WinnerChoosesCombo

ResolveFirstMovement

Resolvesecondmovement

Keepgoinguntilneitherplayerhasanymovementsleft

IsCombatOver?No

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movementsblockattackmovementsautomatically.Ifbothattackatthesametime,arollunderBattleisusedtodeter-minewhowins. Ifonepersonhasmoremovements in thecombothantheother thentheremainingmovementsaremadeforfree!Whenallmovementsaredone,thentheturnends.

BeginCloseCombat

Closecombatisenteredintoifthecombatantshavenotgotrangeweaponsdrawn(exceptwithGunFu-seelater)oriftheyarewithin2metres.

RollInitiative

Eachcombatant,whether theybeNPCorplayer, rolls forinitiative:

Initiative = Battle + Shift + D10

The lower initiative, is theworsecombatantandthusfightsatthedisadvantageofnotknowingwhateveryoneelse isdoing.

LowestInitiativeDecidesFirst

Thelowestinitiative-ortheworsefighter-mustdecidewhichCombotouse.Thentellthefirstmovementofthiscombotothehighestinitiative(thebetterfighter).Thisallowsthebet-tercombatanttochoosethebestcombotodealwiththisopponent.

HigherInitiativeChooses

ThepersonwiththehigherInitiativegetstochoosethecom-botheywishtouse.

ResolvingMovements

Once thecomboshavebeen set,eachmovement in thecomboisresolved.Allmovementscanbesplitinto2groups,OffensiveandDefensive.Belowisatablewhichshowswhattododependingon theoutcomeof the twomovements.Don’tworryifthisseemsconfusing,exampleswillfollow.

Close Combat Movement Resolution Table

Fighter1 Fighter2 OutcomeOffensive Defensive Fighter2blocksattack,

nothinghappensOffensive Offensive EachrollunderBattle.

Theplayerwiththehigherdifferencewins.

Defensive Defensive Nothinghappens.

thkang dhmhgeDamage isdependenton themovementdone.Onlyonepersoncantakedamageatatime(thereisonlyeveronewinner).AlldamageisStundamageunlessotherwisestated.

StandingUp

If acharacter is knockedproneduringa fight, theygetachancetostandupafterallthemoveshavegonethrough.TheystanduponasuccessfulShiftroll.

IsCombatOver?

Combatendswhenonecombatantiseitherknockedoutorrunsaway(evading).AknockoutoccurswhenStunreaches0%.Evadingcombatrequiresthecowardtorollalargerdif-ferenceunderShiftrollagainsttheenemiesBattleroll.Asuc-cessfulevasionmeansthatthecowardscanchoosetofightagainornotnextturn.Ifcombatisnotfinishedthenproceedtothenextmovementuntilallmovementsinthecomboarefinished. Ifoneplayerhasmoremoves than theother inacombothenthelastonesgothroughautomatically.

tCe movement thblesThesetablesareanideaaboutthetypesofmovethatcanbedone.Thisisnotadefinitivelist,imaginativeplayerscanmaketheirownbutpenalisethepointsrequiredtodothem.Somemanoeuvresare ‘OneOffs’, in that youdon’t needtoputthemintoacombo,youjustdothem.However,youhaveonlyonegoaturn.

TicktheRelevantSkill

Younowticktheskillwhichismoverelevanttothecombothatyouhavejustcompleted.IftheCombowasbasedonthestandardmoves(seeninthenexttable),youtickStreet

Fighting, the basic fighting skill. Common sense is neededwhendecidingwhichfightingskilltotickandtheGMshouldbeconsulted.

offensave moves

Name Cost Stun Notes

Punch 1 Meat

Kick 2 2xMeat

Headbutt 1 2xMeat Mustfollowde-fensivemove.

Stamp 1 2xMeat Targetmustbeprone

Trip 1 None Makestargetprone

StandUp OneOff

None Characterstandsup

BreakFree OneOff

None Breaksthehold

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Hold 1 None Targetishelduntilattackerletsgoorasuccessfulbreakfree

defensave moves

Name Cost NotesBlock 1 Stop attacks with arm. Damaged if

usedagainstaweapon.Dodge 2 CompletelyavoidsattackDisarm 1 Removesweaponfromopponent.

bualdang CombosThestartingcharacterwillhaveanumberofpointstospendonfightingcombos.Howthecombosarecreated isuptotheplayer,allthepointsmaygointoonecomboorsplitbe-tweenmany.Thecostofonecomboisthetotalcostofallthemoves.

Example:Dodge Block Punch. Thiscombocosts4.

BuildingRules1.Numberofmovesinacombomustnotexceed½BattleAttribute.2. ACharactermay not havemore than 3moves in acombounlesstheStreetFightingSkillis10%ormore.

3. Player can not place more than one two point (incost)moveconsecutivelyunlessthecharacterhasStreetFightingover20%.4.Playermaynotaddtoacomboonceitismade.5.Playercandeleteanoldcomboinfavourofanewonebutnopointsaregained(itisdeleted,nottradedin!).

MakingNewCombos

Atthebeginningofeachplayingsession,thereisatimetospend experience. At this point, a playermaymake newcombosanddiscardoldones.

ComboHints

Hereareafewpointersthathaveprovenusefulinthepast.♦ Trytohaveatleastonecombobeginninginadefenceandoneinanattack.Thisissothatifyouwanttostartafight,youcandoitwithacomboandifsomeonetriestopickafightwithyou,thenyoucandefendwithacombo.♦ IfyouhaveahighBattle,trytokeepthelastfewmovesattacks as weaker opponents will not have that manymovesinacomboandthoseattackswillbe‘free’♦ When startingacharacter, it is best tohaveat leastonecombowhichgoes up to themaximumofmoves,evenifthemovesareallrelativelyweakpunches.♦ Punchesandblocksarereplacedwithweaponmoves

automatically,sohaveonecombowithjustthese.

exhmple Close CombhtBelowisaclosecombatturnfortwocharacterswiththefol-lowingCombos:

Rage:BlockPunchBlockPunch.

Dude:KickPunchDodgeTripStamp.

RollInitiative

Battle+Shift+D10.RagehasaBattleof8andaShiftof4androlls10onaD10.HisInitiativetotalis8+4+10whichis22.

DudehasaBattleof6andaShiftof7androlls7onaD10.His Initiativetotal is6+7+7which is20.Therefore,Ragewinstheinitiative.

LooserchoosesCombo

Looser goes first and as Dude lost the initiative, he has tochoosehiscombofirstandtellragewhatthefirstmovewillbe.Hechoosesthecombogivenabove,andsaysthatKickwillbehisfirstmove.Ragethenchoosesacombodepend-ent on the choice of Dude and chooses the one above,startingwithaDodge.

FirstMove

Dude isdoinga ‘Kick’ (anOffensive)andRage isdoinga‘Block’(aDefensive)sonothinghappens.

SecondMove

BothRageandDudearepunchingatthispointsotheyrollundertheirBattleonaD10.Duderolls8whichis2underhisBattleof10.RagewhohasaBattleof8rolls3whichis5un-der. Therefore, Ragewins this oneanddoesMeat Stun toDude.Rage’sMeatis8sohedoes8stun.

ThirdMove

Bothcharactershaveadefensiveastheirmove,sonothinghappens,theyfaceoff.

FourthMove

Dude is doing a ‘Trip’ (Offensive) and Rage is doing a‘Punch’(Offensive)sotheymustrollundertheirBattleasintheSecondMove.RagehasaBattleof8rolls2whichis6un-der.DudehasaBattleof10androlls1whichis9under.Dudehasrolled1,acriticalandautomaticallywins!DudetripsupRagewhothenfallstothefloor(nowprone).

FifthMove

As Rage is prone and can only have fourmoves, Dude’sstampgoesinfreedoing2xMeatstun,asDudehasaMeatof6,hedoes12stuntoRage.

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StandUp

Attheendoftheturn,RagerollsShifttotryandstandup.Herolls1andleapstohisfeet.

amprovashtaon (optaonhl)Improvisationallowsacharactertoimproviseupto1/4ofhisBattle(roundnormally),thatismakeupaComboonthefly.Thisisoftenusefulwhenusinganimpromptuweapon.

Chnd wehponsHandweaponsaredefinedas‘anythingheldinthehand’.Thatisknives,tablelegs,otherpeopleetc.Ifthecharacterpicksupahandweapon,theycanstilldoacombo.AllBlockandPunchmovesarereplacedautomatically(atnocost)bytherelevantweaponmove(parryandstabetc.).Specialmoves must be taken separately and thus have a cost.Belowisatableofarangeofobjectswhichmostweaponsfallinto.Iftheweaponisspecial,thenitwillcomewithdiffer-entAttributes.AplayercanonlyputtheuseofweaponsinaComboiftheirStreetFightingskillis20%ormore.

Blunt

Blunt weapons include clubs, rods, poles and table legs.SomebluntweaponscanpenetratearmourbuttheydonotintrinsicallyhaveaBlastFactor(theyareunabletopenetratearmour)sousethe‘Bladed’weapontableinstead.Mostim-provisedweaponsfallintothiscategory.

Blunt Weapon Table

Move Cost Stun DamageOneHandedSmack (Punch) 3xMeat MeatParry (Block) None NoneTwoHandedStrike 3 4xMeat 2xMeat

SmallBlades

Small Blades are anything that has a blade smaller than60cm.Smallblades includekitchenknives,clubswithnailsthrough one end, small knives and claws. SomeweaponshaveBlastFactors(penetration)andtheseare listedintheweapontables.TIP:Ifindoubt,useaBlastFactorof2.

Small Blades Table

Move Cost Stun DamageStab (Punch) 3xMeat MeatParry (Block) None NoneSlash 3 3xMeat 3xMeat

LargeBlades

LargeBlades includeanybladeover 60cm. These includepole arms and swords. Someweapons have Blast Factors(penetration)butunlessotherwisestated,useaBFof2.

Large Blade Table

Move Cost Stun DamageThrust (Punch) 4xMeat 2xMeatParry (Block) None NoneSlash 3 4xMeat 3xMeat

Chnd vs blhdeWhathappenswhensomeonewithoutanyweaponsgoesupagainstsomeonewithabladeorblunt?Intuitively,whenstriking,theattackscanbedealtwithnormally.However,ifsomeone‘blocks’againstahandweapon,theweaponwillstill do damagetotheblockingarm.Humorousdismember-ment shouldbeconsidered.Adodge,however,willavoidanyclosecombatweapon.

wehpon CombosThespecialmanoeuvres(likeSlashabove)canbebuiltintocombos. However, the special combo may not be usedwithout theweapon. The charactermay use thesemoveswhenimprovising.

TIP:Weaponattacksdo farhigherdamageandstun than

normalattackssofillspecialcomboswithmostlyweaponat-tacks,thatwaynoattackiswasted.

multaple foesWhenacharacterisfightingmorethanonepersoninaturn,shecansquashhercombo.Combosquashingentailsassign-ingmovestoeachofthefoes.Theassigningofmoveshap-pensonthefly, thepersonbeingattackedcandecideateachturnwhotodothemovesagainst.ThecharactermayalsoInnovateduringacombat.Thisisbestdemonstratedinanexample.

ExampleMultipleFoeCombat:

Thiscombat isbetweenthreefighters,RagewhoisfightingDudeandMush.RageisholdingaSword(BladeWeapon).DudeandMushhavenoweaponsatall.

Rage:Block,Block,Block,Punch,Punch.Dude:Kick,Punch,Block.Mush:Dodge,Punch.

Note:AsRageisholdingasword,hiscombobecomes:Rage:Parry,Parry,Parry,Thrust,Thrust.

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RollInitiative

Battle+Shift+D10.RagehasaBattleof8andaShiftof4androlls9onaD10.HisInitiativetotalis8+4+9whichis21.

DudehasaBattleof6andaShiftof7androlls2onaD10.HisInitiativetotalis6+7+2whichis15.

MushhasaBattleof3andaShiftof4androlls4onaD10.His Initiativetotal is3+4+4which is11.Therefore,Ragewinstheinitiative.

LooserGoesFirst

AsDudeandMush lost the initiative, theyhave tochoosetheircombosfirstandtellRagewhatthefirstmoveofeachcombowill be.Hechooses thecombogivenabove,andsays thatKick will be his firstmove. Rage then chooses acombodependentonthechoiceofDudeandMush,choos-ingtheoneabove,startingwithaParry.

FirstMove

Inthefirstmove,RageisbeingattackedwithaKickandaDodge.HeassignshisfirstparrytotheKickandnothingtotheDodgefromMush,thereisnoneedto.

SecondMove

Inthesecondmove,Ragehastwopunchescominginsimul-taneouslysoheassignsthenexttwo‘parry’inhiscombotoeachpunch. ThepunchesareparriedbyRageautomati-cally.

ThirdMove

Mushdoes not havea thirdmove so the fight is betweenRageandDude.Rageisdoinga‘thrust’andDudeisblock-ing.Normally,thiswouldbeblockedwithoutresult,howeverasRageisfightingwithasword,hedoesdamagetothearmofDude.RagehasaMeatof8sohedoes4xMeat(32)stuntoDudeand2xMeat (16)damagetoDude’sarm.Dudeonlyhas10hitpointsonhisarmsoRage’shitchopsitoff.

FourthMove

Rageisdoinga‘Thrust’anddecidestohitMushinthechest.Themoveisundefendedsogoesthroughautomaticallydo-ing4xMeat(32)stunandMeat(16)damage.

EndofCombat

Asyoucansee,aSwordcanbeprettydeadlyinthehandsofsomeonewithagoodcombo.

F i r e f i g h t i n g

Fire fightingdealswith the use of firearms. It is assumedthatallfirefightshappensimultaneouslyand initiative is

merelyusedtoallowthemorecombatawaretoseewhathappenstoeverythingelsebeforemakingtheirdecision.

farehrmsInIcar,weaponsarenotwrittendownonpartofthechar-actersheetbutareincludedasseparatesheetsthemselves(foldedpaperintocards)andthenkeptwiththecharactersheet. This removesconfusionaboutwhat thecharacter iscarrying.Iftheplayerdoesnothavethesheet,theydonothavetheweapon.OnthenextpageistheNelsonH1fromtheEquipment section,please refer to thisasanexample.Afirearmsheetissplit intofoursegments.Fromtopleft,go-

ingclockwise theyare:Features,NotesandAttributesandphotoandname

pCoto hnd nhmeThepicture showsa representationof theweaponwith itsname.

fehturesHereare the important featuresof theweapon.Not reallyAttributesbutother informationof use. Typically thisplaceholdsthefollowing:

1.Cost.IfboughtNewfromaregulardealer.2.Typeofweapon(LightorHeavy).Tellsyouwhichskilltouse.3.Rarity(apercentage).AGMwillrolloverthisnumbertoseeifadealerhasoneinstock.Lowerismorecommon.4. Additional Features. These are accompanied with aheadingandadescription.Thingssuchas‘GravBalancingareadditionalfeatures.5.StockOptions.Someweaponsaresoversatilethatthemanufacturer may create themwith possible additionsstraight fromthe factory.Thesecomewitha tickbox,apriceandararity(ifdifferentfromtherarityoftheweap-on).

noteEitherusedforfurtherpicturesoroptionsorforabriefhistoryanddescriptionfortheweapon.

sthtastaCsThese are split into three sections, Range Discs, WeaponStatisticsandAmmo.

RangeDiscs.On theouteredgeof the rangediscsarethemodifiersforthisweaponatShort(S),Medium(M)andLong (L) ranges.Add thisvalue toyour Light (orHeavy)firingskillandaddthenumberinthecentreofthering.Apositivemodifierissignifiedbyacolouredin(black)shapeandanegativemodifierissignifiedbyanoutlineshape.

For example,ifyourcharacterhasaskill inLightFiringat85%,thenShortRangewillbe95%andbothmediumandlongwillbeat85%.

StatisticThistellsyouthephysicalattributestheweaponhas.Howeachnumberisusedisdetailedlater.Theacronymsstandfor:WeaponThetypeoftechnologytheweapon uses to fire.BF Blast factor, howgood theweaponisatpenetratingarmour.DamageThedamagedone by each round fired. R/T Rounds fired each turn.Ammothetypeofammunitionfired.MagMagazine.

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tCe turn sequenCe

BeginFireFight

FireFightcombatisenteredintoifthecombatantsfireweap-ons.TheGMmuststatewhattargetsthereare,atwhatrangetheyareandwhethertheyaremovingorincover.

RollInitiative

Eachcombatant,whether theybeNPCorplayer, rolls forinitiative:

Initiative = Battle + Shift + D10

The lower initiative, is theworsecombatantand thusmustdecidewhattodofirst,withouthavingseentheoutcomeofeveryoneelse’sactions.

StateTargetandNumberofRoundstoFire

Theplayer(orNPC)statesthetargetthatsheisshootingatandthenumberofroundsshewishestofire.ThenumberofroundsfiredcannotexceedtheR/Tvalueoftheweapon.

RollDicetoHit

Player rollsapercentile (D100or%). Thismustbe less thannumber on the corresponding range disc. The ranges arelistedbelow. If theplayer is throwingaGrenade,theycandosouptoShortRangeandrollShifttohit.

Weapon Ranges

Range Distance(inMetres)Short Upto50mMedium 51-500mLong 501m+

IfHits

TheplayermustrollunderthenumberontherelevantRangeDisc.Howevertherearemodifiers,whichmakeitdifficulttohit.Add thesemodifiers to thedifferencebetween the rollandthenumberrequiredtohit.

Example1:Ifaplayerhasaskillof70%andtheweaponhasamodifierof30%,thetotalis100.Theplayerrolls60,thereforeadifferenceof40.Thisdifferencethenhasmod-ifiersadded to it. Themodifiersaddup to -30%, leaving10%difference,thisisahit.

Example2:Atlongrange,themodifiermayonlybe20%.Theplayerrequiresarollof90onaD100.Theplayerrolls90andmisses.

Example 3:At short range, themodifier is only 25%. Theplayerrequiresarollof95onaD100.Theplayerrolls92.Thisisadifferenceof3.Modifierscouldquiteeasilymakethatshotamiss.

Cat modafaersModifiersmakehittingthetargeteasierormoredifficult.Thisis bynomeansanexhaustive list, if thereareanycircum-stanceswhichtheGMthinksaffectsthesituationthentheytoowillbeadded.

Hit Modifier Table

Modifier % UsageTargetinCover -10 Thetargetisobscuredin

part.TargetorCharactermov-ing

-10 Acharactermayfirewhilemovingifmovingatwalk.

CalledShot -30 Playerchoosesbodyparttoshootat.

AimedPreviousTurn

+20 Characterspentlastturnaimingatthetarget.

Shotattargetlastturn

+10 Bonusforcontinuallyshoot-ingatthesamething

CharacterStunned

-(100-stun)

Ifstunisbelow100,thentakethedifference.

Example: John Smith fires a Raqax IIE at a foe at shortrange.Hisskillis95%,theRaqaxshortrangemodifieradd35%to thechancetohit. Thereforeheneeds to rollun-der130%onaD100.He rolls 28. Thedifference is 102%!HoweverMaxhastakendamageandhas50%(-50)stun.He isalsofiringwhilemoving(-10)andthe target ishid-ingbehindawall(Incover-10).Thisbringsthedifferencedowntoalessimpressive32%.Thisisstillahit.

dhmhgang tCe thrgetThemaximumdamagedonetothetargetistheRoundsfiredmultipliedbytheDamage.

Damage Done = Rounds Fired x Damage

However, this damage is affected by the difference be-tweentheBlastFactor(BF)oftheweaponandtheArmourRating(AR)oftheArmour.Thealterationisasfollows:

RollInitiative

BeginFirefight

CharacterwithLowerInitiative,firesfirst

StateTarget

StateRounds

RollDice

NextPlayer

Ifhits,dodamagetotarget

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NELSON H1

1.IfBF>ARthenalldamageisapplied.2.IfBF<=ARthen1/10damageisapplied.

Stunisthemeasureofphysicalshock.Regardlessofdamageapplied,atargettakestheBFinstun.Thisruledoesnotapplytosomeformsofpoweredarmour.

Asyouwillnote fromthedamagesystem, Icar isadeadlygame.Thebesttacticisnottobeshotatinthefirstplace.

farang watCout h skallIt’snotunknownforacharactertopickupaweaponandpullthetrigger.Inthiscase,useonlythemodifiersgivenwiththeweapon.

Example: For the Nelson H1, a character without LightFiringwouldhavetorollunder10atshortrange.

farefagCt exhmpleA human foe is wearing an armoured jacket and an ar-mouredvest.Thehitistothechest.Thejackethasanarmourvalue (AR)of5andhas20hitpoints (HP). Thevesthasanarmourvalue(AR)of8andhas15hitpoints(HP).

TheRaqaxIIEhasaBFof20andadamageof30.5roundswerefired.Totaldamageis150points.

TheRaqax’sBF (20) is higher than the jacket’sAR (5) so itdoes full damage. As the jacket has only 20 hit points,the jacket is destroyed (150 damage > 20 hit points).However,theroundcontinuesintothevest.TheroundnowhasaBFof(20-5=15)15andhasadamageof(150-20=130)130.

TheBF(15)islargerthanthevestAR(8)soitdoesdamage.Therefore130pointsofdamagearedone to thevest. Thevesthas100pointssoitisnowdestroyed.TheroundstillhasaBFof7(15-8)and30pointsofdamage.Thefoetakes30pointsofdamage to thechest, leavinghimwith10pointsremaining(40onTorso,40-30=10).

Thefoetakes20stun(theBFoftheRaqaxIIE).Thissortofar-mourisbestavoided.

hutCor’s notesCombat shouldbe keptasquickaspossible. This canbeachieved by reducing the accuracy of the mathematicsinvolved. In theaboveexample,onlyfiveshotswerefired.If8werefiredandtheyallhit inthesameplace, itcanbeestimated that the target isdead. This isbecause8x30 is240pointsofdamage,whichismorethanthetarget’sbodyandarmour.Also,thesecompositearmoursarerare,char-actersnormallyhaveonlyone layerofarmour,making lifequitesimple.

D o g F i g h t i n g

The last combat needs to be themost cinematic of allthe combats. If the players get boggeddown in argu-

ingabout realdynamicsofmovingbodies thenthegamewillgrindtoahalt.Eachvehiclewarriorisconsideredasei-theroffensive,defensive or inadvantage. The defender isthepersonwhoistryingtododgetheattackerbytryingtogettheadvantage, theattacker is theonetryingtoshootthedefender.Whenbothcraftareintheadvantagestate,

eachoneistryingtobecomeattacker.

Example:JohnSmith isflyinghisVultureonthewaytoaCroft. A rogue Nomad attacks. The rogue has the ele-mentof surprise sohebecomes theattacker. Johnbe-comesthedefender.Atthestartofnextturn,Johndoesamanoeuvreandtheroguedoesnotmanagetostayonhistail.Bothofthemcirclearoundtheskyinadvantage(neitherofthemabletoattackordefend).ThenJohnisabletotaketheattackandblowstheroguecarfromun-derhim.

roundang hnd resolutaonDog fighting requires you to reduce the resolution of theCombatPilotSkill.Thismeansturnanumberthatisnormallyoutof100(like69%)toanumberwhichisoutof10(like6.9).Firstdividethenumberby10,thenroundupifthedecimalis ‘.5’ ormoreanddownotherwise. Thus, 74 becomes 7.4and(asthedecimal,‘.4’islessthan‘.5’)itbecomes7.Also,25becomes2.5andthenroundto3.Ifyouprefer,truncatebycuttingoffthesecondnumber,92become9and38be-comes3.Thisgreatlyspeedsuptheprocess.

tCe turn sequenCe

Combatnormallybeginswithbothvehicles inadvantage.They both roll Advantage dice (Combat Skill + Vehicle Manoeuvring + D10)andthewinnerbecomestheattacker.Theloserbecomesthedefender.

Then, at the end of the turn the attacker gets to fire. Thenext turn, the loserchoosesamanoeuvreandeachplay-er rolls combatdice (Combat Skill + Vehicle Manoeuvring + Manoeuvre Modifier + D10). Thenasimpletable(below)isfollowedtoseeifthesituationremainsthesameandtheattackerfiresagainor ifthemanoeuvresucceedsandtheplayersareplacedintoadvantageagain.

RollAdvantage

BeginVehicleCombat

Winnerbecomesattacker

AttackerFires

Defenderchoosesma-noeuvre

RollCombatDice

Doplayersgotoadvantage?

CheckTable

No

Yes

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dogfagCt mhnoeuvre last

Name Speed DF AT NotesRandomSideSlip

Any 0 -1

SharpTurn <1/2Max -1 -2ThrottleSlam NotMax 0 -1 Increasespeed

byaccelera-tion

BrakeHard Not0 -1 -2 Reducespeedbyaccelera-tion

Loop >1/2Max -1 -2 -10%toat-tacker’snextshot

Roll Any -1 -3Airbrake >1/2Max -4 -3 Attackermay

notfirenextturn

Swoop >1/2Max -2 -3 Increasespeedbyaccelera-tion.-10%toat-tacker’sshot

FeintandDive <1/2Max -2 -4 MayonlybeperformedbyGravBikes.IfattackerisnotGravBike,thenmaynotfire.

Split‘S’ <1/2Max -3 -43AxisTumble <1/2Max -2 -5 Nextmove

mustbearan-domsideslip

GeneratorPowerDump

</2Max -1 -4 Do500pointsofdamagetovehicle

AeroDynamo Any -3 -6 Do500pointsofdamagetovehicle

FalroddingManoeuvre

Any * * CombatPilotskillonlyroll,biggestdiffer-encewins.

Evasion * -2 0 Defender’sspeedmustbegreaterthanattackers!

RollCombatDice

Thisdetermineswhetherthemanoeuvre is successfulat re-movingtheattackerfromthetailofthedefenderandputthembothintoadvantage.

Advantage = Combat Skill + Vehicle Manoeuvre + Manoeuvre Modifier + D10

ChecktheResolutionTable

Onethewinnerandlooserhavebeendecided,checkthetablebelow.

Attacker / Defender / Advantage Resolution Table

Attacker Defender ResultWin Lose RemainthesameLose Win GotToAdvantageWin Evade Remainthesame

Lose Evade CombatEnds

Evasion

Thisoccurswhenthedefenderchoosestoevadethebattle.Ifthedefendermanagestowinwithanevademanoeuvre.Then thebattleends.GMwill rolldice to see ifbattlecanbestartedagain.Thisisoftennotthecase.Itmustbenotedthatthedefender’sspeedmustbegreaterthanthatoftheattacker’sfortheevadetobesuccessful.

EndOfCombat

Combatcanalsoendifoneenemyisdestroyedortheat-tacker wishes to stop. If the attacker wishes to stop thencombatendsautomatically.Theattackermustspecifythatthecombatwillendbeforefiring(essentiallyrollingthedice).

exhmple dogfagCtHereisanexampledogfight.Notehowallthemathematicsisquitesimilarbetweeneachturn.Foranycombattheplay-er’sskillandthevehiclemodifierarenotgoingtochangesothesenumbercanbeaddedonceandremembered.

The Dog fight concerned two pilots John Smith (CombatGravSkill80%=8)andBernardBlack(CombatGravSkill55%=6).JohnSmith isdrivingaBorealiswithamountedChain

becarefulwhereyoudock,ifyouwantashiptoreturnto

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Gun(Vehiclemanoeuvringis+10=1)andBernardBlackisinaStarEnforcerFortitude(Vehiclemanoeuvringis+60=6).Theyarriveatthesamemoment(noonehastheelementofsurprise)andgotoAdvantage.

TurnOne-RollAdvantageDice

BothrollaD10.JohnSmithrollsa3,BernardBlackrolls6.

ADVANTAGE=COMBATSKILL+VEHICLEMANOEUVRE+D10

JohnSmithAdvantage=8+1+3=12

BernardBlackAdvantage=6+6+6=18

WinnerBecomesAttacker

Bernardisthewinner.SoBernardbecomestheattacker.

AttackFires

Bernard shootsusing the Fortitude’sPulse Laser.He letsoffone shot, rolling D100. There are no skill modifiers on thisweaponsoheneedstorollunderhisskillof65%.Herolls94,sohemisses.

DefenderChoosesManoeuvre

AsJohnSmithisagoodpilot,hechoosestodoa3axistum-ble.Hechecksthathisspeedisover1/2(whichitis).Healsonotesthatifheisdefenderagainnextturn,itmustbeasideslip.The3axistumblehasamanoeuvremodifierof-2.

TurnTwo-RollCombatDice

BernardmustnowtrytostayonthetailofJohnsohecanfireagain.BothrollaD10.Johnrolls9andBernardrollsa4.

Combat = Combat Skill + Vehicle Manoeuvre + Manoeuvre Modifier + D10

JohnSmithCombat=8+1-2+9=16

BernardBlackCombat=6+6-5+4=11

CheckTable

Last turn Bernardwas theattacker and Johnwas thede-fender.Johnwon(asJohn’stotalwasthehigherofthetwo)sousingthetable,theygotoAdvantage.

RollAdvantageDice

BothrollaD10.Johnrollsa2,Bernardrolls8.

Advantage = Combat Skill + Vehicle Manoeuvre + D10

JohnSmithAdvantage=8+1+2=11

BernardBlackAdvantage=6+6+8=20

WinnerBecomesAttacker

Bernard is the winner. So Bernard becomes the attackeragain.

AttackerFiresMountedWeapon

Bernard decides to fire 15 of the possible 50 rounds hecanfire.HerollsaD100,tryingtogetunder65%(hisHeavyWeaponskill).Herolls20,andhits,takingoff3000pointsofdamage from the John’s Borealis. Johnwrites this figure inthetophalfofthehitpointscircle.

DefenderChoosesManoeuvre

JohndecidesthatthedamagehehastakenistooheavytocontinuesohechoosestoEvade,thiscountsasaRandomSideSlip.HisspeedislargerthanBernard’ssohecanevadeifhesucceedsthenextroll.

TurnThree-RollCombatDice

BernardmustnowtrytostayonthetailofJohnSmithsohecanfireagain.BothrollaD10.Johnrolls7andBernardrollsa1.

Combat = Combat Skill + Vehicle Manoeuvre + Manoeuvre Modifier + D10

JohnSmithCombat=8+1-2+7=14

BernardCombat=6+6-5+1=8

CheckTable

BernardistheattackerandJohnisthedefender.Johnwonso(asJohn’stotalwasthehigherofthetwo)usingthetable,JohnEvades.

EndOfCombat

TheGMdecides that thespeeddifference is toogreat forBernardtojoinbattleagainimmediately,soachasewillen-sue.Theywill,ofcourse,startinAdvantagenexttime

hddataonhl fhCtorsInaMexCityDogFighting

IfthedogfighthappensinanemptyMexCity,underground,inanOrbitalPostorcanyon(wherespaceisrestricted)thenthisisconsideredHarddifficulty.

FightingAmongstTraffic

Whenfightingamongstlotsoftraffic,thisisconsideredTaxingdifficulty.

BiblicalWeather

Iftheweatherreducesvisibilityandwindsmakeaccuratefly-ingvirtuallyimpossible,thenthisisconsideredHarddifficulty.

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StunnedPilot

If thepilothastakenanystun,divide itby10andsubtractthisfromthetotal.

Damage

Themorethevehicleisdamaged,theworseitwillfly.Oncethedamagehasreachedatleasthalfofthetotaldamageofthecraft,thentheManoeuvreBonusshouldbeignored.

farang non-mounted wehponsIf thereareotherpeople insidethevehiclehaveweaponsandareabletofirethem(suchasfromthebackseatofarooflessAnchorageTypeR)thentheymayfirestraightaftertheMountedWeaponsdo.ThetohitmodifieristhesameastheManoeuvreModifierfortheattacker.Workoutdamageasyouwouldforafirefight.

As theweapon is notmounted to thevehicle, those firingnon-mountedweaponscanfireevenwhenthevehicleisthedefenderor inadvantage. Thinkof thisas firingoutof thebackofthecarwhenescaping.

bohrdangThe attacking vehicle can draw alongside the defenderratherthanfiringmountedweapons.Oncealongside,any-oneinsideeithervehiclecanattempttoboardtheotherbyrollingShiftacheck.Failingthischeckeithermeansthatthejumpwasnotmadeandtheyremainintheirownvehicleor

theymadethejumpbutarehangingonbytheirfingertipsandwillstaythatwayuntiltheypassasuccessfulShiftcheck.

losang Control(Optional) If the defender fails the manoeuvre then theyloose control of their vehicle. The next turn, the GM willchoosethemanoeuvreandthecharactermustpassaPilotorCombat roll(dependingonwhethertheyareincombat)togaincontrolthenextturn.ThemanoeuvremaynotbeanEvade.

generhl flyangOutside of combat, if the characterwishes to do a crazymanoeuvre (outside the normal realmof flying) then theymaydoso.AgooddescriptionandapassontherelevantPilot rollwillallowthemtodothismanoeuvre.A failof thePilotrollwillmakethemLoseControl(seeabove).

Agooddescriptionandpassoftherollmaysuggestanim-mediateskillincrease.

H a c k i n g

Gaia is the3Dvirtualworld thatactsas the internet inIcar.Thewholehumanracerevolvesaroundtheuse

ofGaia.FormoredetailsonGaiaitself(andthedifferentob-jectsyougetinit),seetheGaiasectionintheBackground.

HackingistheactofperformingillegalactionsinGaia.Gaiaemulatesthelawsoftherealworldandsocanbemistreat-edinasimilarway.Hackingoftenrequiresateameffort,re-gardlessofwhetheraCharacterhastheHackingskill.

WhenconsideringtheGaia,itisbesttothinkofitastherealworldratherthana21stCenturycomputersystem.Ifames-sage needs to travel through Gaia, you might assume itmovesinstantly(likeemail)andalthoughitisinstant,youcaninterceptthemessagestill.Donotworryaboutthetechnicalconcerns here. Theaim is tomakeGaiaplayablewithoutanyindepthtechnicalknowledge.

wCht ChCkang as used forHacking is a support activity in Icar. Hackersmake use ofHackingEntities tohelp the teamachieve theirgoal.MostHacking runs take more than one successful roll of theHackingskill.Thenumberoftimestorolldependsonthedif-ficultyofthetask.FollowingisaselectionofactionsaHackercantake,withexamplesofhowmanytimestorollaHackingskillcheck.

Findingsecureddata

Breaking and entering into corporate and personal Gaiaspacesisthebestplacetofindjuicydata.FromCorporatesystemsyoucangrabemploymentrecords,listsofworkers,secretplansforfutureprojects,plansofthebuildinglayoutsandevenincriminatingfiles.FrompersonalGaiaSpaces,youcanread3Dimmersivediaryentries,stealthecontactinfor-mationoffriendsandviewtheirinformation.

TodeterminethenumberofHackingskillcheckstopass,im-agineyouhadtobreakintosomeone’shousetostealtheirbank statements. Youwould need to break into the frontdoor(1roll),thenintoalockedboxofpersonalitems(1roll).Therefore, you need to roll Hacking twice. Of course, theHackerneverreallygoesintothehousephysicallybuttheirGaia Isiswill go into thevirtual space. If youwant to thenchangetheinformationyouwillneedtorollHackingagain.

Fixingsensorsandcamerasonaloop

InthemoresecureareasofImperialspace,therearemanysensorsandCamerasrecordingeverything.Toavoidbeingcaught,youmightwanttoHackthecamerasandsensorssothattheystoprecordingandjustrecordaloopofnothingchanging.

To determine the number of Hacking skill checks to pass,imagineyouhadtodothistoday.First,youwouldneedto

thestarenforcersarequickandrelentless

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break intoa security room in thebuilding (1 roll)and thenforcethecamerastobreaktheirprogramming(1roll).Youmightalsoneedtodestroyasecurityentitythatiswatchingthecamerafeed(1roll).YouthenneedtousetheHackingEntity Looper (1 roll). Therefore, 4 Hacking skill checks areneeded.

Openingrealworlddoors

BreakingintoplacesinvolveseitherHackingthedoorpanelorcuttingyourwayin.Toopenarealworlddoor,theHackermustrolljustonce.ForgettingaccesstoaSpaceCraft,theairlockwillhavetwosetsofcontrols,soyouwillneedtoHacktwice.

AccessingtheUndergaia

The Undergaia is the name given to accidental fissuresin Gaia, which most users cannot sense or locate. TheUndergaiaisusefulforconnectingwithcriminals,findingoutrestricteddata,buyingorsellinginformationorhidingdataandillegalEntities.MoreinformationontheUndergaiaispro-videdintheGaiasectioninthebackgroundlater.

ChCkang veCaCles hnd sphCe CrhftItispossibletodisruptthesystemsonaSpaceCraftorvehi-cle.SpaceCraftandvehicleshavemanyGaiaEntities(in-telligentprograms) thatautomaticallycontrolmanyof thesystems.AHackercandisrupt thesesystemsbutonly forashortperiodoftimeastheEntitieswillberegeneratedbythesystemstheyrun.Withluck,itispossibletoshutdownsystemswithHackingentirelybutittakesmanysuccessfulrolls.

Vehicles

Vehicles use Entities for opening doors, navigating traffic,driving,maintainingpower,gravitydampeningfields(whichremoves g-forces), controlling shielding and a food anddrinksbioreorganiser.

ToHackintoaVehicle,youneedtorolltwicetogetintothesecurityandthenonce for each systemyouwishtodisrupt.Thesystemwillbeoffinthenextturnforthatturnonly.

Ifyoumanagetosuccessfullyroll10hackingrollsinavehicle,allfurthersystemhackswillbepermanent!

SpaceCraft

HackingSpaceCraftisamuchmoredifficultaffairasasin-gleSpaceCrafthasthousandsofEntitieswithmassivedupli-cationofeffort.AssuchHackingSpaceCraftsystemsmustbeperformedfrominsideorstandingonthehullofthecraft.

ChCkang hugmented CumhnsHumanswithCyberwarecanbehackediftheyhaveaGaiaLink.Cheapbionicssuitsrequire4passesandexpensivebi-onicssuitsmayrequire16successful rollsofHacking!Onceinside, theHackercandoallmannerofdamage, suchasswitchingofftheabilitytowalkorbalance,anyofthesen-sors.MostfullbodybionicimplantswillnotallowHackerstokill the augmented humanbut they canbe locked insidetheirownbodybyHacking.

ChCkang entataesHacking Entities are special Gaia Entities (intelligent pro-grams)thatsubvertGaiaandcanbeusedtohelpaHackerachievecertaintasks.HackingEntitieseachhaveaspecific

goalandcanbepurchased in theUndergaia. TobringaHacking Entity to life, a successful Hacking roll is required.SomeHackingEntitieshavemorerequirements.

A full list of Hacking Entities is in the Equipment Index butsomeexamplesaregivenhere.

BackDoor

Once you have hacked into a system, you can create aBackDoortoletyou(andanyoneelse)backin.BackDoorsareEasytofindbyotherhackersorsystemadministrators.

GeneratorOverloader

TheGeneratorOverloaderwill set aGenerator onapathof self-destruction. Small generators (in emergency light-ing)take60secondstooverload,whereaslargegenerators(suchasinspacecraft)maytakeuptoanhour.

ChCkang durang CombhtHackers can play their part during combat by changingthe environment (opening or closing doors, switching offlights,openingair locks, turningoff thegravity). TheactofusingGaiaisaphysicalone,aHackeruseshishands,voiceandwholebodytocontrolGaia.Therefore,theamountofHacking thatcanbeperformed ina singlecombat turn isdeterminedbytheHacker’sShiftstatistic.AHackermayrollforHackingasmanytimesashehaspointsinhisShiftStatistic.Ifbionicallyaugmented,thenthenumberofrolls increaseshugely.

otCer useful skallsHackinghasitslimitations.AsaHacker,youmightbeexcel-lentatbreakingintosystemsbutitdoesnotallowyoutodoeverything. In thatcase,youwillneed touseotherSkills. Ifanothermemberofthepartyhasthoseskills, theycan joinyouontheHackingrunandcanusetheirappropriateskillswhenneeded.HerearethemostcommonskillsusefultotheHacker.

Forgery(LifeSkillTree)

Sometimes it is useful to change the things that you find.Improve school records, change employment records orframesomeonewithvideofootage.

S p a c e C o m b a t

Combatinthepitchblackvoidofspaceisdangerous.Tosurvive,youneedateamofcapablepeopletofly,

gunand repair. SpaceCombat isa teamaffair thatcon-centratesonwhatthecharactersaredoing,ratherthanthelocationofthespacecraft.Mapsareonlyusefulfornotingroughlywhere thecombatantsandastralobjectsareandwhereeachareheading.UnliketherestofcombatinIcar,eachroundisroughlyaminutelong.

Whenenteringspacecombat,itisveryimportanttounder-standwhattheaimoftheteamis:eitherfightorflee.Ifyoufight,youhavetheopportunitytodestroysystemsonanyop-posingspacecraft.Ifyouflee,youcannotpickandchoosewhatyoudestroy.

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roles of tCe tehmEveryone on the Space Craft has a role. The roles areOperations, Pilot,GunnersandEngineers.During thecom-batsequence,eachoftheseroleshasaspecialjobtodo.Theaimistokeepalloftheplayersbusyduringcombat.

Operations

Operationsisinchargeofunderstandingthepositionsofalltheenemyandtellingthecrewwhatneedstohappennext.This role is normallyoccupiedby theCaptainof thecraft.AnyonecandotheOperationsrolebutitshouldbesome-onewithahighWitandBattle.

Ingameterms, theOperations role is responsible for rollinginitiative.Thisthenaffectstherollsofalltheothermembers.

Pilot

ThePilotisresponsibleformanoeuvringthecraftsothatthegunners can shoot specific systems. The Pilot needs to besomeonewithCombatCruiser (orPilotCruiserwitha -30%modifier).

Ingameterms,thePilotmustputthecraftinapositionsuchthattheteamcanfireatspecificsystemsontheopposition.

Gunners

Gunnersmantheweaponstationsanddodamagetotheenemy. As Artificial Intelligence systems cannot do harm,it ishumansthatmustfiretheweapons.AspacecraftcanhaveasmanyGunnersasithasweaponentriesonitsrecordsheet.AGunnerneedstheHeavyWeaponsSkill tofiretheguns.

Engineers

Engineersmakesurethatthecraftstaysinonepiece.Duringcombat, Engineers move around the craft fixing systemthat were targeted by the enemy. To be an Engineer, aCharactermusthaveSpaceCraftSystems(orSpaceCraftKnowat-30%).

turn sequenCeTheGMwillbeginspacecombatbydrawingaroughmapofthelocationsoftheobjectsandwhattheirintentionsare.Somemaybeturningtoattack,othersmaybefleeingorin-nocentbystanderscaughtinthemelee.Eacheachstepinthecombat,eachcombatantdoesthataction,thehighestInitiativegoeslast.Thisissothatthehighestinitiativegetsachancetoseewhattheenemyisdoing.

OperationsRollsInitiative

Operations rolls initiative:Battle +Wit +D10. Theneachofthecombatantsarearrangedinladderwiththehighestrollat the top.Attackingtargetswithahigher initiativegiveanegativebonusof-20%topilotmanoeuvringandthegun-nersshooting.

FightorFlee?

Theplayersthendecidewhethertofightorflee.ThisisateamdecisionbuttheOperationscrewmemberhasthefinalsay.

Fight

Whenyoudecideyoufight,yougettochoosespecificsys-temsonanenemytotarget. It ismucheasiertodisableacraftbypickingsystems.

Picktargets

Onceyouhavedecidedtofight,youthenchoosethesys-temonthetargetshipsyouwanttoattack.Youcanattackasmany shipsas youhaveweaponentrieson the recordsheetandgunnersoperatingthem.Ifyouhave2gunsbutonlyonegunner,youcanonlyshootonegun.ThisisateamdecisionbuttheOperationscrewmembergetsthefinalsay.

Pilotmanoeuvres

Thepilotnowneedstogetthecraftintothecorrectpositionsothegunnerscanshootatthesystemsyouwanttohit.RollCombatCruiser.Ifyouareattackingacraftwithahigherini-tiative,modifyyourskillby-20%.Ifsuccessful,theGunnerhasachanceofshootingthetargetsystemyoupicked.Iftherollfails,theGunnercanonlyshootattheHull.

Gunners

EachoftheGunnersrollstohitaspecificsystemonthetargetSpaceCraft.EachSpaceCrafthasalistofsystemsthatcanbeshotat.Next toeachsystem isa%modifiercalled theTargetSystemModifier(it is listedsimplyas%ontheSpaceCraft record sheet). Roll d100 underHeavy Firing + TargetSystemModifier.

If youareattackingacraftwithahigher initiative,modifyyourskillby-20%. If theskillcheckfails, thennodamage isdone.Otherwise,checkouttheTakingDamagesection. IfyouareFleeing,aGunnermayonlyshootatShieldsandHull.

Allshootingoccurssimultaneously,soifanothercraftshootsoutyourguns justbeforeyougetachancetofire,youstillgettoshootthisturnandhopetheengineerscanrepairthedamagefornextturn.

Operationsrollsinitiative

BeginSpaceCombat

End

FightorFlee?

Combatover?

No

Picktargets

Engineersrepair

Pilotmanouvres

GunnersShoot

Thirdturnoffleeing?

ManohighorPTP?

Escape!

Yes

YesNo

Flee Fight

YesNo

Space Combat Turn Sequence

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Fleeing

Ifthefightisn’tgoingwell,thecrewmaywanttoflee.TofleeyouneedtochooseFleeatthestartofthreeturnsinarow.

After three turnsof trying toflee,youcandetermine if it ispossible. If yourcrafthasaPoint toPoint (PTP) Light Jumpengine thenyoumay jumptoanother system, leaving thecombat. IfyourcraftdoesnothavePTP thenyouhave tooutrunthemonGrav.Todothat,youneedtohaveaManoequalorlargerthanyourpursuer.Otherwise,youaregoingtohavetostandandfight.Orsurrender.

Whilefleeing,thefleeingGunnersmayfireatanytargetbutmaynotselectasystem.IftheGravEngineisknockedoutthen no fleeing canbedone until it is repaired.Once re-paired,thethreeturnsoffleeingmustbeginagain.

EngineersRepair

ItisthejoboftheEngineerstotryandgetdamagedsystemsworkingagain.EngineerscannotreplaceShieldsorHulldur-ingcombatbuttheycanrepairsystemsthatweretargetedby the enemy. To repair a damaged system, an EngineermustpassaSpaceCraftSystemsskillcheck.

Whenasystemhastakencatastrophicdamage(seebelow)itcannotberepairedwithaspacedock.

CombatOver?

If there are no more targets then the combat is over.Otherwise,anewturnbegins.TheGMwillupdatetheloca-tionsofthecraftonthemapandinitiativeisrolledagain.

thkang dhmhgeShields

BeforeanydamageisdonetotheSpaceCraft,theshieldsmustbedepleted. Thenumberof shieldsare listedon thespacecraft record sheet.A shield lastsanentire turnandprotects from all damage during that turn. Once it goesdown,thenextpopsupuntiltheyaredepleted.ShieldscanonlybedamagedbyanEnergyWeapon.

TargetedSystems

If a Targeted System is hit by a gunner then strike a linethrough it to showthat itcannotbeuseduntil fixedbyanEngineer.Add thedamagedone toa running total in theDamageTakensemi-circle.

AccumulatedDamage

WhentheDamageTakenexceedsadamagelevelonthechart then that system is inoperable and cannot be fixedwithoutaStarDock.

For example, in the Crowthorne damage chart below ifthe Space Craft takes 100,000 points of damage then aGeneratorisdamaged.After140,000pointsofaccumulateddamage,theShieldGeneratorisdamagedandsoon.

sphCe Combht exhmpleIn this example, two space craft are pitted against each

other.Only thebaredetail on the spacecraft is required.More detail on these space craft can be found in theEquipment Index.Onlytwoturnsaredealtwithhereasex-ample.Thecrewofthetwospacecraftare:

Gaterunner(thesmallercraft)

CaptainedbySimon(OperationsRole,Battle=7,Wit=8)withgunnerGideon (HeavyFiring70%),pilotPeter (PilotCruiser80%)andEngineerAndrew(SpaceCraftSystems70%).Thisistheplayercharacter(PC)spacecraft.TheGaterunnerhasonlyoneshieldleft.

Cyclone(themuch,muchlargercraft)

CaptainedbyKathryn(OperationsRole,Battle=7,Wit=5)withgunnersSarah(HeavyFiring75%)andLouise(HeavyFiring 70%), flown by Matilda (Combat Cruiser 60%) andEngineerConstance (SpaceCraft Systems 40%). This is thenon-playercharacter (NPC) spacecraft. TheCyclonehasonlyoneshieldleft.+10

4

Dam System %0 Hull +20

100 Generator -40140 ShieldGenerator -50180 EscapeSystem -40220 TractorBeam -30300 LightJumpEngine-nolightjump -60380 GravEngine-nomanouvring,nofleeing -60

420 Generator -60440 StructuralFailure-nolightjump n/a460 LastGenerator-powerfailing n/a480 LifeSupport n/a500 Energywebfailure-youareadrift n/a

SHieldS

manouvRe

damage taken

A Space Craft damage table example for the Crowthorne

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Turn1-Operationsrollinitiative

Kathryn(NPC)andSimon(PC)rollinitiative:

Battle + Wit + D10

Kathrynrolls7,givingainitiativeof19(7+5+7=19).Simonrolls6,givinganinitiativeof21(7+8+6=21).ThereforethePCsgofirstand theNPCs sufferamodifierof -20% topilotingandgunnery.

Turn1-FightorFlee?

TheNPCsareforcedtodecidefirstastheyhavethelowerinitiative.TheNPCsdecidetofight.

Theplayersdecidetofightastheyhavethebenefitofwin-ningtheinitiativeandtheirshieldsprotectthemforatleastthisturn.

Turn1-PickTargets

TheplayerGaterunnerhasshieldsupthereisnoneedtopickaSystem,sotheNPCschoosetoshootattheHull,whichasa+20%modifier.

As theNPCCyclonehas shieldsup, theplayerschoose toshootatthehull,givingthesamemodifier.

Turn1-PilotsManoeuvre

SothattheGunnercangetthe+20%modifierforshootingatthehullMatilda,theNPCPilot,rollsCombatCruiser.Astheylosttheinitiative,Matildasubtracts20%fromherSkillof60%,sosheneedstorollunder40%.Sherolls51,whichisafail.ThetwoNPCgunnerswillgetnomodifiertohit.

Theplayergunner,Peter,doesnothavethis skill sohe rollsPilotCruiserat80%witha-30%modifier.Thetargetis50%.HerollsD100andgets25.Therefore,hissuccessfulpilotinghasallowedtheplayergunnertoshootthespecificsystem.

Turn1-GunnersShoot

TheNPCsshootatthehulloftheGaterunner.TheCyclonehas2gunsandtheNPCshavetwogunners.Astheylosttheinitiative,theymustsubtract20%fromtheirskills.Theygettwoshots.Sarahfiresfirst,rolling91onD100.HerHeavyFiringskillis75%(-20%makes55%),soshemisses.Louisefiresandrolls18,which isunderherHeavyFiringskillof70%(-20%makes50%).Shehits.ThesingleshotisenoughtoshutdownthelastGaterunnershield(theyonlyhadoneleft).

NowGideon can use the guns of the Gaterunner to fire.Shieldsonlyneedoneroundtobetakendown,sohefiresoneshot,rollingD100.Thetargetis90%-hisskillHeavyFiring(70%) plus +20% for the system modifier, the Hull. He rolls

47,which is under. The lastCyclone shield goesdown.AsGideonistheonlygunner,theplayer’sGaterunneronlygetsoneshot.

Turn1-Engineersrepair

TheCyclonehasnottakenanydamageyet.

TheGaterunnerhasnottakenanydamageyetsoAndrewtheEngineerisprobablyyellingabouttheshieldsbeingoutandhowtheyneedtogetoutofthere.

Turn1-Iscombatover?

Notyet!Soitisontoturn2.

Turn2-Operationsrollinitiative

Kathryn(NPC)andSimon(PC)rollinitiative:

Battle + Wit + D10

Kathrynrolls2,givingainitiativeof14(7+5+2=14).Simonrolls8,givinganinitiativeof23(7+8+8=23).ThereforethePCswinagainandtheNPCssufferamodifierof-20%topilotingandgunnery.

Turn2-FightorFlee?

TheNPCslosttheinitiativesowillbegoingfirstagainthroughthisturn.Beingthebiggercraft,theydecidetofight.

Theplayersdecidetofighttoo.Why?Becausetheyareplay-ersandwhiletheyhavetheinitiative,thechanceofdoingsystemdamageishigh.

Turn2-PickTargets

Asshieldsaredown,theNPCselecttoshootattheHullagain.Theyreallywanttoshootoutweaponsbutlosingtheinitiativemeansthatitisverydifficult.

Theplayersdecidetoshootoutoneofthepulselaserguns,eveningupthefight.

Turn2-PilotsManoeuvre

AsbeforeMatilda,theNPCPilot,rollsCombatCruiser(with-20%forlosingtheinitiative).Sherolls21,whichisapass.

Peter,theplayerpilot,rollsPilotCruiser(-30%becauseit’sthewrongskill)androlls14,whichisapass.

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Turn2-GunnersShoot

NPCs shootat thehullof theGaterunner. Theygeta -20%forbeinglowerdowntheinitiativebuta+20%TargetSystemModifierforshootingatthehull.BoththegunnerspasstheirHeavyfiringrollsanddo8000pointstothehulloftheplayer’sGaterunner. Theplayersput8000 into ‘damage taken’.At30,000points,theGaterunnerwillloseitsfirstgenerator.

Gideon,theplayergunnershootsatthePulseLaserontheCyclonewith-40%modifierforthesystem.Herolls23,whichisunderthe30%heneeds.Thesystemiscrossedoutand2000isputintotheCyclone’s‘damagetaken’semicircle.

Turn2-Engineersrepair

TheNPCCyclonehasadamagedPulseLaser,sotheNPCEngineerConstancerollsagainstherSpaceCraftSystemsof40%toattemptarepair.Sherolls51,sotheweaponremainsinoperative.

TheGaterunnerhas takenhulldamagebut this requiresaSpaceDocktofix.

Turn2-Iscombatover?

Notyet!

Turn3-Operationsrollinitiative

Kathryn(NPC)andSimon(PC)rollinitiative:

Battle+Wit+D10

Kathrynrolls9,givingainitiativeof21(7+5+9=21).Simonrolls5,givinganinitiativeof20(7+8+5=20).TheNPCswinandtheplayerswillsufferamodifierof-20%topilotingandgunnery.

Turn3-FightorFlee?

Theplayersmustdecidewhattheyaregoingtodofirstandhave been rattled by the damage done by theCycloneguns.With the initiativeagainst them, theydecide to flee.ThisisanoptionbecausetheGaterunnerManoeuvreratingis+30,whereastheCycloneisonly+10.

TheNPCCycloneisgoingtochasethemdown.

Turn3-PickTargets

Astheplayersarefleeing,theycanonlyshootatthehull.

TheNPCsdecidetotryandshootouttheGaterunner’sGravEngine with both guns to try and stop them from runningaway.

Turn3-PilotsManoeuvre

Player Peter rolls 48which is not under PilotCruiserof 80%(-20% for losing the initiativeand -30% for using thewrongskill).

Matilda rolls 51,which is under herCombatCruiser skill of60%.HergunnerscannowshootattheGravEngine.

Turn3-GunnersShoot

Gideonrolls22%,passinghisskillcheckanddoes3000pointstotheCyclonehull.TheNPCsaddthattothevalue inthedamagetakenbox.90,000pointswillneedtobedealtbe-forethefirstsystemisdamaged.

TheCycloneonlyhasonegun. Sarah is thebetter shot sotakescontrolof it. TheNPCgunner is shootingwitha -60%modifierforshootingattheGravEngine.Sarahneedstorollunder15.ShedoesnotmanageitandnodamageisdonetotheGaterunneratall-noteventothehull.

Turn3-Engineersrepair

TheNPCCyclonestillhasadamagedPulseLaser,sotheNPCEngineerConstancehasa second tryat fixing itby rollingagainstherSpaceCraftSystemsof40%.Sherolls31,sotheweaponisfixedandthelinethroughit is rubbedout.FromnowonbothSarahandLouisemayfire.

Turns4and5

For the next two turns, the players keep electing to fleeand the NPCs keep trying to knock out the Grav engineon theGaterunnerbut fail.At theendof the5th turn, theGaterunnerhasfledfor3turnsinarow,socombatisover.TheGaterunnermaynowlightjumporheadoffintoanotherpartofthesystem.

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b h C k g r o u n d

antroduCtaonThis is the background section. It is required that allGamesmasters read this section before trying to run thegame.Itisusefulifplayersreadthissectiontogetafeelfortheuniverse.Itisthedesigner’sintentiontomaketheGalaxyas complicated as the players and GM can handle. Thebackgroundisorganisedbystartingwiththeverylargeandendswiththespecificofthehumanrace.

overvaew of aChrIcar isset in92028,thehumanraceisspreadacrossspaceandisruledbyabenevolentempire-likeorganisationcalledImperium.TheonlyothersentientracearearaceofrobotscalledtheDroids.TheDroidswerecreatedbyhumanitytodispose of the problem of a lethal genetic branch of thehumanrace.Humanityareatwarwith theDroidsandtheDroidswerewinning until recently (1000 years ago),whenthey turned against each other. In most campaigns, theDroidscanbeusedasthemonster-in-the-closetasmostofthehumanraceisprotectedagainstthem.

TheImperium

TheImperiumissplit intoa largenumberofCouncils,eachgoverning a different area of the human race’s develop-ment.OutsideofthesecouncilsaretheImperialPeers,LordsandLadieswhoaregiventheirownareasofspacetolookafterandtheStar Industries:StarFleet,StarScientifica,StarCivilisation, Star Enforcers. Star Fleet is taskedwithdefend-inghumanityfromtheDroids.StarScientificamakessurere-searchcontinuesapace,StarCivilisationlooksafterhumanwelfare,educationandmedicineandtheStarEnforcersarethepolice. The ImperiumusesanArtificially Intelligentma-chinecalledTheNexustoactasimpartialjudgeandcom-municatorbetweentheStarIndustries.TheentireImperiumisdrivenbyacivicdutythatiftheywerenottocontinuetheirwork in the interests of the human race, theDroidswouldsoonwinandthehumanracewouldbelost.

Corporations, althoughdrivenbyprofit are not treatedasevil.Theytoohaveacivicdutytothehumanrace,afacttheImperiumisquicktoremindthemof.

Geography

Humanspace is split into threeSectorsandeachSector issplit intoahugenumberofclusters.Acluster isagroupofstars that geographically are nearby and have a sharedeconomy. A system is a series of planets orbiting a singlestar.MostIcarcampaignswilltakeplaceacrossoneortwoClusters.

HumansliveinColonies.AColonyisnormallyonorunderaplanet surfaceand isbuiltusinga setof standardbuildingblockscalledMexBuildings.AMexCity isa largenumberofMexbuildings formed intoa lattice. Peoplealso liveonspacecraft (or space ships) and in space stations, calledOrbitalsandOrbs.

Technology

Travelbetweenthestarsiseasyandcheap.SpacecraftarenumerousandmuchofaColony’seconomydependsuponsellinggoodstootherplanetsorsystems.

HumanitycommunicatesusingGaia,avirtualworld that isacopyof the realworld.Gaia is immersiveandthedetailis such that the in popular places, the five senses canbecompletely mislead. Communication between two pointsinGaia is instantaneous.Gaiaalsomapsall the stars andsystemsand thususedasanavigationalaid.MostpeopleusetheirrealworldappearanceinGaia.Gaiaisfreetouseinpublicholoroomsbutadvanced(andbusiness)userswillhaveaGaiacard,whichcanstoreprogramsand informa-tion.YoucannotbekilledthroughGaia.

The human race have created a secondary race ofma-chinescalledAutomatons.Theseintelligentmachinesdifferfrom theDroids in that theyare unable to cause harm tohumans.Automatonscanbe foundeverywhereand inallshapesandsizes,fromhumanoidreceptionsthatareindistin-guishablefromhumanstoautomatedcargohaulerscalledHoppers.EveryAutomatonhasanownerbuttherearethosefightingfortheirrightstobeconsidered.MostofthehumanracedistrustAutomatons,regardlessoftheirprovensafety.

Humanity

Thehumanracehasevolvedandasitdidso,itsplitintodif-ferentGenii.NormalhumansareGenus1.Genus isamu-tated, zombie-like humanwhoarepoisonous to theotherGenus. Genus 3 are a little known group of humans with“psychic”powers.TheImperiumdoesnotrecognisetheirex-istencepublicly.

Philosophically, the human race can be split into threegroups:Technologists,whobelievethatthefutureofthehu-man race lies in technology.Humanists,who think theop-positeandAkarakianswhofollowaphilosophyofFuturism,basedaround ideasof theend justifyingthemeans.Therearenomajorreligions.

Thehumanraceaugmentsitselfwithtechnologyandthereare few birth defects that cannot be rectified. Bionics in-clude under-the-skin bionics called Cyber, limb-replace-mentbionicscalledBorgingandminorgeneticmodificationcalledBioweave.Somepeopleembracethistechnologyforitsbenefitsbutthegeneralhumanpopulacefearthosewithaugmentationsandsoarelesspopularasyoumightimag-ine.

Syndicates

Noteveryoneplaysbytherules.WiththeImperialNexushav-ing exceptional information and resources, petty crime iseasilysolved.CrimesyndicatesareareactiontotheNexus,highlyorganisedgroupsofpeoplethatseektogainpower,makemoneyorsubvertsociety.Syndicatestendtohaveei-therHumanistorTechnologistleaningsandthisgeneratesafairamountofconflict.

tCe ghlhxyTheGalaxyislocallycalledTheMilkyWayandcontainsap-proximatelyonehundredbillionstars.Itisonehundredthou-sandlightyearsindiameterandbulgesinthemiddlesixteenthousand lightyears thick. Thegalaxy ispopulatedby twospecies.Onlyonehundredmillionofthestars inthegalaxyholdstablesystems,theothersareeitherengulfedinNebulae

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ghlhCtaC davasaon keyDroidSpace

1.UniteVerita(UV)Theoldhomeofthe Imperium.NowDroidSpace.2.KarolynDroidSpace.3.HesperosDroidSpace.4.AtlasDroidSpace.5.FrobishDroidSpace.6.ArtemisDroidSpace.7.NyxDroidSpace.8.EosDroidSpace.12.TyphonDroidSpace.13.RheaDroidSpace.

HumanSpace9.DorianHumanSpace.

10.SayshellHumanSpace.11.RemmarHumanSpace.

UnvisitedAreas14.GalacticCore15.HypnosArm

AllotherareasareconsideredLoneSystems.

1

2

3

45

6 7 89

10

11

12

1314

15

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orareunstable.Ofthesesystems,approximatelytenmillionarepopulatedbyoneoftwospecies.Thefirst,holdinga95%majorityarearaceofrobotscalledbyhumansastheDroids.Theother5%areanevolutionofhomosapiens.Manydiffer-entlowerintelligencespeciesexistlocallytoplanetsbutdonothaveabearingoninterstellaraffairs.ThegalaxyisbrokenupintoareascalledSectors.

TheGalactalDivisionspictureshowsaplanviewoftheMilkyWay.Volumes1-13aresituatedintheMorpheusArmofthegalaxy,thisthevastlyexploredareaoftheGalaxy,occupiedbyDroidsandHumansalike.Around theedgeof thearmaresystemsknownastheLoneSystems,aregionofstarsthatarefarenoughaparttomaketradeanddefencedifficult.Asmallstrip(notmarkedonthemap)thatexistsjustoutsidehumanspaceisknownastheFringe,thisisamoreprosper-ousbutunrulyareaofspace.ThehumansclassthisareaastheLoneSystems.

Volume14 is theGalacticCore,an impassiblemassofen-ergyatthecentreoftheGalaxy.Volume15istheoppositegalacticarmcalled theHypnosArm,which is largelyanduncolonisedduetothehugedistancesinvolved.

Thegalaxyissplitintotwoarms,theMorpheusArmandtheHypnosArm.TheMorpheusArm is theonlyoneof interest,so it is split into sections called Sectors. Each sector hasaname, specifiedby thehumansbutusedbybothhumansand Droids. Within a Sector, stars tend to form in clumpscalledClusters.Aroundeachstarislikelytobeasetofplan-ets(starswithoutanyplanetstendtogounnoticed),astaranditsplanetsarecalledaSystem.OnlystableSystemsareconsideredforcolonisation,unstableSystemsincludethosewithunstableormultiplestarsorthosenearspaceanoma-lies.Spaceisconsideredasbeing2DastheGalaxyspinsinoneplane(althoughitis3D,itisnotveryfatinitsthirddimen-sionsoisignoredforsimplicity).Furthermore,thecurvesandanomaliesofspacearenotlistedonthediagrams.

D r o i d S p a c e

Droid Space is the name given to the volume of starsthat the Droids occupy. The Droids are an artificially

intelligentraceofxenophobicrobots.Originallycreatedbyhumanstodealwiththeproblemofagenericstrainofhu-manitythatwaslethaltootherhumans,aflawintheirpro-gramming leadtoanexponentialkillingrampageandthedeathof98%of thehumanrace.Anotherflaw intheir sys-temwasexploitedby theircreatorsand theDroids turnedagainsteachother.Droidspacecanbesplit intofactions,areaswhere theDroidshave split intogroups. Theareap-proximately5milliondifferentfactions.EverysysteminDroidspaceisutilisedinthemostoptimumway,mostlyforthecre-ationofmoreDroidsandsupportfacilities.

TheDroidsareanextremelypowerful racewith incredibleresources,ifatanytimethemanyfactionsjoinedtogether,thenaconcerted(andprobablysuccessful)effortmaybemadeagainstthehumanspace.Until thistime,the infight-ingamongsttheDroidsmakesthemquiteineffectiveagainstthehumans.TheemergenceofthefactionswithintheDroidsdoes highlight another of their weaknesses, that they doevolve over time. There is a possibility that some factionsmayevolveintoanon-violentrace.DroidsareorganisedbyMarkandVariant,theMarkisjustawayofdistinguishingtype(bynumber), it isnotachronologicalmarking.Variant isa

chronologicalmarking(by letter), thehigher the letter, themorepowerfultheDroidis.

Droids are extremely intelligent and will not give up untildeath.Theyhavetheabilitytoreproducethemselves(giventherightresources)andcantacticallygaugeverycomplexsituations fromaveryobjectivepointofview.Their ideaofself-worthonlyexiststoaidacompletedmission.TheDroidswillonlysacrificethemselvesifthenumberofkillsitcangetis more than continuing its existence. At the start of theDroidwar,theDroidscouldprogramothermachinestoturnagainsttheirhumanmasters.SincetheadventofGaiaandtheGaia2programminglanguage,Droidsareunabletoac-cessanymachineswithinhumanspace.Thishaseffectivelymadeallvehiclesandhome-serviceAutomatonssafefromDroidsforciblyalteringtheirprogramming.

‘Droid’isaspecificnameforthisparticularraceofkillingma-chines.NotallrobotsareDroids,onlythoseprogrammedtokillarecalledDroids.MoreinformationonthisdistinctioncanbefoundintheAutomatonssection.

H u m a n S p a c e

Asmallproportionofthegalaxyiscontrolledandinhab-itedbyhumans.TheareaofHumanOccupiedSpace

(HOS)issplitintothreesectors,Sayshell,DorianandRemmar.TheHumanraceisinaperiodofrebuildingandexpansion,apostwarfeel.AllthatseparatestheHumansandDroidsisaninvisibleLightJumpNet:Awebthattemporarilystopsspacecraft travelling at faster than light speeds.While disabled,humanscan interceptanddestroytheDroidcraft.HumanOccupiedSpaceiscontrolledbyabenevolentorganisationcalledTheImperium,withoutwhichchaoswouldreignandtheDroidswouldsurelyinvadeandoverwhelmwithease.

tCe amperaumTheImperiumiscontrolledbyasetofChambers,eachover-seeingaparticularareaoftheImperium’soperation.Overallpower isassignedtoanEmpresswhoisarbiterandleader.ThecoreofTheImperiumisasmallorganisation,employingonly twenty thousandpeople.However, the Imperiumhasdirect control of the ‘Star Chambers’, organisations underthepayofThe Imperiumwhoare the realpower. TheStarChambersareStarFleet,StarScientifica,StarEnforcersandStarCivilisationandaredealtwithinthenextsection.

tCe amperahl CChmbersThe Imperial Chambers are the organisations within theImperiumthatcontroltheday-to-dayrunningoftheGalaxy.The Imperial Chambers are filled with the brightest mindsofthehumanraceandnumber justtwoorthreehundred.Eachcouncillorhasamenagerieofpoliticians, informationbrokers and analysts, making the Imperium appear largerthanitactuallyis.

ImperialHighChamber

Thiscouncil isactuallymade from twoeminentcouncillorsfromeachoftheotherChambers.TheChamberdealswithImperialpolicyand ischairedbytheEmpress.TheEmpresshasfinalsayaboutallmattersbutnormallythebestsolutionishammeredoutlongbeforethiscouncilsitsinameeting.

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ImperialCivilChamber

ThisChamberdealswithcolonisationandmattersofpowerwithin the three sectors. TheCivilChamberalsodealswithexpansionandgrantsforexistingsystems.TheCivilChamberisbyfarthe largestofthecouncils (at300personnel)andcontrolsthemajorityofImperialfunds.

ImperialResourceChamber

TheResourceChambercontrolstheflowofmoneyaroundthe Galaxy. By controlling money, the control of inflation(which is practically unheard of) and the issuing of fundsacrosstheImperium.

ImperialStarChamber

ThisChamberismadeupfromtheheadsofeachoftheStarChambers.ThisChamberallowseachStarChambertoventtheirproblemsandhelpotherstofindsolutions.TheEmpresssitsaschairofthisChamberinmostsessions,howeverisonlyreally required when a disagreement occurs across theChamber.

TheChamberofImperialPeers

The Imperial Peers are the Imperial Lords and Ladies whooverseetherunningofClustersinHumanOccupiedSpace.TheImperialPeerssitinsessionrarely,mostdisputesareset-tledcalmlyamongstthePeerswhenawayfromtheImperialCrescent.TheImperialPeersmustsitatleastonceperyear.

Benevolence

TheImperiumisnotcorruptasonemightexpect,theyarebytheirverynatureabenevolentorganisation.Itisunderstoodthroughoutall theChambers that theiractionscould saveor destroy the human race.Anycorruption is immediatelyrooted out and removed in a completely publicmanner.SuchparanoiaaboutcorruptionisseateddeeplywithinTheImperiumasthelasttimecorruptionwasallowedtoseepin,itleadtoamassiveinter-humanwar(TheAranWar).

The Imperium isbased inacrescentof systems inRemmarcalledTheImperialCrescentfromwheretheygather infor-mation, hold festivals and allow people a place to voicetheiranxieties.TheImperialCrescentisahightechandhighsocialmodelfortherestofthehumanraceandattractsmil-lionsofholidaymakerseachyearaswellasbusinesseswhobelievethatbeingclosetotheseatofpowerprovidesthemwithinfluence.

sthr fleetAs the name suggests, Star Fleet is a fleet of space craft,fighters andwarriors that defend the human raceagainstthe Droids. The Fleet is split into three Commands: BattleCommand, Support Command and Colonial Command.Battle Command consist of all the craft andwarriors thatdo the fighting. Support Command arranges for the craftinBattleCommand tobe repairedand supplied.ColonialCommandvisitssystemswithintheFringe,actsasnegotiatorandevenoffersImperialprotectiontosomeSystems.

Star Fleet is equipped with the pinnacle of human tech-nology to combat the Droids and has discovered tacticsand methods for defeating them even when outnum-bered.ManyoftheshipsintheFleet(rangingfrommassiveBattleshipsdowntosmallandfastClippers)spendtheirtimepatrollingtheLightJumpNetswhichsurroundtheedgesofthesectorsthatborderwiththeDroids,waitingforanyshipto

becaughtintheNet.StarFleet’sfootsoldiersarealegionofpoweredarmourfootsoldierscalledTroopers,aselectfewbecomehighlytrainedSpecialForcesandtheverybestaremadeintotheElite.

TheFleetarebasedintheTurusclusterinSayshellandhavevowedthatSayshellwillneverfalltotheDroids.ThegeneralpublicrarelyseeStarFleetexceptinGaianNewsbroadcastsonGaia. Gritty battles remain unedited at the request oftheStarFleet.Somecolonieswitha strong leisurecommu-nitymightbechosenforleisuretimeforthecrews.StarFleetTroopersandpilotsliketopartyandoftentakeoverbarsandclubs.

StarFleetandthegeneralpublic

SpaceCraftCaptainsrunningexpeditionarymissionsacrosstheLightJumpNetwillbescannedbyStarFleetastheyre-enter.AlthoughtheFleetislookingforthepresenceofDroidsonboard theywill also scan for other illegal itemsbutwillhandtheinformationtotheStarEnforcersratherthanspend-

ImperialRanks

TheImperiumcreatedtherankstructuretogivecommandresponsibilitiesacrosstheStarIndustries.Forexample,aCaptainintheFleetoutranksaStarBladeintheEnforcers.Thereareexceptionstotherule,butthesearenormallybasedupontherespectforaparticular

fightingunit.

SteelThelowestofthelow.EveryoneintrainingisaSteel.FewpeopleremainaSteelthroughtheirwholecareer.

BladeThefirstlevelofresponsibility,aBladeistheretomotivatetheSteels.

StarBladeThefirstranktoincludeanysortofcommand.StarBladesaresquadleadersinStarFleet,areaofficersintheStarEnforcersandseniorresearchersinStarSci.

MiranThisisthelowestcommandrank.Whenanindividualshowsamorepronouncedtalentforthejobandtheabilitytomanageandlead,theycanbecome

Miran.

BladeMiranNotmuchdifferentthanMiran,showsaddedresponsibility.

StarMiranNotmuchdifferentfromBladeMiran,aStarMiranwouldnormallyhave20to50peopleworking

underthem.

FireMiranThisrankisnormallyreservedforthosepeoplewhoareonthebrinkofbecomingaCaptain.AFireMiranshouldbeabletodothejoboftheCaptainto

whomtheyaresecondto.

CaptainNormallyincommandofmanypeoplewithinasingleunit.TherankofCaptainisnormallyfoundas

CaptainofaShiporHeadofStarEnforcersonaColony.

AdmiralAlltheAdmiralrankstendtobestrategyjobs,ratherthantacticaljobs.Thisisthefirstlevelsuch

responsibility.

BladeAdmiralAindistinguishablestepaboveAdmiral.

StarAdmiralNormallyincommandofanareaofresponsibility,liketheStarFleetSpecialForces.

FireAdmiralMostoftheImperialcouncilsareFire

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ingtimeenforcingthelaw.ThevastmajorityofthegeneralpublicbearenormousrespectforthemembersoftheFleetandappreciate thework that theydo. It iscommon foramemberof thepublic toapproachamemberof the StarFleetandoffertobuythemadrinkorshaketheirhand.

sthr sCaentafaChWithcoloniesplacedacrosssuchahugedistance,itwasno-ticedthatanyscientificdiscoveriestookmanyyearstoprolif-eratethroughthecolonies.StarScientifica(StarSci)wascre-atedasacentreofacademicwisdomandresearch.Manyof the great scientists flocked to be part of the Imperiumfunded research. Star Sci is nowhighly secretive,manyoftheinstallationsitcontrolsarecompletelyhiddenaboutthegalaxy(andareeveninDroidspace).

Many of the areas of technology they research into arekept away from the public eye andare releasedwhen itisdeemedsafe todo so. This is seenas ‘saving thepublicfromthemselves’andhasprovedtobeaverygoodidea.Importantnewdiscoveriesarefairlydistributedtothecom-panieswhichbenefit from them, thusprovidingaperiodicboosttotechnology.

Organisation

Star Sci is organised depending on the area of research,whicharebrought togetheratTheQuorumofElements,aGaiavolumewherechosenscientistsdiscusstheirproblems.StarSciisorganisedintoFire(puretheory),Earth(non-spaceapplicationofpuretheory),Air(biology,botanyetc),Water(socialsciences)andVoid(anythingtodowithspace).

StarSciandthegeneralpublic

Thegeneralpublicwillsporadicallyhearaboutcorporationsbeingpresentedwithadvancedtechnologyorcoloniesbe-ingprovidedwithascientificsolution toaglobalcatastro-phe.NewsstoriesregardingStarSciarenormallyaccompa-niedwithagrinandraisedeyebrows.

sthr CavalashtaonWhenthelastEmperor,EmperorMorius,died,hisleftalistofjobsforhissuccessor,EmpressEshkar,todo.Theseweretaskshebelievedwerevitalbuthadrunoutoftimetocomplete.StarCivilisation(StarCiv)wasoneofthese.StarCivwassetup to make sure that every colony had adequate food,medicalandeducationalfacilities.StarCivisresponsiblefor:

♦ Ensuringfoodandwaterforall♦ EducatingpeopleoverGaia♦ Providinghealthcare♦ Creating,fosteringnewcolonies♦ Protectingindependentcolonies♦ Housingandcaringforthoseinhardship♦ Issuinglicenses♦ Supervisingandsupervisingcolonialcouncils♦ ChoosingnewImperialPeers

StarCiv is the second largest StarChamber (after theStarEnforcers)andhashadahuge impacteveryhuman’s life.Atthestartandendofahuman’slife,StarCivarepervasive.Schoolingatthestartandgeriatriccareattheend.Throughtherest,theyareseenashelpfulcouncillorsandpublicserv-antsthatareimpartialandkind.

ManyarguethattheImperiumwantstocontrolwhatpeoplethinkandthebestwaytodothisistocontroltheeducationofchildren. This ispurelyconjectureand thereareno indi-

Empress Eshkar. the Empress of the Imperium sincethe death of Emperor Morius in 92025.

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cations that the lessons taught havechanged in content.ChildrenareactivelyencouragedtoquestiontheImperium.

sthr enforCersTheStarEnforcers(orsimplyTheEnforcers)replacedacor-rupt and under-resourced interstellar police force (calledtheFEDS).Utilising theirownfleetandawealthof resourc-es,TheEnforcersareabletokeepexcellent lawandorderonColoniesand in spacearoundthem.TheStarEnforcersare split into four ‘Divisions’: Void, Investigation, Colonialand Justice.Voiddealswith the spacecraftanddefendsagainstpirates. Investigationdealswithmattersof interstel-lar importance (particularly dangerous criminals). Colonialisbyfarthelargestofthedivisionsandincludesallthepo-liceoncolonies keeping lawandorder. The lastdivision isJusticesystemanddealswith imprisonmentandexecution(dependingonlocallaw).

Gettingawaywithcrime

Youmight assume thatwith such advanced technologiescomesthebenefitofbeingabletotiecriminalsdownwithgreaterease.HowevertheNexusrequirestheStarEnforcersto have huge amounts of evidence regarding the crimebeforeaconvictioncanbemade.Thisisbecausehumansarefallibleandanyphysicalevidence(sensorfootage,ge-netic information, sensor recordings in high techbuildings)canbeforged.Theonlysurefirewayofbeingimmediatelyarrestedandconvicted is toperformacrime in frontofaStarEnforcer.Themoreevidencethecriminalsleaveoveraseriesofcriminalacts,themorelikelytheNexuswillrequesttheirarrest.

CorporhtaonsCorporations treada fine linebetweenexploitingcoloniesand providing for them. The law is broad enough to stopCorporations controlling colony politics. Corporations aremuch like inanyother time, theyexpandandattempt tomake lifehard for thecompetitionwhileproducinggoodsforsystemsandindividuals.Corporationscomeinthreesizes:Intersector, Intercluster and Local. Intersector corporationsstretchacrossall of HumanOccupied Spaceand includethebiggestbrandsthathavebeenaroundfortensofthou-sandsofyears.InterclusterCorporationstendtobelocalisedamongstafewclustersinasingleSector.LocalCorporationsat theverymost spreadoveronlya singlecluster.A listofwell knownandexamplecorporationsare included in theCorporateProfilessection.

BlackMills

Most Local and few Intercluster Corporations fund secret‘BlackMill’subsidiariestoinfluencethemarkets,stealsecretsfromcompetitorsandevencausedamage toothercom-panies.Althoughillegal,BlackMillshavebecomeexpert inevadingtheStarEnforcersandoftenmakeuseofcriminalSyndicates.BlackMillsusetheUndergaiatoarrangemissions,hiremercenariesandexchangeprivatecorporatedata.

amperahl lords hnd lhdaesTheImperialLordsandLadies(ImperialPeers)overseeandrule the threeSectors.By theirverynature, theydonot in-tervene unless called for, they are the emissaries of theImperiumandarefigureheadsofthesystemstheyoversee.Thegeneral public see their Peeras the ultimateproblem

solverasthePeerisnormallyrequiredtosolvelarge,systemwideproblems.APeervisitingacolonycanprovideamas-siveeconomicboostalone.

FundingisgiventothePeersbytheImperiumtoawardsys-temsthathaveeithershownpromiseorhavefallenonhardtimes.ThecriteriaforawardsislargelyleftintherealmofthePeers.Other funding isoften redirected intoteamsof trou-bleshootersandinvestigatorsundertheconstantpayofthePeer.Thesegroupsattempttosolveproblemsinaquietandgroundlevelwayratherthanusingthelargescaleeconom-icpowersofthePeers.

LadyTessCannar

LadyCannar isa tough,unscrupulousDorianPeer.Her se-verebobbed hair, pale pallor and slight build gives her acoldappearance.Indealingwithcolonycouncilsandcor-porations, she is notablycurtandunforgiving.Whencom-passionisrequiredforthepopulace,LadyCannartransformsintoakindandcaringPeer.

BeforebecomingaPeer,LadyCannerwastheheiressofalargeDorianTradeCorporationbutwasmore interested inpeople.EmperorMoriuswastakenbyher‘PeopleFirst’poli-ciesandmadeheranImperialPeerattheageof22.

LordJamesWalker

LordWalker isanupbeat,campandoutrageousPeer.HeislovedanddistrustedequallybythoselivingintheClustershesupervises.Hisbubblyoutgoingpersonalityandfasttalk-inghyperbolicspeecheshideashrewdnegotiatorandbusi-nessman.LordWalkerismostlyknownfortheperpetualpartythateruptswhereverhevisits.

BeforebecomingaPeer,LordWalkerwasawealthyexperi-mentalartisanandwasahouseholdnamethroughoutmanyoftheclustershenowsupervises.

LordStephenLawrence

LordLawrenceisaproudandseriousPeerwhospeakssoftlybutdemandsrespect.LordLawrenceworkstirelesslyforhispeopleandwasonceorderedtohaveaholidayfromworkbytheEmpress-aholidayhespentinspectingleisurefacili-tiesononeofhisColonies.

Before becoming a Peer, Lord Lawrencewas a Star FleetStubWingpilot, having served 15 yearswith the 2nd StubWingFighterSquadronontheStarClipperRelentless.

LadyJacquelineCrowell

LadyCrowellisayoung,energeticPeerwhodelightsinask-ingdifficultquestionsofthosewhoshemeets.Fiercelyintel-ligentand keenonunderstandingeverythingabout eachplaceshevisits.Thiscancauseembarrassment inthoseonthereceivingendofthequestionbutalwayscommandsre-spectfromeachwitness.ArelativelynewPeer,LadyCrowellhasrapidlygainedalargefollowingforherdirectandposi-tiveattitude.

LadyCrowellemergedasacandidatefromoneofRemmar’swealthy families. LadyCrowellwas spottedasa rising starwhileworkingintheImperialCivilChamber.

LadyBerrinda

LadyBerrindaisasfierceasherreputation.Afierycharacterwho throwsherpowerandweightbehindcauses shebe-lievesin.LadyBerrindaspendsmostofhertimeatfledgeling

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colonies,whichhaslittleeconomicaffectbutdoesimprovethesurvivalofyoungcolonies.

LadyBerrindacametoEmperorMorius’sattentionwhensheledafleetof25spacefreightsthrough12clustersofDroidspaceandacrosstheLightJumpnetintosafety.Savingmil-lionsof lives,LadyBerrindawashaltedfromgoingbackbybeingmadeaPeer,theonlyappeasementbeinggivenclus-tersalongtheLightJumpNetedgeoftheSectorofRemmar.

ImperialPeerTradeNavies

Each Peer also has a Trade Navy. These space craft areownedandoperatedbythePeer.TraderouteswhichwouldnotbeviableforanormaltraderwillbegiventotheTradeNavy(astheydonotneedtopaytaxestothePeer).TradeNaviesareresentedbyothertradingfirmsbuttheyareun-derstoodasanecessaryevil. IfaTradeNavyturnsatraderouteprofitable, it is required tohandover that route toatradecompanyandturnitsattentionselsewhere.

ClustersandPeerControl

Most Clusters tend to stay under the control of the samePeer.However,thePeerscanswapSystemsbetweenthem(aslongasthegeneralpublicvoteinfavour).Anothermeth-odforchangingSystemsiswhentheCouncilofthesystemvoteagainstthePeerwiththesupportofthepublicandtheindustriesonplanet.ThisismorecommonbutfrowneduponbytheImperialCivilChamber.Normally,theColonywillonlyvoteagainstthePeeriftherehasbeenaseriousmiscarriageofjustice.

PeerCreation

Peersarechosen froma shortlist (compiledbyStarCiv)ofwealthy industrialists by the Empress and the position is adoubleedgedsword-it’sapositionofconsiderablepowerandinfluencebutyoucannotrefuseifyouarecalledupontoserve.Peersspendmostoftheirtimetravellingbetweensystemsandassuchdonothaveaseatofpower.Whileenroute between systems, business and problems are dealtwithoverGaia.

T h e S e c t o r s

ThegalacticarmissplitintoSectors.EachSectorbeganlifeasanadministrativezone,whichthengrewintoanotional

placewherepeoplewouldbeproudof.SincetheDroidwar,allbutthreeSectorsfelltotheDroids.TheImperiumbuiltLightJumpNetsalongthebordersofeachofthehumanoccu-piedspacesectorstostoptheDroidshipsjustlongenoughfortheStarFleettointercept.

ThethreeSectorsunderhumancontrolareSayshell,Dorianand Remmar. Sayshell is the home of Star Fleet and hav-ingneverfallentotheDroids,itisprosperousandveryhightech.Dorianholdsthereignsofproductionandismostlyin-dustrialandtradeorientated.Remmar,newlyretakenfromtheDroidsisthesectorofexpansionandnewopportunities.Sectorscanbefurtherbrokendownintoclusters.

AClusterisagroupofstarsthatarespatiallyclosetoeachother.Clusters tend to have sharedeconomiesand tradeas the distances for the transportation of goods is small.Separating the sectors from the FringeandDroid space isaLightJumpNet.ThisnetwillstopanycraftLightJumpingthrough it in either direction. If a space craft Light Jumpsthoughthis1light-yearthickbarrier,itwillbepulledoutofitsjumpandStarFleetareautomaticallynotified.

tCe hnhtomy of h seCtorA Sector is represented as a flat map taken from above(lookingdownontheplanethegalaxyspinsin)forsimplic-ity.ASector ismade fromamosaicofClusters,whicharegroupsofstarsthatduetotheirproximityshareacommoncultureandeconomy.Inancienttimes,aClusterwouldbeconsideredanation.Asyoumoveawayfromthecentreofthearm,thenumberofSystemsdiminishesandClustersarespread farapart. Light jumping spacecraft take longer totravelbetweenstarsinTheFringeandLoneSystems.

TheCentralArm:Thecentralarmisthenamegiventothebrightsectionrunningdownthecentreofthesector.Clusters: A line between each of the sections are themarkings defining clusters. Those clusters that are dark

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Turus

Vitero

Niopak

Romar

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Baeleris

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AnadarJuno

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Tef

The three Sectors of Human Occupied Space. The sectors have been separated in this dia-gram to show where the Light Jump net runs. Full size maps are in the Appendix.

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havemanystars,thelighterhavefewer.TheFringe:TheareaoutsidetheLightJumpNetisthetopandbottomedgesoftheimage.Theexceptiontothisisthewhiteline,whichshowstheLightJumpNet.TheLoneSystems:ThoseSystemsontheveryedgeofthegalaxyarefarfromImperialcontrol.AgooddefinitionforwhatmakesaLoneSystemisthatittakesatleasttendaystotraveltoaLoneSystem.

More detail on how space travel works and how to readSectorandClustermapscanbefoundinthe‘SpaceTravel’section.

shysCellFirst populated in the 11th millennia, Sayshell began as acentreoflearningandcommerce.ItremainedlikethisuntilStar Fleetmoved its operation thereduring theAranWar,beingtheonlyreally Imperiumsafesector intheMorpheusArm. Since then, The Star Fleet has protectedand lookedafterSayshellmoresothananyothersector.WhenthewaragainsttheDroidslookedlikeallwaslost,theFleetspontane-ouslyretreatedtoSayshellandwiththeaidofStarScikepttheDroidsout.

Sayshell’s economy revolves around technology andlearning with food production coming a close second.Comparatively little is actually manufactured in Sayshell,althoughmost inventionsoriginatethere.SayshelldoesnothaveanyImperialPeersincontrol,itadministersitscolonialcouncils throughColonialCommand.Sayshell isby far therichestandmosttechnologicalsysteminthehumanspace,bylivingthereyouareassuredajob,evenifitisinStarFleet.

dorahnTheWarOfDorianwastheclosingchapteroftheDroidWar,whereStarFleethadalimitedpresence(onlyduetoitsprox-imity to Sayshell)but thecolonistswhohad retreatedandfoughttheirwayoutofeverysystemupuntilthenwerenotgoingtoletDorianandallitsresourcestofalltotheDroids.Althoughthespacewas invaded, itwasneverentirelyoc-cupied,thehumaninhabitantsgivingahardresistance.TheImperium soon took the sector backas themany systemsyieldedmuchneededresourcesthatwerenotavailableinenoughquantityinSayshell.Doriangrewoncemoreastheproductioncentreof thegalaxyonce theDroidswereex-pelled.

NowDorianproduces themost rawmaterialsandtechno-logical goods of the three sectors and continues to groweconomically. Although many of the Systems have beenneglectedintheirupgradeovertheyearsandmanyofthehulksthattraversethe longblacktraderoutesareoldandobsolete, the Sector works well. They fix things only whentheybecomebroken,todobeforeiswasteunlessasignifi-cantimprovementinperformanceisgained.Dorianiscon-trolledbyaselectionofImperialLordswhoactasoverseerstoelections,economicrelationsandtradeinducers.

remmhrOpennowforonlytwoyears,Remmar isafledglingsectorwithoneveryimportantresource;food.Asthehumanracegrewintheothertwosectors,itwassoonclearthatitwouldbe impossible to feed everyone with the food available.MoreeffortwasputintoopeningRemmarandwhenitwas

finallyopenedforthegeneralpublictocolonise,aquarterofthehumanpopulationflockedtheretostartupcrofts(small,self sufficient farms).Remmar’s function is toproducefoodandallowprivateenterprisetoflourish.

Unfortunately,thereisnotyetenoughresourcescomingoutofRemmartomakeImperialPeersoverseeingallthesystemsworthwhile.StarCivilisationislookingintoassigningPeerstothoseplacesthatarestruggling.

C l u s t e r s

AwholeSector isa largeareatoadministerwithoutfur-thersectioning.AClusterisagroupofstarsarrangedin

geographicalproximity (theyareneareachother)andasaresultofthissharetradeandeconomies.AClustercanbeanynumberofSystemsfrom2to20.BelowisalistofClusterswhichare important to note.Detaileddescriptions for theAnadarClusterisincludedintheScavengerSetting.

Yourcampaignis likelytofocusinaClusternotlistedhere.Theclustersarefamous,knowntoallcharactersandserveasexamples.

tCe amperahl CresCentDeepwithin theheartofRemmar, the ImperialCrescent isacluster that resemblesacrescent if vieweddirectly fromabovetheGalacticaxis. The ImperialCrescentwaspopu-lated extremely quickly and is the home of the Empress,Star Scientifica and The Star Enforcers. The technology oftheImperialCrescentissecondonlytoArcturus(StarFleet’shome intheTurusCluster)but isalsothecentreofartandhumanitarianissuesaswell.ManyoftheInterstellarcorpora-tionsmoved theiroperation toTheCrescentpurely for theprestigeofbeinginthesameclusterastheEmpress.Trade,asyouwouldexpect, isblisteringlyhigharoundthecluster.Theclusteralsohasaindustrialedge,itisresponsiblefortheproductionahugeamountoffoodwhichserves lessfortu-nateclustersaroundit.TheImperialCrescentisashiningex-amplefortherestofthehumanrace.

tCe turus ClusterSince the The Star Fleetwas first createdas Stella Fleet in5800,theTuruscluster(1ontheSayshellGuide)hasbeenitshome.BoastingthelargestcoloniesandStarBases,theTuruscluster isquite thecentreof technologyand learning. TheTurusclusterproducesfoodandstarcraft,aswellastrainingfortheStarFleet.Itsexcellentpositionleavesitopentotradefromtheothersectorsandisbyfarthemostadvancedclus-terinthegalaxy.

romhr ClusterPopulated by Romar Smith in 6002, the founder only re-mained on the system (RomarGrand) for a space of fiveyearsinwhichhemanagedtosetupaselfsufficientecon-omy. He soon realised that the remaining systems aroundRomarGrandwereripeforthepicking,hesqueezedRomarGrandfortheresourcesforsettingupmorecoloniesaroundit.Boredofcolonisation,Romarbegansettinguptradelinkswiththecolonies.WhenRomarwas56,hehadmanagedtopopulate10planetsandwastraininghistwosons(AndrewandSimon)allthathehadlearnt.TheRomarClusterisnowthemostpowerfuleconomicclusterintheGalaxy,situatedfarfromanyrecurringanomaliestooneedgeofSayshell.

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Romar’s strength is in its excellent adaption to changingneeds.SincethereopeningofRemmar,itsgriponthefoodmarket has waned, so the output of Romar has becomemoretechnologicalandhousessomeofthemostextensiveStarDocksintheGalaxy.Romarcanbecalleda‘NomadicCluster’asmostofthecluster’sinhabitantsaretraderswhodonottendtospendtoolonginoneplace.

naophk Cluster‘Niopak Primus Retaris’ was first landed upon by James“Niopak” Trenchard in 6156, life was very hard there. Thecolonists thathadcomeouthereweremore idealistsanddreamers than realists. Artisans, writers, poets and drifterssoon settled the many I class planets surrounding Primus.Unfortunately, they were not well suited to the hard workrequiredinsettingupmanualfarmsandbuildingacolony.However,afewharshwinterslaterandthecoloniesbegantobuildwell.WhentheRomarClusterbeganlinksin6211,thecolonies inNiopak strengthened,without losing theartisancorethatpermeatedallthesystems.

Today,Niopakisaverywealthycluster,knownforitsfashionandforcreatingnewtrendsandoftenbeingthecentreofattentioninSayshell.AlthoughthereisquiteafrivoloussidetotheNiopakcluster,thereisabasisofhardfashionindus-try to support it all. Any itemofday today living ismadefashionable,fromGaiajackstosportscars.Pointlesstechnol-ogy,gadgetsand trivial additions topeople livesarealsoproducedin largequantities.NotedasbeingperhapsoneofthemosthightechclustersintheGalaxy!

nhgghCCef ClusterThisclusterexistswithin theNaggaandChefnebulae, twomassivecloudsofgaswhichexist5AstronomicalUnitsapart,swallowingmostofthecluster.Thesparsenessofthenebu-lae(comparedtoothernebulaeofsimilarsize)attributetothefactthatthecoloniesontheseplanetsarepopulated.WhenPeterNagga settled the firstcolonywithhiswife-to-beSarahChef in the latterpartof5998, thecolonistswhohad taken thegamblewerequitecutoff from the restofhumanity.MosttraderswouldnotventureintotheNaggaorChefnebulaefor fearofcollision.Oncethenebulaewerecorrectlycharted,thesystembecameverypopularindeed.

Naggachefcontainsmanysystemswithinitsnebulae,mostofthesesystemshavemanyIclassplanets(someTerraformed)andgreat,untappednaturalresources.TheclusterhastwomajorsystemsPrem-Nagga,ahugeIclassplanetwithamas-sivefarmingindustryandPrem-chef,amediumIclassplanetwithahugetouristandpleasureindustry.Thoseonanysys-temwithinNaggachefaredelightedby the ‘Nebularis’ or‘sky lights’, thepatterns inspacemadebythetwoswirlingnebulae.Neverdoanyofthesystemshavecompletedark-ness,thereisalwaysaglowofred,greenorblue.

Naggachef is themain foodproducingcluster in Sayshell,turningoutenough food to feeda thirdof thepopulationofSayshell.Subsidiaryindustriesincludeproductionandtour-ism.

vatero ClusterThe‘BlueWorld’colonywasfoundedin6322,theclustertak-ingitsnamefromthefounderSimonVitero.Theidealsthatthecolonyfoundeditselfonwerebasedwithinpracticality.Intheearlyyearsofcolonisation,Viteroandhiscolleagues

didwellbysavingtimeandeffortforthatwhichwasabso-lutelynecessary.Thetechnologicalandagriculturaloutputof the Blue World colony and the colonies that followedwereexcellentwhile the sociologicaladvancementswereminimalintheextreme.

Today, the Cluster still thrives on its principles of functionratherthanform. It isnosurprisethattheMexbuildingwasdesignedherealongwiththelaser-bladedharvester.Viteroalso holds the headquarters of the Endotech shipwrights,alongwithamassive spacecraftmanufacture trade. Thecoloniessufferfrombeingquiteuninterestingforthepopu-lous,unlikemanyclusters,manyhaveholidaysoutsideofthisclusterforentertainment.

bhleras ClusterSituated on the border between Sayshell and Dorian, theBalerisClustercluster locationhasbeendisputedsincetheoriginalpioneerslandedonZeffOrbin6295.ThecolonywassoonabsorbedintotheAkarakculturebuttookaslightlydif-ferent spinon their ideals. Baleriswasacultural centre forAkarakians,allowingtheAkarakpeopletohavemorefree-dom from theconstraintsof theelder’swishes. Times soonchangedandthecoloniesinBalerismovedawayfromtheAkarakwayof thinking, it has kept its cultural significanceanditsleadingsystemAcerinePrimeisagoodexampleofasystemwithallthegoodaspectsofAkarakianideas.

hkhr ClusterTheAkarClusterwasfirstsettledin4002byJebediahAkarak.JebediahbelievedthattoleadalongandhealthylifebothMind and Bodymust be expanded and pursued. The firstcolonies starvedas thecolonies split their timeevenlybe-tweenencouragingtheirmindstateanddoingdutiesonthefarms.Thisleadtomanyharshwinterswherehundredsdiedthroughstarvation.Thefoodthatwascreatedbarelyfedthepopulace, so little tradewasdone. Theclusterwasquick-ly populated by people of theAkarak nation (many tooksurnameswith ‘AK’ to show theiraffiliation)and slowly thewealthandpoweroftheseseeminglyodd-ballpeoplebe-gantogrow.ThisgrowthwasmassivelyaidedbytheAkarakAidFleetwhosejobitwastostopcoloniesfromdyingout.

Nowtheclusterisathrivingtradesourceaswellasculturalcentre.ThestrictAkarakiandisciplinelendsitselfwelltotradeasoutsidetradersfellthatthedealthattheyweregettingwillalwaysbehonestandfair.ThedetailsoftheAkaraknationaregivenlaterinthesection‘AkarakNation’.

tef ClusterSettled in4142byNorman Teffralliage (Tef), the Tefclusteris by far the most disreputable cluster in Imperial space.WithintheTefsystemstherearetwosetsoflaws.Thefirstsetis ImperialLaw,bywhichanyrespectablepersongoesby.‘Fralliage’lawisthelawsmoreoftenused,whichworksusingideasabout‘Youcandoanythingas longasnooneseesyou’aslaws.Corruption,theft,politicaloverthrowarecom-monplaceinTef.However,peoplestillenjoylivingtherebe-causeitisoutfromunderthethumboftheImperiumwhilestillremaininginsidetheLightJumpnet.Tefalsoincludesaveryhighpercentageof I class planets (about 40%!),Althoughmostoftheclimatesareveryharshonthoselivingthere,theydostillcountasIclass.

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C o l o n i e s

Acolonyisthenamegiventoadwellingonorunderthesurfaceofaplanet.Acolonycanbeacity(calleda

Mexcity)orhightechvillages(calledCrofts)oracombina-tionofthose.Coloniesarenormallysetuponplanetswherethereisagravitystrengthappropriatetohumans(around1earthgravity)althoughsomeColoniesusespacecrafttech-nologytoprovideabubbleofartificialgravity.Muchofthehumanrace live inspacestations,calledOrbitalsbut theyarenotconsideredtobeColonies.

wCere Colonaes growWhereverthereisaneedforpeopletolive,therewillabeColony.Coloniesarebuiltonplanet surfaces (Prosurface),underthesurface(Subsurface)orunderoceans(Subaqua).

Prosurface

AnyColonyonaplanetwheretheairisnon-toxictohumansisaProsurfacecolony.Roughly60%ofcoloniesareProsurfacecolonies.Earthinthe21stCenturywasaProsurfacecolony.

Subsurface

AnyColonywheretheatmosphereisnotbreathableiscalledaSubsurfacecolony.Thesecoloniesarenormallyhugecav-ernsburieddeepwithinthesurfaceofthecrust,sealedtotheharmfulatmosphere.Within thesecavernsarecities,muchthesameasonProsurfaceplanets.Accesstothecolonyisthroughmanyhugecirculartunnelscalled‘vents’.

Subaqua

AnyColonybuiltunderanoceanof liquid (notnecessarilywater) is a Subaqua Colony. Subaqua colonies are Citiesbuilt on the inside of giant spheres.Gravity in the spherespointstowardthenearestinsideface.Allthebuildingsreachintothemiddleofthesphere.Thelargespheresareintercon-nectedusingasystemoftunnels.SpaceCraftdockontheoutsideofthespheres-spaceinsideisusuallytooprecious.

Colony bualdangsTheDroidWar turned thehuman race intoa raceof refu-gees. A tsunami of people flooded from invaded SectorsintoSayshell.Atfirst,theylivedinrepurposedspacecraftbutthosecraftweresoonneededtohelpother refugeesandsparkofftrade.TheImperiumrespondedwithprefabricatedbuildings. Thereare twomain typesofbuilding:CroftsandMexCities.Croftsaresmallerbuildings,madetohousefarmsand holiday homes.MexCities are huge lattice structureswith tall, straight buildings connected together with struc-turalwalkways,providingstrength.Mexcitiesarebyfarthemostpopularbuildingsastheyarecheap,veryquicktocon-structanddonottakeupmuchofafootprint.

CroftsAtypicalcroftbuildingisacircularhutwhichhasadomedroof.Onthegroundflooriswherealltheutilityequipmentiskept,includinggeneratorsandforlargercroftbuildingsandanyvehicles. Theupper floor is the living space. Themorepeoplethat liveinthecroft,thelargerthediameterofthebuilding is tobe.Every livingspacehasaskyviewthroughthedomedroofandallroomsareontheedgeofthebuild-ing.

Atypicalcrofthasadiameterof15metres,largeonescangoupto50metres.Therearemanydifferentdesignsonof-fer,withmanydifferentinteriorsofallqualities.AsimpleCroft(includinginstallationfees)costs10K.Permissionneedstobegrantedby thecouncil (which itnormally is)beforeone isinstalled.

mex CataesFound in all colony types, aMex city ismade frommanylevelsstackedontopofeachother.Each levelhasapar-ticulartemplatesothatlevelwithdifferingpurposescanbestacked easily. Each building stands alone, connected tootherbuildingsbywalkwayswhichpeoplewalkthrough.Liftsrunupanddownthecornersofthebuilding,eachpoweredbyGrav.

Althoughthisprefabsystemofbuildingisnormallyfollowed,

An example of a Croft delivering Biomatter to a freighter. Key: A: Croft buildings where farmers live. B: A harvester. C: A croft ‘Mushroom’, where the harvesters deposit grain. D: A Cyclone freighter taking delivery. E: Hopper Automatons move space

crate boxes to and from the freighter. F: Croft store of space crates. G: A Hauler carries crates on planet surface to Mex Cities.

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eachsystemdoeshaveitsownspecialcharacterwhichcanbeseeninthecoloursandlayoutofthebuildings.Mexbuild-ingsonverydifferentsystemssometimeslookverysimilar inshape.Mexbuildingstendtobeverytallandthin,anormalsizeforabuildingwouldbeapproximately4kmhighwithafootprintof100msquare.

InMexcities,therearemanywaysoftravelling.Insidebuild-ings,peopletravelbyfoot,tomoveupanddownthebuild-ings are extremely fast lifts that can traverse 100s of floorsinseconds.FreetransportisprovidedinallMexcitiesbytheFreeMass-TransportationSystem(FEMTS)whicharelargebullet-shapedGravvehiclesthatrunmethodi-cal routes around the cities. Personal transport isprovidedbyGravCarsandGravbikeswhichareflying vehicles that travel between the build-ings.

LivinginaMexcitywouldfeellikeaverystrangeexperienceto those in the21stCentury. People tend to work nearwheretheylive,eveninthesameorneighbouringbuilding.Nearlyallhu-mans live inaMexcity in one formoranotherasMexcitiescanbebuiltanywhere.Mexbuildingscanberepaired and constructedveryeasily,theycanalsobeadded to by lifting off thetoplevelandaddmorelev-elsinunderneath.

mex an generhlFromadistance,aMexcitytendstolookoutofplace within the land-scape. This is becauseof the largesquare lat-tice work of the build-ings. The edges of thecity tend to be squareand the can be built inanyplace(shownbelowinavalley).Thisisduetotheir sturdy structureandthe fact that all vehiclesfly in and out of the city,therearenoneedforroads,assuch.

The ethos of the Mex city haslead to some standardisation in thelayout. These standards are called TheImperial Polisat and theyprovideaperfectmodel for citydesignerstofollow.

typaChl mex plhnA.TownCentre

Pivotaltotherunningofthecolony,theTownCentreisthehomeofallthemaincolonyofficesandcomprisesofseveralMexbuildings. Themainoffice is theCouncilOfficewherethecouncillorsandtheiradvisorsorganisenewcolonypol-icyandsortoutproblemsonplanet.StarEnforcerColonialBuilding or SEC Building is where the Enforcers (Police) onplanet reside.Often, the SECshave twoormorebuildings

dependingon size of theColony.Alsowitha footholdonplanetare the StarCivwhohave their headquarters heretoo.However,StarCivoftenhavemanyofficesalloverthecolony.TheTownCentrenearlyalwayscompriseofthetall-estbuildingsintheCity.

B.HomeGateway

TheHomeGatewayorHomeGateisthestarcraftdockingfacility that is usedby smaller, private craft and the largepassengercarryingPitliftersthatdeliverpeopletoOrbitand

the Star Buses. Smaller berthswithmorecommercialaspects (such as hotels, souvenir shops) are clustersaround this edge. Traditionally, the Home Gate isnormally a verywell kept part of theMexCity as itis normally the firstplace that thevisitors to thecitywilleversee.TheHomeGatewayhasthefeelofanold-fashioned‘airport’,withpeoplewaitingtotravel

ormovingawayfromtheGateareaasquicklyaspossible.Localpopulacenormally leavetheinflatedpricesoftheHomeGateforthetouristsandliveelsewhere.TheHomeGateisoftenlocallycalledsomethingelse,namedafterafounderorfamousspacefarer.

C.FreightGateway

This is the star craft docking facil-ityforlarger,freightvehicles.Thesestar craft tend to be huge hulksthatcarryamassofceramic-metalspacecrates.Eachofthesefreight-ershaveonly100crewbuthavemanyhundredsofautomated‘Hoppers’ which are flyingrobots that are designedto carry space crates onand off the freighter. TheFreight Gateway has fewbars and cheaper hotels(ascrews tend to sleeponship).

D.HaulerPort

Also situated on the edgeofacity, theHaulerport thewayinwhichacitytransportsgood around on the planetsurface. A hauler is a large

vehiclewhichaccelerates veryslowly but can travel very fast in-

deed.Thismakesitperfectforlongdis-tances. Although mostly automated,

the Haulers are normally piloted due tothemistrustofautomatedsystems.Haulerports tendtobepoorerareasof thecityasmostof theHaulerpilots spendlittletimeinthecity,itisnotlookedafterverywell.TheHaulerPortisalsolikelytocontainmanystoragelevelsasitisnotadesirableplacetolive.

an h mex CatyThepicture(opposite)showsaviewfromwithinaMexcity.Thepictureislookingdownthemiddleofthecity.TopeoplewhohavelivedonCroftstheirwholelives,theMexCitywillfeelclaustrophobic,overcrowdedandbusy.Thespacebe-tweentheMexbuildingsarepackedwithtraffic(onlyasmall

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amountshowninthepictureforclarity).DuetotheregularityofMexlevels,itisveryeasytonavigatearoundaMexcity.

A.Lift

Lifts travelupanddown thecornersofallbuildings. Somebuildingshave liftsonthe insideaswellbut themajorityofpeopleusethecornerlifts.TheliftsrunonGravandarenotdirectlytoconnectedtothebuilding,sotherearemany(of-tenasmanyas200)liftsinonebuildingcorner.TheyarebestthoughtofasindependentGravVehiclesthatmainlytravelvertically.Liftstravelatgreatspeedsandonecantravelatupto20ms(4floorsasecondor12floorsagameturn).Duetotheliftshavingagravityfieldgenerator,theeffectsofthehugeaccelerationarenotnoticedbythepeopleusingthelift.Liftscanpasseachotherinacorner,allowingliftstoover-takeeachother.

B.Walkway

Walkwaysarestructural tubesthatconnecttheMexbuild-ings together.MexCitieswithmanywalkways forma tightlattice,makingthecityasawholeverydifficult todestroy.TowardthecentreofaMexcity,walkwaysarecommonandbecomemoreraretowardtheedge.Trafficpassesaboveandbelowthesewalkwaysandtheysometimestravelatan-glesbetweenthebuildings. Inanycase, thegravityof theWalkwayisalwaysperpendiculartoitsfloor.

C.Traffic

Forthosewhocanaffordtheirownpersonaltransport,thereareflyingcarscalledGravCarsareused tomovepeoplearound.Asthevolumeoftrafficincentralareasofacitycanbeextremelyheavy,peopleoftenchoose towalk insteadofdriving.

GravCarsflythroughthecityinlanes.FlyingthroughtheMexCitycanbequitestressfultodoatspeed,somostpeoplewillswitchontheGravCarartificialintelligenceandletitdriveforthem-pickingthequickestroute.Anartificialintelligencewill notbreakanydriving lawsand for thosewhowant todashthroughtheCity,theycandriveonManual(PilotGravSkillCheck).

D.FreeMassTransportationSystem

The FreeMass Transportation System or FEMTS is availableinallmajor Imperial Systems. The FEMTSconsistsofahugenumberofbullet shapedFEMTScars.Unlikemostold-worldfreetransportationsystems,theFEMTSisnormallytheprideofthecity,clean,reliableandalwaysontime.AtypicalFEMTScar isunmanned,only thepassengers travelon it. Thecariscontrolledbyanartificial intelligencewhichsensesothertrafficinGaiaandthenmakesdecisionsonthebestroutetomeetitsstops.TheFEMTSiswidelyusedbymany,asasafealternativetoowningone’sowncar.

MoreaffluentCitiesadorn their FEMTSwithbars, relaxationrooms,massageparloursandbrothels.Regardlessoftheirin-ternalfittings,theexternalbulletshapeisstandard.

E.TheNearground

TheNeargroundistheplacewherethosenotcontentwithnormalsocietygotolive.Seethelatersection‘Nearground’formoredetail.

Colony CounCalAdministration of the Colony is performed by the ColonyCouncil.TheCouncilisdemocraticallyelected(mostly)eve-ry4years.Councillorsaredrawnfromthewealthy,famousorpurelyonmerit. Thepositionson theCouncilare:Chair,Industry,Treasury,TradeandDomestic.TwoextraseatsareappointedbytheImperium:StarEnforcerCaptaininChargeandStarCivilisationCaptaininCharge.Somecouncilshaveextramembersdependingontheirlocalsituation-suchasacouncilmemberforMiningactivities.

CouncillorscanserveasmanytermsasrequiredandeachCouncillor isgivenabudgetfromthe Imperium(viaTaxes)andemploysastaff. Thetaxesareusedby theCouncil togrow the colony, provide services, perform maintenanceon the infrastructure, subsidise tradenegotiationsandsup-port flagging industries. Council Staffers wield much ofthe Council’s power as negotiators and advisers to theCouncillors.

TheCouncilareconstantlyinthepubliceye,theirdecisionshavingrealandoftenimmediateaffectsonthepopulationofthecolony.Althoughtherearenopartyaffiliations,coun-cillors often hold ontoHumanphilosophies, bywhich theymaketheirdecisions(SeeHumansectionXXXXXXXXXX).

Tounderstand,gainconnectionsandmakeuseofaColony’scouncil,anEcopoliticalskillcheckisrequired.

Chair

TheCouncilChairhasthejobofkeepingorderandmakingsurepeopledoastheysaytheyaregoingtodo.TheChairisthepublicfaceofthecolonyandspendsalotofthedaytravellingaroundthereachesofthecolonytalkingtopeopleandinvestigatingproblemsthatmighthavebeenraisedonacouncilmeeting.

Treasurer

The Treasurer collects taxes and pays them into theImperium. Taxes are collected from corporations and starcraftCaptains,soitisamucheasierprocessthanithaseverbeen.

Industry

TheaimoftheIndustryistoensurethatlocalbusinessesaresupportedandnotbendingorbreakinganyImperiallaw.

tCe nehrgroundInmostMexCities, there isanareawhich is knownas theNearground.Typically,theNeargroundisthearea‘Neartotheground’-thefirst50metresofeachMexbuildingwherelight rarely filters. The Nearground is where anarchists, so-cially dispossessed, poor and criminal elements of societyliveandwork.The Imperial society isa liberaloneandtheNeargroundprovides a space for the fringes of society tomeet,awayfromthewell-to-dosociety.

TheNeargroundiswherethenearorderofMexarchitecturedescendsintochaos.Atgroundlevel,theMexbuildingsaredifficulttodiscern,thecorelayoutofthebuildingsaugment-edbygantries,walkwaysandbuildingsinahigh-techshan-ty-town. There is little traffic in theNearground -onlyGravbikesaresmallandnimbleenoughtodrivequicklythroughthemazeofarchitecturalimagination.

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TypicalNeargroundLocations

IntheNeargroundcanbefoundbrothels,seedynightclubs,old-fashionedteashops,doctorswhodonotaskquestions,blackmarkets, drug dens, cheap hotels, Grav biker hangoutsandburlesqueclubs.

TheHaulerportisalsonormallybytheNearground.SomeoftheHaulercrewsareseducedbytheNeargroundbutmostremainprofessionalandonceawayfromtheirHauler,traveltothehigherareasoftheCity.

StarEnforcersandtheNearground

TheNeargroundisverydifficultfortheStarEnforcerstoop-erate in. It can be very difficult to gather evidence of acrimeas theanarchists refusetoco-operateandbuildingsrarelycarrysensors.TheStarEnforcersoftenreturnfromtheNeargroundemptyhanded.Themainexceptioniswithpar-ticularly dangerous criminals, for which the Star Enforcerstravelingreatnumbersandforce.

tCe mesCThe superstructure of the Mex buildings contains large airducts and utility sections, this area is known as theMesh.TheductsoftheMeshruneverywherethroughouttheMexCity.Somelongerductsrunthelengthofthe4kmbuilding.Althoughoriginallyintendedforrepaircrewstoworkwithoutdisturbing the general public, theMesh has nowbecomehometoanoutcastpartofsociety,theMeshrunners.

TheGeneralPublicaremostly ignorantofMeshrunners,as-suming that the thieves and muggers come up from theNeargroundinlifts.

Meshrunners

Meshrunners live in the Mesh, leaving only to steal foodandmoney from thegeneralpublic. TheMesh isahavenforthoseontherunfromsociety.MostMeshrunnersarechil-dren, teenagers and young adults; petty criminals, familyoutcastsorescapeesfromtheconstrictsoftheirupbringing.AsMeshrunnersgrowintoadulthood,theyusuallyleavetheMeshforthebrightlightsandopportunityoftheNearground-orevenbackintosociety.FewgrowoldintheMeshandevenfewerarebornthere.

MeshrunnerGangs

TheMeshrunnerGang isa family.A tightknitgroupwhereseniorityisdefinedbytimespentintheMeshandability;ageis of little importance.MeshrunnerGangs tend to occupyanareaofMeshandrarelystrayfromtheirpatch.AGang’sarea is normally across many buildings over a few levels.FrictionandsuspicionbetweenGangsisgreat-eachGangassumestheothersareinleaguewiththeStarEnforcers,theirparentsorwhicheverorganisationtheyareavoiding.

RunningtheMesh

Moving through theMesh is a skill (Meshrunning) that canonly reallybe taughtbyanotherMeshrunner.Meshrunnersusehightechclimbinggearrepurposedfromcommondayitemsthatcanbehiddenunderclothingforwhentheyaremovingamongstthegeneralpublic.RunningtheMeshisex-tremelydangerousfor theuninitiatedastheMesh isutterlydarkandtherecanbesudden2kmverticalshafts.Anexpe-riencedMeshrunnerwillknowtheirGang’sMeshextremelywellandbeable tonavigate itwithonly the faintestglowoflight.

BecomingaMeshrunner

Meshrunnersarealwayson the lookout forvulnerablechil-drenandteenagers.Inmostcases,theserunawaysendupin theNeargroundandareunable to fend for themselves.Tooyoungtoworkandliabletoexploitation,Meshrunnersof-fertheyoungoutcastsafamilylifewithoutanyofthehassle.SomeoutcastshearoftheMeshandgoinsearchofit,whichcanbedangerousanddifficult.

TheStarEnforcersandtheMesh

TheStarEnforcerswouldliketheMeshtobeemptysaveforrepaircrews.Inmostcases,theMeshrunnersdonotdrawanyattentionastheirtheftstendtobesmallandbasedonsub-sistence. TheStarEnforcersnormally leave theMeshaloneas the timeandenergy spent rounding upMeshrunners isbetterspentelsewhere.Furthermore,provingaMeshrunnerhasperformedacrimeisdifficultandthesentencesaresoshort for thepettycrimesthattheywould just returntotheMeshafterwards.StarCivilisationbelievethataMeshrunnerleftuncaughtismorelikelytoreturntocivilisedsocietythanonethatiscaughtandpunished.

Only when Meshrunners become a problem do the StarEnforcersgetinvolved.TheStarEnforcerInvestigationbranchhaveanumberofMeshteams.ThesearespeciallytrainedandequippedbionicStarEnforcerswhocanmovethroughtheMeshwithgreat speed. It is rare that these teamsarebrought intosolveaMeshrunnerproblem. Inveryextremecases,theMeshofabuildingcanbecloseddownentirely,suffocatingall thosewithin. Thisextrememeasurehasonlybeentakenonceortwiceinlivingmemory.

UsingMeshrunners

Playercharactersarenormallyex-Meshrunners-peoplewhohavetheskillsbutdonotruntheMeshanymore.Meshrunningskillsreplacethestandardskillsofaperson’supbringing(us-ingGaia,mathematics,science,socialunderstanding)soitisnottobetakenlightly.Meshrunnersarenotincludedinthisbookasacharacterclassastheyfitintoaveryspecificsortofcampaignsetting.

Player characters can also gainMeshrunners as contacts,although Meshrunners are wary of anyone outside of theMesh.TrustmustbegainedfirstbeforeaMeshrunnerwilldoanyworkforaplayercharacter.

Once trust is gained,aMeshrunner is very useful - able tosteal,overhearand robpeoplebeforeblendingback intosociety.MeshrunnersdonotuseGaia,socontactingthemcanbedifficultandgainingoneasa valuablecontact islikelytobeahaphazardaffairinvolvedinachanceencoun-ter.

sChnnang hnd pravhCyScanningisthenamegiventousingsensorstodetectthingsthatmightbehiddenfromview.Sensorsarenormallyfittedtobuildings,spacecraft,vehicles(suchasFEMTS)andany-wherewhereyouwanttoensurealevelofsecurity.Therearetwokindsofscanner:TechscannersandMedicalScanners.ATechScanneranalysesanypieceof technology(weap-ons,bionicsystem,Automatonsetc).

AMedical Scanner scans biological life forms and is usedfordetectingbiologicalproblem(diseases,illnesses,breaks,virusesetc).

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Scannershavelevelsofscan,thehigherthelevelthemoreinformationprovided.High level scans tend to take longerandneedmorepower(andthustendtobebigger).Higherlevelscannersincludeallofthefunctionsofthelowerlevels.Forexample,alevel1medicalscannercanbeheldinthehandbutwillnotgiveyouanygeneticinformation.

TechScanners

Mostcommonly found inspacecraftair locksandtheen-trancestobars,theyaremostlyusedforscanningforweap-ons. Thesearenot justmetaldetectors, they scanusingabroad rangeof sensorsandare verydifficult to fool. Techscannersareeitherhand-heldormountedinbuildings.TechscannerscannotdetectBioweaveaugmentation.

Level1.Canbehand-held.Needstobeheldclosetothethingyouarescanning.Takesoneround(3seconds).Candetectweapons,Gaiacardsandwhetherornottheper-sonisBorgedorCybered.Level2.Veryexpensive ifhand-held.Normallymountedintodoors.Candetect up to 5metres. Takes 2 rounds(6 seconds).Candetect typeofweaponsorbionics todeterminecapabilities.Canalsodetectmanufacturer’ssignature.Level3.Onlyfoundindedicatedengineeringbays,sen-sordatanormallygatheredfromacloudoffloatingsen-sorsthattakeuppositionaroundtheobject.Takesupto1minute(20rounds).Candetectfaults.

MedicalScanner

ThepurviewoftheMedic,themedicalscanner isnormallyusedtodiagnosethesick.

Level1.Canbehand-held.Mustbeclosetothesubject.Can detect vital statistics, bone breaks, blood toxins,major diseases, disabilities throughgeneticabnormality.Takesoneround(3seconds).CannotdetectBioweave.Level2.NormallymountedinMedicalfacilitybeds.Candetectgeneticlevelscan,genomerecognitionandgenefingerprints.Userneedstobelyingonthebedtouse.AlsocanscanbionicslikeaTechscannerwouldscanlevel3.Takes2rounds(6seconds).CandetectBioweave.Level3.SamecapabilitiesastheLevel1and2scannersbutcanbefoundmountedindoorwaysandcandetectupto10metres.Raretofind.Takes3rounds(9seconds).

Colony trhvelAColony is normally spreadacross andaboveaplanet’ssurface.TherearecommonelementsoneveryColony(seepicture).

A.Largespacecraftthatcannotenteratmosphereeitherdock toanOrborOrbital fromwhere theycanquicklyandeasilyLightJumptoothersystems.B.Cargoistransportedfromorbitusingthehuge,heavylifting Pitlifters, which are specifically designed tomakethejourneybetweenorbitandplanetsurface.CandE.Forspacecraftthatcanenteratmosphere,theydockeitherstraightontotheMexCity(C)ortheCroft(E).D.Cargoandpeopleare transportedbetween surfacedwellings by high speed Haulers and sub orbital flyers(onlyforthousandsofmilesatspeedandnotshown).

T i m e

Whenthefirst spacefarers leftearth, theyabandonedthe24hourclockinfavourofa40hourday.Asships

alwaysneededtohaveacrewawakeandactive,a shipsystemwasdevelopedthatwassoonadoptedasthenor-malforthewholegalaxy.Thedaysissplitintofour10hourcy-cles.Eachcycleservesadifferentpurpose.Betweeneachcycleisameal.

SleepCycle

Duringthecycle,apersongettheirrest.Ahumanof92030onlyrequires9hourssleepin40tofunctionproperly.Theoth-erhourisspentwakingupandhavingthefirstmealcalled‘Breakfast’.

WorkCycleOne

This is thefirst tenhoursofwork.Sometaketwo jobs,eachwith a 10 hour duration. After this cycle is a meal called‘Lunch’.

WorkCycleTwo

Thesecondworkcycleisnormallyamorerelaxedaffairasmotivationbeginstowane.Afterthiscycleisthemealcalled‘Dinner’.

RecreationCycle

Therecreationcycleiswhenapersoncanpursuewhateveractivitiestheyareinterestedin.Mostpeoplehaveahobbyofsomesuch.Beforesleepingoncemore,apersonnormallypartakesinanutrientdrinkcalleda‘Cap’.

Aseveryoneislivinginasynchronised40hourlifestyle,busi-nessesstayopenforall40hours.Peopletendtosharejobs,onejobbetweentwo.Thepassingofdayandnighthasnoeffectonthecyclesofaperson,phrasessuchas‘morning’

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Typical Colony transport infrastructure.

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and‘afternoon’arenormallyusedtoexpressthepositionofthesuninthesky.

orghnashtaon of yehrs hnd dhtesFollowing the standardisationof time,datesandyears fol-lowedsuit.Theorganisationisasfollows:

Minute:60seconds.Hour:60minutes.Cycle:10hours.Day:4cycles.Week:10days.Month:4weeks.Year:10months.

ThemonthnamesarethesameastheGregoriancalendar,except November and December are omitted. Days arenamedasMonday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday,Saturday, Sunday,Moriusday (after theprevious Emperor),Aranday(asareminderoftheAranWar)andKayday(afterthespacestationthatbecamethecradleofhumancivilisa-tion).

publaC ColadhysAlthoughbusiness runs 40x40, regardlessofdayandnight,therearestillpublicholidays.Daysduringtheweekarenottaken off and there is no ‘weekend’. The public holidaystendtomarkeventseitherGalatically(Empress’Birthday)orlocally(ClusterorSystemFoundingday).Publicholidaysde-pendverymuchonthesystem.Thosesystemswithoutmuchlocalhistorytendtohavefewer,asdoheavilyindustrialsys-tems.Artisticcoloniesandthosesystemswithalonghistorytendtohavemorepublicholidays.

TheStarChambersdonotpartakeinpublicholidaysastheemployeesarealwaysonduty.Insomecases,theytakepartbutonlyinanofficialcapacity.Theonlyexceptiontothisruleis theEmpress’BirthdaywhenmostStarChambersthrowaparty.Onlythoseonactivedutydonot.

dhy hnd nagCtTheconnectionwithtimeandnightanddayisnolongerim-portant.Veryfewplanetshave40hourdayandthehumanracehasgotused to sleepingat theendof the30hours,ratherthanwhenitgetsdark.Thisisespeciallyimportantonplanetswhere there isn’tmuchnightdue to the light fromlargemoonsoronOrbitals,wheredayandnightaresimu-latedbyglowinglights.

M o n e y

TheImperiumhasonesinglecurrency,theImperialCredit(orjustCredit).Moneyvalueandflowiscontrolledbythe

ImperialResourceChamber.Therearenobanks,youcan-notgetaloanandmoneyisstoredonsmallplasticcards,onaGaiajackorinaperson’spersonalGaiaspace(seesectiononGaia).

No frills living in Icar is cheap. A cheap yet comfortableapartment can be rented for 100c a month and healthymealscostaslittle3c.Ageneralpricelist is includedintheEquipment Index (********************OR BACKOF BOOK?).Weapons,ammunitionandarmourareallrelativelyexpen-

siveastheImperiumbelievesthatpeopleshouldnotneedtobuythem.

The Imperium raises taxes only through businesses.CorporationshandtheImperiumapercentageoftheirrev-enue(notprofit)automaticallywhendoingbusiness.Itispos-sibleforaCorporationtoavoidpayingtaxbut it isnotad-visedastheImperiumwillseizeallassetsimmediatelyupondiscovery.

Allprivatebanking (loans, intereston savingsetc) is strictlyforbiddenandthereisnostockmarket.Loansharksdoex-istbutarenotusedbythegeneralpopulace.InterestratesfromLoansharksareextremelyhighandfailuretopaycanbedeadly.

S p a c e S t a t i o n s

Withtheadventofpowerful interstellarLightJumpen-gines, it becameobvious that spacecraft could be

madevery large indeed.However, theamountofenergyrequiredtoget thesehugecraft fromorbit to surfaceandbackwasgreaterthancouldbeproducedwithlegaltech-nology. One solution to this was to have a place in orbitwhereacraftcoulddeposit someof itscargo for shuttlingdowntothesurface.This istheprimereasonforhavinganOrbitalbuttheyareintegraltotheeconomy.

More than just trade platforms or orbiting store rooms, anOrbital isoftenthegatewaytotherestofthegalaxy.Theyareusedformanydifferenttaskssuchasactingasabaseofoperationsforaminingcompany,adockforspacecraftrepairsandthehomeformanypeoplewhodislikelivingonplanet. Theuseofanorbitaloftenchanges focus throughitslife,normallybeginningasatradeorbaseofminingop-erationand thengrowingwith thepopulation tobecomeamorepleasanthabitationorsupportinglargetradeships.

sphCe sthtaon typesEach orbital is different from the others, however they doroughlysplitintotwotypes:OrbitalsandOrbs.‘Orbitals’isthenamegiven tomostorbiting space stations. Theycome inallshapesandsizes:sketchanydesignontoapieceofpa-perandthatshapewillbefoundsomewhereintheGalaxy.‘Orbs’arespacestationswhereanartificialworldiscreatedontheinsideofasphere.

orbathlsOrbitalsarecommonacrossthegalaxyandcomeinbewil-deringvarietyofshapesandsizes.SomeOrbitalsbeginlifeasafreighter,strandedinorbitbyalossofLightJumpcapabil-ity.TheseOrbitalstendtobeexpandedinapiecemealman-nerandtendtolooklighthugepiecesoforbitingspacejunk.OtherOrbitalsaredesignedfromtheoutsetandlikeSpaceCraftareamixofsharplinesandorganiccurves.

Orbitals can house up to 2 billion people and the largestOrbitals(whichrivalOrbsinsize)are1000kmattheirwidest.The haphazard structure of most Orbitals requires artificialgravity tobepresenteverywhere.ThoseunfamiliarwithanOrbitalwouldfindthatthedirectionoftheGravitycanoftenchange,meaningshoppingdistrictsaroundthe insideofacylinder.

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TransportinanOrbital

GettingaroundinanOrbitalcaneitherbedoneonfoot,bydrivingaGravorbyFEMTS.Mostpeopleliveclosetowheretheywork, shopand relaxand sogoby foot. ThismeansthananOrbital tends to split intocommunitiesofpeople,nottoodissimilartoCroftsonaplanet’ssurface.

WhendrivingaGrav, theyaredriventhroughhugetubesthatruntomostcornersoftheOrbital.Thesetubesareoftenirregularandconnectareasof theorbital thatare impor-tant.TheFEMTSsystemalsousesitsownsetoftubes,exactlyresemblingtheFEMTSofMexCities.

PsychologicaleffectsoflivinginanOrbital

PeoplewholiveinOrbitalstendtopreferenclosedspacesandcanbeagoraphobic(afraidofopenspaces).FamiliesthathavelivedonOrbitalsforgenerationstendtobepaleskinnedandfairhairedandarefiercelyproudoftheirorigin.Orbitalinhabitantswillhavenoproblemwithsharplychang-inggravitygradientsandoftenmakeexcellentSpaceCraftcrews.

tCe orbathl explhanedThis imagesshowsasimpleexampleofanorbital,display-ingthemainsections,commontoall.TheOrbitalisdrawnwithsidenearesttheplanetonthebottom.The‘top’oftheOrbitalisthepartfurthestfromtheplanetsurface.

A.Thelargestspacecraftdockfurthestfromthecentre.ThemostexpensiveexternaldockingsectionsareatthetopoftheOrbitalasitnearesttowherespacecraftjumpto.B.FreighterscanalsodockontheupperreachesofanOrbitalbutthis isnormallyonlyforshortstaysandrapidunloads. Normally executive and courier space craftdockontheupperreaches.C.EveryOrbitalhasanartificialbiospherewhereplants,trees,grassandwildanimalsliveinacarefullybalancedecosystem. Expensive restaurants andapartments lookoutoverthebiosphereandmosthavepublicpaths.D.TheubiquitousFreeMassTransportationSystem(FEMTS)travelsupanddowninsidethedockingfoilstransportingpeople back and forth to freighters. PrivateGrav carsand bikes also travel up and down but rarely Haulers.AutomatonHoppersareusedformovingspacecrates.E. Themain living space is crisscrossedwith tubes thatcarry traffic.Smaller tubes (not shown)stretchout fromthemaintubeslikeveins,reachingthroughoutthesuper-structure.F.Pitlifter shuttles travelbackand forthbetweenplanetsurfaceand theOrbital. The Pitlifter always docks inter-nallyandnearthelivingspace.G. Internal space crate storage is expensive if used forlargeamounts.Internalstorageisnormallyusedbyfami-lies,smallbusinessesandspacecraftrepaircompanies.H.Spacecraftlessthan2kminlengthcanbeaccommo-datedininternaldockingbays.Thismainreasontodothisisforperformingrepairsinlow-gravityatmosphere.I.Mostspacecratescarryinglargequantitiesofrawma-terials(whicharecubes10mtoaside)arestoredexter-nalonadockingfoil.Iftensofthousandsofspacecratesaretobeloadedorunloaded,thenspacecraftareoftendockedontothisfoilandareservicedbyahugeswarm

ofAutomatonHoppers.J.EngineeringiswheretheGenerators,GravEngine,GravFieldGeneratorsare located. It is thehubof repairandrefurbishment,populatedbyenthusiastsunderthepayoftheOrbital.Engineeringisofflimitstothegeneralpublic.

orbsAnOrbisthelargestconstructionthehumanracehasevermade.TheOrbisaninside-outplanet.Ahugehollowspherewherethepeopleliveontheinside.TheinsidesurfaceoftheOrb isoftenas largeasa largemoonandcontainsconti-nents,mountainsandoceans.Ahugeartificialandyetself-sufficientecosystemexistsontheinsideofthesemassivestruc-tures.GravityisproducedbylocalisedGravfieldgenerators,

An Example Orbital in cross-section. Typical sections found on Orbitals are labelled.

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makingsuretheinhabitantshaveaconstantgravitydownwards,keepingthemontheinsideofthesphere.Theatmosphereis created and maintained by aseriesofatmosphereprocessingplants that exhaust throughtheoceans.

Togivetheinsideafeel-ingofaplanet,ahugelight source (knownas The Solar) with ahoodrotatesintwoaxis in the middleof the orb. Thisgives the ap-pearanceoflightanddark.Whenlooking ‘up’ ontheorb,youseethe ground onthe other side.During the day,the sunobscuresthe dark side oftheworldandtheatmosphere givesa pleasant bluehaze.Looking‘up’atnighttime,youwillseeablueblur,withoutstarsas ifamoonwaslightinghighcloud.

The Orb is so large that thecurvatureofthesurfaceisbarelyrecognisableunlessitisaclearday.Mostpeople’sdaytodaylivescanbeleadwithouteverrealisingtheywerenotonaplanet.Underthecrustoftheinnersurfaceisahugenumberofmanufacturingbaysandzero-gwork-shops.MassivetransittubestakeFEMTSallovertheorb.

OrbSegments

Anorbismadeupofahugenumberoftriangularsegments.Each segment has a very similar make-up. The diagramshowsacrosssectionoftheOrb.Transittubesareusedformoving around, although communities are createdmuchlike normal cities, towns and villages on any other planet.They are huge tube highways that curve throughout thestructureoftheOrb.

Mostpeople live incities, townsandvillageson the insideandcommutetotheouterskin.

SocialConsiderations

Due toanOrb’s size, there ismore thanenough room foreveryonetoliveonthesurface,regardlesswheretheyactu-allywork.Ona fewdesirably locatedorbs, spacecanbeatapremiumandonecanownashareofthesurface.ThismakestheOrbmuch likeanyotherplanet,with largeMexcities for convenience and then out-of-the-way places ofbeautyfortherich.

PsychologicaleffectsoflivinginanOrb

UnlikeonanOrbital, the inhabitantsofanorbareunlikelyto become agoraphobic (fear of open spaces) as thesurface provides a wide-open space, akin to a planet.Claustrophobia(fearofclosedinspaces) isalsounlikelyasthehumansubconsciousknowsthat it isonthe insideofagiantmarble.

WhereOrbdwellershaveproblemsiswithConvexophobia.Convexophobia is the irrational fearof slippingoffaplan-et’ssurface.Inanorb,thegroundcurvesupatthehorizon(concave),givingitabowlshape.Onaplanetsurface,thegroundcurvesdownatthehorizon(convex),givingtheap-pearancethatthingscanslideoffthesideofthesphere.

Administration

Duetoitssizeandgeneralresemblanceofaplanet,anOrbalwayshasitsownadministrationandwillhaveacouncillorontheseatofthecontrollingplanetofthesystem.

ChargesforOrbstendtobehigherthanonaOrbitals.Also,theyuseaslidingscale.Thelongeryoudockfor,thecheap-eritis.ThissometimesleadstopeopleabandoningcraftontheOrb.

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JungleOrbs

When the Droid war started, many people fled Orbs insearchofasaferplanetsurface;therationalfearbeingthatOrbswereeasier todestroythananentireplanet.AssuchDroidsoftenleftOrbsalone-theirecosystemsintact.Leftun-checkedthewildlifeofthe insideoftheOrbwouldspreadthroughout the superstructure. These JungleOrbsoftendohavepeoplelivingonthembutlifecanbedifficultthereasthefloraandfaunaconstantlyencroachesoncrops.

JungleOrbsarerareinSayshellandmostcommoninRemmarandtheedgesofDorian.AsJungleOrbsareoftentheprod-uctofarapidmassevacuation,theyoftencontaintreasuresabandonedbythosetoopreoccupiedwithArmageddontothinkaboutwhatisbeingleftbehind.

Orbauto

TheOrbauto is thenamegiven to theArtificially intelligentbrain that controls the general running of the Orb. TheOrbautoisconsideredthesameastheArtificialIntelligenceonaspacecraft.TheOrbautocanbeusedasaninforma-tionsourcefor the inhabitantsandnormallyhasanavatarAutomatonthatrepresentsit.

TheOrbautoisverycarefulnottointrudeintopeople’slivesandonlyhas sensorswhere it requires them forcontrollingtheOrb.TheOrbautoisnotallowedtogothroughAscensionandiscappedatArtificialIntelligencePower4(SeeArtificialIntelligenceSection).

tCe orb explhanedA. Space craft less than 2km long can use the RadialTunnelstoentertheatmosphericareaoftheOrb.Itisex-pensivetodosoannormallynotencouraged.B.TheSolargivestheorbadayandnightcycle.Normallyit’ssetto12-14hours.Forclaritythediagramshowsday-timeacrosstheOrbbutinreality,therighthandhalfoftheOrbwouldbeshroudedindarknesshalfthetime.ThesunispoweredcentrallyandhangsonGrav,unsupportedbywires.ItletsoutaSun-likeUVbalancedlight.OrbdwellersoftenproudlydeclarethattwilightanddawnonanOrbismorebeautifulthananyinnature.C.AstheOrbisafullyfunctioningecosystem,italsohascloudslikeanynormalworld.Theatmosphereisregulatedbycarefullycontrolplantsandalgaelocatedundertheseas.Orbscanbesetuptobetemperate,arid,cooloranycombinationofconditions.D.AMexcity.PeopleliveinOrbsmuchlikeanyothercolo-ny.Veryfewpeopleliveanywhereotherthanthesurface.E. Storage and heavy industry is found under the landmass,hugecaverns that stretch formilesareorganisedentirelybyahiveofAutomatonHoppers.F.Crofts.AnOrbhastheadvantageofbeingself-support-ingbygrowingitsownfood.Croftoutputtendstobeveryhigh as the environment can be controlled with greateasecomparedtoaplanet’ssurface.G. Radial Tunnels measuremore than 5km in diameterandconnecttheouterskintotheinneratmosphere.Theyareusedforspacecraftdockinginside,servicecraftandpleasuretrips.H.EveryOrbusesseastohelpregulatetheenvironmentandprovideasourceofsustainablefood intheformofplantsandfish.

I.TheareaunderthesurfaceofthelandmassiscalledtheHull.Thehullisusedforindustrysuchasfactoriesandrawmaterialprocessing.Fewpeopleliveinthisarea.J. The outer Hull is where theOrb generates its power,containsitsgeneratorsandGravsystemstomaintainor-bit.UnlikeOrbitals,Orbshavemillionsof smallergenera-torsandalwaysproducesagreatdealmorepowerthanitneeds.Italsoprovidesaplaceformostspacecrafttodock.K. The Outer Skin is a 20km thick armouredmetal skin,pockmarkedfromyearsofmeteoriteimpactsbuttoughenough to withstand collision with just about anything.Thousandsofhugeirisairlocksallowspacecraftthrough.Orbsaretoolargetohaveshields,sothisthickskinistheonlyprotectionwithspace.

S p a c e T r a v e l

Sincemankindstrodeuprightandgazeduponthenightsky ithaswonderedwhat itwouldbeliketovisitthetin

pin-pricks of light that hung overhead. Space Travel is acommonpartofsocietyalthoughthegeneralpopulacedonotoftenfindtheneedtomoveabout.Spacetraveliseitherarequirementforwork,alifestyleortoprovideachangeofsceneforaholiday.Frivolousplanethoppingisrare.Thein-stabilityofthespace-timecontinuumcausesmanydanger-ousplacescalledspace-timefaults.Mostarechartedandcanbeavoided. Somecanbedetected fromadistance(intimeorspace),otherscomeandgoatsuchspeed,thatthecraftcanbeenvelopedby thembefore theycanbeavoided.

Travellinginspacewillinherentlyinvolveafewcalculations.Tokeepthemsimple,traveloperatesinmultiplesofanhour.Therearemanyfactsandfigurescatteredthroughthissec-tion.Theyarecollatedattheendforeasyreference.

rehdang seCtor mhpsThe Sector maps from Human Occupied Space can befound intheAppendix.ThemapbelowshowsaportionofRemmar.Space iscurvedandnot twodimensional so themapsareanapproximationtoreality.

A section of Remmar Sector map. The full map can be found in the Appendix.

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A.Cluster.Thegreyblobsareclustersandthewhitebetweenthemarenotionallyedgesofthoseclusters.Thedarkerthegrey theCluster is represented in, themore stable star sys-temsithas.

B.NamedCluster.SomeofthemapshavenamedClusters.These named Clusters are described in this book. OnlyAnadarhasafulldescriptionas it is theClusterused intheincludedScavengerSetting.

C.TheZeroLine.TheZeroLineisawhitelinethatrunsdownthecentreofthegalacticarm.Itrepresents0inthegrid.

D.Rim1.Asanexample,thehorizontallineunder‘D’isthefirstlinetowardstheRim.

E.Spinline.Theverticallinesarespinlines,andnumber‘up’fromrighttoleft.Thespinlinesarelabelledalongthebottomofthegraphandarenotshownforsimplicity.

UsingtheGrid

Thegrid isused for findingClusters. Thehorizontal linesarecalledeitherHuborRimlines.ThelinesabovethewhiteZeroLineareHub lines. This isbecause if youcarriedon in thatdirection,youwouldheadtowardthecentreofthegalaxy.

Horizontal linesbelowtheZeroLineareRimlines.This isbe-causeifyouheadedinthatdirection(downthepage),youwouldbeheadingoutofthegalaxy.TheVerticalLinesareSpinLinesandtheynumberrighttoleft.

TolocateaCluster,firstfindthenearesthorizontalHuborRimline. If itsitsbetweentwolines,choosethe linenearesttheZeroLineandcallit‘middle’.Next,youfindthenearestverti-cal Spin lineand if it sits between two, choose the lowestvalueandcallit‘Middle’.

For example, theCluster labelled by ‘A’ sits between Rimlines2and3.AstheverticalSpinlinesarenotnumberedonthisexample,assumeitsSpinlineis23.Therefore,theClusterLocationwouldbe:Rim2Middle,Spin23.

If theCluster sitson theZeroLine, it’scalled“Zero”. If it sitsbetweentheZeroLineandeitherHub1orRim1,itiscalledHub0MiddleorRim0Middle.

ExamplesofNamedClusters

For more examples, here are the grid locations for all ofthe namedClusters. You can find the SectorMaps in theAppendix.TheSectorsareincludedforeasebuttheyarenotrequiredastheSpinlineswillgiveyoutheSectoryouarein.

RemmarSector♦ JunoCluster:Hub1Middle,Spin22♦ TefCluster:Rim5Middle,Spin23♦ Anadar:Hub0Middle,Spin28♦ Corisk:Zero,Spin28♦ ImperialCrescent:Hub2,Spin37

SayshellSector♦ Vitero:Rim4,Spin47♦ Turus:Hub1,Spin41♦ Romar:Hub6,Spin54♦ Niopak:Hub3,Spin54Middle♦ Naggachef:Rim2,Spin56Middle

DorianSector

♦ Akar:Hub4Middle,Spin69Middle♦ Baeleris:Rim2,Spin74

rehdang Cluster mhpsAClustermap shows the locations of systems and spatialfeatureswithinaCluster.Clustermapsarebasedona 20sidedgrid.EachboxontheClustermaprepresentsoneLightJumpunit.Inonehour,youcanmoveuptoasmanysquaresonthismapasyouhaveLightJumponyourspacecraft.Alljumpstakeonehour,neverless.

Clhssafyang sphCeBeforeyoucanexploreit,youneedtoknowwhatyouaredealingwith.Spaceisclassifieddependingonwhatisroundit.Herearethemainclassificationsofspace:

♦ Atmosphere. Not strictly space as such but the firststeponemustmakebeforegettingthere.Atmosphereisclassedasthefirst20kmbetweenthelowestpointonthesurface(sealevel)andspace.♦ LowOrbit.Between20kmand500km is loworbit. Ifacraftisnotatmospherecapable,thenthisisthenearesttothesurfaceitcanget.Mostlargevesselsusethisaltitudefortheloadingandunloadingofcargo,althoughtheex-penseofdoingsoisoftenprohibitive.♦ High Orbit. From 500km to 1000km is known as HighOrbit. This iswhere theOrbitalsexistandwherePoint ToPointLightJumpscanbeperformedfrom.♦ System Space. Within the outermost planet’s orbitaroundastarissystemspace.Inaplacewithfewplanets,theedgeofsystemspacedependsonthegravitationalpullofthestar.♦ DeadSpace.Deadspaceistheareathat isnotgov-ernedgravitationallybyastaroritsplanets;theforcepro-videdbythemistooweaktobeusefultoaGravengine.Mostofspaceisdeadspace.

Jobs an sphCeTravellersareoftengroupedby the job that theyperform.Most regular travellers throughspaceoperateaspartofacrewonastarcraft.Although theparticular jobsoneachcraftarevaried-frommedicthroughtopilot-thecrewarenormallyclassifiedbythejobthattheshipdoes.Afewexam-plesofthesetasksaregivenbelow.

Imperial

TheImperiumhas2separatefleets.ThelargestFleetisoper-atedbytheStarEnforcersandisusedbyStarEnforcers,StarCivilisationand Star Science. Thecraftaremostly used forchasingcriminalsandfordealingwithPirates.NotalloftheEnforcerfleet iswellarmedandareamixofpurposebuiltandconvertedciviliancraft.Theotherfleet,TheStarFleet,ispurposebuiltandcreatedfromtheverybesttechnologytheImperiumhastooffer.ThecrewsaretheverybestbecausethejoboftheStarFleetistoprotecthumanityfromtheraceoftheDroids.

Trade

Inthiscase,thetermTradeisaverybroadone.Acraftthatmovesany item fromA to B is considereda tradeone.Atradevesselcarriesfreight(rawmaterialsortech)orpassen-gers.Typically,adepictsthetypeofcargoitcaries.Forex-ample:Orefreighterstendtobelargeanddirty,withlarge

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industrial automaton equipment. Tech traders tend to besmaller,hightechcraft!Thedynamicsofspacetrade itselfisdealtwithlater.

Courier

AcouriertakesanitemfromAtoB.Theyaremoreexpen-sivethantradersbutgiveamorepersonalisedhand-to-handservice:importantforexpensiveorpersonalitems.Acourierisa regular space travellerandwillbuildupaclienteleofcorporateandnon-corporatecustomers. Excellent servicewillbuildagoodnameandthis isessentialforasuccessfulcourier.

DeepSpaceScavengerCrew

Therearebillionsoftonnesofabandonedtreasure,andjunkworthmoney.ADeepSpaceScavenger’s(Scavengers)jobis to find, repair and return for sale. Seenas the lowest ofthelowwhenitcomestoshipcrews,Scavengersspendtheirtimeindangerouswrecks,huntingoutcargoandobjectsofvalue.Withinthesefloatingshipwreckscouldbeanymannerofdangers,fromtrapsriggedbyparanoidcrewmembersonleavingthewrecktootherScavengerteams.

Cost of sphCe trhvelSpace Travel is cheapandavailable to themasses. Therearenearlyalwaysspacecraftberthsavailable,although itcanbedifficult findinga spacecraftonadirect route. Inmost cases, the traveller will change at a large terminus.Costsoftraveldochangewithlocation,thenumbersgivenhereareforatypicalcolony.

BuyingyourownSpaceCraft

BrandnewspacecraftareveryexpensiveandtheImperiumhasoutlawedloans.Howyougetholdofaspacecraftde-pendsonwhatit isgoingtobeusedfor.Themostpopularwaysofgettingholdofaspacecraftare(mostexpensivefirst):

♦ Buynewfromthemanufacturer.SpaceCraftcancostmillions,sothis isonly for largecorporationsor thesuperrich.♦ Buyingsecondhandfromacorporation.Spacecraftare still expensive (about 50%)of thenewpricebut forsmallcorporations,thisisoftenthebestway.♦ OperateaSpaceCraft fora TradeCompany. TradeCompaniesloanspacecrafttocrewsandrequireamini-mumamountofreturneachmonth.Thebetterthecraftonloan,themorereturnrequired.♦ Buyajunker.Thebestentrylevelspacecraftisanoldrefurbishedjunker.Thesespacecraftcomewithonlythebasicsbutcanbebought foras littleas25k.Ofcourse,youmightspendalotoftimerepairingthejunkeranditwillnotbeasfastasanewcraftbutitwillgetyouabout.

tCe sthrbusTheStarbusapublictransportnetworkthatconnectsmajorsystemsandclusters together. It actsas slow, reliableandcheaptransportationthroughthevoid.Starbusesarehugespacecraft thataremore likepermanentlymovingvillag-es than space craft. As such the Starbus self-organises bywealthwiththerichandpoorbeingentertainedindifferentareas.TheStarbusissolargethattheynevergodowntothesurfaceoftheplanetbutinsteadareservedbyPitliftershuttlecraft(manyhavetheirown).

Every Starbus has a limited number of berths that are setaside for free travel. Thebirths are communal andcrampbuttheatmosphereisfunandfree.YoumayonlystayinaCommunalberthfor1monthatthemost.

TheStarbusalsocarriescargobutittendstobethepersonalitemsownedby

StarbusNaturals

StarbusNaturals is thenamegiven topeoplewhoperma-nentlystayonaStarbus,usingitasameanstoseetheGalaxy.AStarbus’srouteoftenrarelycirclesbackonthesamesys-tem,itisagoodwaytoseelotsofdifferentplaces.Naturalsareconsideredpartofthecrewandfamily,althoughtheyservenofunctionbuttopaytheirway.

CostsandDurations

TheStarbusisagreatdealslowerthancharteringyourownspace craft. The table below shows the costs and dura-tions for different berths on the Starbus.Communal berthsarefreeandcramps,asingleroomsleepsjustoneperson,asuiteismuchlargerandcansleepupto4-withasqueeze.Planetarytravelisbetweenplanetorbits,OrbsandOrbitals.System travel is between two systems in the same cluster.Clustertravelisbetweentwoclusters.IntersectortravelisnotlistedbecausetheStarbuswouldtakemanymonthstocrossintoanotherSector.IfyouwanttochangeSector,yourbestbetistocharter.Alltimesandcosts inthetablebelowareapproximate.

Starbus Costs and Durations

Berthtype Distance Duration CostCommunal Upto1

monthFree

Smallroom Planetary 1day 200cSuite Planetary 1day 1500cSmallroom System 4days 1000cSuite System 4days 12000cSmallroom Cluster 10days 2000cSuite Cluster 10days 20000cCargo 1day 100per

day.

sphCeflagCt typesFasterthanlighttravelhasbeenagoalofthehumanracesincethelawsofphysicsmadethespeedoflightabound-ary.Innormalspace,itisaboundarybutthereismoretothespace-timecontinuumthan justnormal space.This sectionwillstayasfreefromscienceaspossible,furtherdescriptionscanbegainedfromtheevercompletetechnologysection.Everytrans-lightvehicle isgivena lightspeed.Thisspeedisthenumberofboxesonaclustermapthecraftcangoin1hour.Aclusterisapproximately20squaresindiameter.Usethisaruleofthumbforunknownclustersortheactualclusterpicturesforuse.

Grav

When travelling between ground, space and betweenplanets in a system, Grav is used. Grav works by ‘surfing’down thewaves created by celestial objects (stars, plan-etsandmoons).WithGrav,ittakesapproximately1hourto

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travelbetweenplanets,10minutesbetweenaplanetandamoon. These figuresare ship-independentas thewavesthattheGravsurfsonarethesameforallthedifferentcraft.Thetimefromloworbittoplanet(orviceversa)dependsonthepoweroftheGravengineandvariesfromshiptoship.It’snormallyabout4hours.ThetimebetweenLowandHighOrbitissmallandthuscanbeignored.

Gravsuffers fromzerogravitydeficiency.Thismeansthat iftheGravengineisinaplacewherethegravitiesofobjectsarounditcancelout.ThisdeadzoneisrareandisunlikelytolastforverylongbutwillcausetheGravshiptobestranded.

LightJump

A Light Jump is a method of traversing a huge distanceofspace inafixedamountoftime.A jumplastsonehour.Attheendofwhich,youcanjumpagain.Thejumpis inastraightline(thereisnosuchthingasastraightlineasspaceis curved, but simplified for ease here). All jumps last onehour, thefaster theship is, thefurtheryougo.However,alljumpsareonehour. This isbecause the ship takesmostofthishourtoaccelerateandthemajorpartofthetravellingisdoneinthelasttenseconds.Thus,ifashipcangoat20andneedsonlytojump10,itwillstilltakeanhour.Allofthecal-culationsrequiredtocoverlongdistancesareperformedbyanAIandthusthecrewoftheshipcanrestorperformothertaskswhilethevesselisintransit.

ForaLightJumpenginetoformabubbleinwhichtojump,itneedstobeinagravitationallow.Thismeansawayfromanysystemorlargecelestialobjectsandclearofothercraft(by1minute).1houroutsideofsystemspaceistypical.Thus,aLightJumpcanonlybeperformedindeadspace.

Light Jumps are susceptible to space-time faults. A ship islikelytocomeoutofjumpimmediatelywhenencounteringone-requiringthevesseltomakeanotherjump.Itisuncom-monthatanydamagewillbedonetotheLightJumpEngineunlessitisoldoralreadydamaged.

PointtoPointLightJump

The original light jump engine design is millennia old. ThePointtoPointLightJumpengine(PTP)takessensorinforma-tion,animprovedstarchartandmoreaccurateengineforprecisejumps.ThePTPisverymuchlikeitsoldvariant,exceptfortwomajorpoints:

1.PTPcanbegina jump fromhighorbit,as longas it isclearofanyOrbitals(givenpermission).2. PTP can enda jumpwithin system spaceof anothersystembutmaynotjumpstraightintohighorbit.

PTPrequiresmorepower,andcannotbefittedonverylargecraft.ForlargecraftwithPTP,theengineandgeneratorsforittakeupmostofthevessel.PTPismostlyfoundinsmallex-ecutiveandchartervessels(asmightbeusedbycouriersinahurry).PTPisalsofourtimesasexpensiveandnoteasytorepair(HARDonSpaceCraftSystems).Thisisnotsomuchthefutureofspacetravel,moreofanalternativepresent.

CurveSurfEngine

Rumouredtobe inventedbyanumberof roguescientists,thecurvesurfenginehasunofficiallybeenusedbytheStarFleetforafewthousandsofyears.CurveSurfisatechnologymore likeGrav than light jumping. LikeGrav, it surfs downthegravitysuppliedbycelestialobjects,itdoesthisbeyondthespeedoflight.Becauseofthegradualaccelerationof-

feredbythissurfing,thelightjumpbubblecanbekeptopenindefinitely.AvesselusingCurveSurfcanalsochangedirec-tioninmidjump.

As curve surf has amore accurate sensor pack and canchangedirection, it is less susceptible to time-spacefaults.Also, Curve Surfing can begin from anywhere in SystemSpace.

ThelargestdifferencebetweenCurveSurfandtypicalLightJumpEnginesisthatthespeedofCurveSurfdependsonthepilot.InLightJumpEngines,itdoesnotmatterwhatpartofspaceyou’reflyingthrough,thedistanceyoutravelgiveninonehourhasamaximum.CurveSurfdependsontheabil-ityof thepilot to intelligentplot routes through space. ThiscanbeachievedbyanAI,but thenuancesof spaceanhumanflairwillalwaysachievebetterresults.Thus,foreachshipequippedwithCurveSurf,twolightjumpspeedarepro-vided:oneifaPilotCruiserskillcheckissuccessfulandoneifitisnot.

Forexample:TheGaterunnerisequippedwithtwoengines,aCurveSurf(CS)andaPointtoPoint(PTP).Youcanchoosetouseeither.Theyarelistedas:CS:8,16/PTP:12.UsethePTPandyougo12.However,ifyouusetheCurveSurfandpassyourskillcheck,youcango16!Orifyoufail,youonlygoat8.

CurveSurfisextremelyrareandexpensive.ItisnotpossibletobuyavesselwithCurveSurfequippedaslittleisknownaboutitsoperation.Thus,mostenginesarecreatedspecificallyforavesselandthatvesselislikelytohaveaverypowerfulsetofgeneratorsindeed.

typaChl Crhft systemsSpacecraftvaryintechnologywidelyfromthebasicfreight-ertothemostexpensiveexecutivecruiser.Therearesomebasicsystemsthatarefoundonmostcraft.Moretechnicaldetailcanbefoundinthetechnologysection,thisisjusttogiveageneraloverview.

Typical Craft Systems

System DescriptionHull Abletowithstandtheshockofmeteor

collisions.Generators Hugepowersourcesfromwhichall

poweronthecraftderives.Spacecraftdonotusefuel,alltheirpowercomesfromtheGenerators.

LifeSupport Airandfoodprocessingforindefinitesurvival(theyhavetheirowngenera-tors).

GravEngines EnginesusetheGravityofnearbyob-jectstomovearound.AGravengineisusedforsub-lighttravelbetweenplan-etsinasystem.

LightJumpEngines

Enginesusedformovingbetweensys-temsandclusters.

EnergyWeb Thepowerdistributionsystemaroundthecraft.

Sensors Mostlyusedfordetectionofcollisionsandforavoidingspace-timefaults.

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GravFieldGenerator

Createsanartificialgravityontheship.Canbelocalisedtoallowanysurfacetobewalkedon.

GravLock Adeviceforkeepingtheatmosphere‘in’wherethehullhasholes(airlocksandbreeches).

Shields Anenergybaseddefencethatcanbeturnedonandoff.Invisibletothehu-maneye.

CargoBay Aspaceforstackingcrates.

dhngers an sphCeSpaceisadangerousplace.It’snowonderthatmostofthehumanpopulationprefertostayput.Mostoftheproblemsthatoccurinspacearemoreofanirritation(costlytothosewhousespaceforbusiness)thanarisktolife.Itis,however,unpredictable.Thissectiondealswithsomeoftheproblemsthatcanoccur,theyareeitherspace-timefaultsornot.

QuantumSingularities

Aquantumsingularity is thescientificnamegiventothingsthatare inexplicable, unpredictableand really quitedan-gerous.Theycanarisewithoutwarning,bedifficulttosenseandcanhaveanumberofeffectsonastarcraft:

♦ Dropoutof light jump.Canbecausedby the singu-laritydrainingpowerfromthegeneratorsmomentarilyorsimilarenergy‘blip’.♦ Incorrect Sensor Readings. Either echoes from timespastorreversedsensorinformationisanotheroftenoccur-rencewithsingularities.Thesensorinformationofaplanetmaymomentarilypopup inthepathofship(causingadropoutoflightjump).♦ Weirdness. Alterations in gravity on ship, atmosphereconditionsorthebiologicalstateofthecrewareallpartofdeepspaceweirdness.♦ Total EnergyShutDown.Perhaps theworst-case sce-nario, this would involve the main generators shuttingdowncompletely.Restartinggeneratorscanoften takedays.

WormHoles

Thesearetunnelsthatconnectdifferentplacesinthespace-timecontinuum.Theyexistforspacesoftimeandarethengone.Somedore-occur,butthosearenotdangerous:theyare listedamongst thestarchartsasavoids. Ifa light jumptakesacraft throughaworm-holethenthepositionofthecraftinspaceandtimecanbesomewhatrandom.Thereisa50/50chancethataLightJumpEnginewillcomeoutoflightjumpbeforeenteringtheworm-hole,inthiscase,itcanbeavoided.

Wormholesarenottobeentered,theyareextremelydan-gerousandacraftmustbespeciallydesignedtocopewiththehugepressuresandenergyfluxwithinthetunnel.

EnergyRipples

Whenacelestialeventoccurs(suchasastarexploding-asupernova)thenahugesphereofripplesspreadsout,leav-ing very little where the star oncewas.When this occurs,hugeripplesofenergyarelefttravelling,gettingweakerastheyspread.However,thereareareaswheretheymaygainenergyandwhenthisoccurstheycanbecomedangerous

oncemore.

Theleastaripplewilldoisdropacraftoutoflightjump.Withmorepowerfulripples,theshipmaybepushoffcourseanddamagedaswell. Theworstanenergy ripplecando is tocarrytheshipthroughthelightjumpnetintothelonesystemsandcrippleit.

AsteroidFields

When celestial objects explode, they leave debris. Unlessthereissomesortofagravitationalfieldtodothis,theywillremain in ringsandspheres. Inmostareasof space, thesearecharted,buttheycanmoveandthedetonationofstarscancausetheirsatellitestobecomeasteroidfields.

Theworstafieldcandoisdropthecraftoutoflightjump.Ifthefieldislargeenoughtododamagetothevessel,thenitwillbedetectedearlyon.

Super-DenseNebulae

Anebulaisahugecloudofgas.Mostnebulaeareharmless,themajorbodieswithin itmappedout such that travellersmaynothaveacollision.Densenebulaearemoredanger-ous as they hold stars being born. The energy involved insuchaprocesscancauseenergyripples(seeabove).

Astrofailure

Thisisthenamegiventoanyfaultorfailurewithinthecraft.Thiscanoccurofveryoldvessels.MostvehicleshaveanAIwhichcanscanforproblemswithintheship.However, thedifficultyisnotalwaysdetectingtheproblem,butsolvingit.

Totalenergylossistheworsecasescenario.Ifthegeneratorsshutdownthenthereisnopowertogoanywhereandhelpmustbesummoned.

GravityNulls

AGravitynullisapointinspacewherethegravitypullofsur-roundingstarscancelout.ThisisaproblemforGravenginesandLightJumpenginesbecausetheyallrequireaGravitysourcetopushorpullagainst.

Ifyoufindyourselfinagravitynull,youcouldbestuckthereforminutes,hours,daysoryears.Gravitynullscanbebothpredictable (listed in Starchartsandavoided)andunpre-dictable.Theycanpulseonandoffandsomeareevenusedbypirates,wholieinwaitforaspacecrafttocometoahalt.

Pirates

Rare in Dorian, uncommon in Remmar and impossibly un-likely inSayshell,piratesarethosepeoplewitharmedcraftthatattackothercraft.DependingontheirmotivesandtheCaptain,thepiratesmayjusttakethecargoormurderthecrewaswell.Theynormallychoosesofttargets(orthosethatlook soft).Most pirates arewell organised and educated,researching their targetsandfinding fences for theknowncargobeforeattacking. It isoften thought thatPiratesareamongstthebest-trainedshipcrews.

tCe dynhmaCs of trhdeTradeisthemovementofresourcesfromonesystemtoan-otherformoneyandhappensforthreereasons.

Firstly, trade occurs because a system requires a certainresource to continue operating. For example, a sub-sur-face colony may need a supply of oxygen. This is calledanobliged trade route. Failure tocomplete this routecan

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meanafineandevenabanningofspacecraftuse.Often,ifthetraderoutedoesnotappearprofitableenough,thenthecouncilswilladdasubsidy;afterall, thewelfareofthesystemisatstake.

Secondly, a trade route may exist between two planetswherethereismutualbenefit.Inonedirectiontheremaybeflowoffoodandwaterfromaninhabitedplanetandintheotherdirection technology fromaplanet strongonmanu-facture.Theseroutesarecontrolledbythecouncilsontheplanetsandaresoldtoparticulartraderstooperatethem.Nooneelsemayrunthatcargoonthatrouteunlessthereisagreaterrequirement.Thisiscalledasecuredtraderoute.

Finally, a trade routebetween two systemswhere there isprofit to be had. This is amore traditional route and theymakeup50%ofthetotalnumberofroutes.Thesearecalledfreetraderoutes.

sphCe trhvel fhCts hnd fagures♦ ALightJumptakes1Hour.♦ Aship’s light jumpspeedgives thenumberofclustersquarestravelledinasinglejump.♦ Aclustercanbeconsideredtobe20cluster squaresacross.♦ Acraftmustbe1houroutsidethesystem(outermostplanet)beforeitcanlightjump.♦ OnGrav,ittakes1hourtotravelbetweenplanets.♦ OnGrav,ittakes10minutestotravelbetweenaplanetandamoon.♦ Unless otherwise stated by the spacecraft sheet, ittakes4hourstogofromLowOrbittotheplanetsurface.♦ FromLow toHighOrbit takesavery smallamountoftimeandcanbeignored.

G a i a

ThenameGaiausedtoreferto‘MotherEarth’,amysticalbeing that protected the human race’s original home,

Earth.SuchromanticmysticismhaslongsincediedandGaiaisnowknownasthecomputernetworkthatthehumanraceusestocommunicate.

CreatedduringtheDroidwar,Gaia isahugevirtualworldthatmimicstherealworldaswellasthecreatorswillletit.Asthetechnologywascreatedafterthewarhadstarted,theDroidscannotuseit.ItexistswithinImperiumspace,outsideofwhich there is noGaiaat all. A detaileddescription ofGaiaisincludedintheTechnologysection.Abriefoverviewforthecasualuserisincludedhere.

Internet and Gaia Comparison

21stCentury 923rdCenturyComputer RayengineMemorystickwithpro-gramsandpersonalinfor-mation

GaiaCard

OnlineshopGaiaVolume,a3Dthatrepresentstherealworldversion.

Gaiacanbeaccessed for freebyanyone. Therearemil-lionsofcylindricalpublicterminalsoneveryhumansystem.UponsteppingintoaGaiaterminal,thepersonisstandinginthesameterminal,butinavirtualworld.Fromthere,theusercannavigatearound -visiting theGaia representationsoftherealworldbutanywhereintheImperiumwithoutphysi-callymoving location. In largecities, these representationsare likely tobeaccurateormore impressive than the realworldcounterparts.AnythingthathasaGaiachipappearsonGaia,theshapeoftherealworldobjecthard-wiredintotheGaiaversion(withoneexception-thehand-heldtermi-nal.Seebelow).ItischicfortheGaiaversionofaplacetolookexactlyliketherealworld.ThisisknownaspassiveGaiaandishowthemajorityofpeopleuseit-tointeractontheverybasicleveltowatchnews,buyproducts(byexchang-ingmoney),watchPlanetballandthelike.PeoplecanseeyouonGaia-youlookexactlylikeyoudointherealworld.

Example: Tocommunicatewith someone,you step intoaterminalandnavigatetowheretheylive.Youcanthenleaveamessageontheirterminal,iftheyarenotthere.IftheyhaveaGaiacard,itcanbeeasiertofindthemastheGaiacardmaybewatchingtheterminalandwillletyouknowwheretheyare.Iftheyarethere,youcanthenhaveaface-to-faceconversationwiththemintheirsurround-ings.Nobodylanguageislostandonemightbeleadtothinkthattheconversationwashadintherealworld.

Therearealsohand-heldterminals(calledtanked),buttheyarenotaseffectiveastheroomterminals(calledimmersive)astheydonotsurroundyou.Atankedterminalanimatesaslightlysee-through3DimageofwhatyouwouldseewithinaGaia room.Sight, touchandsoundarestill includedbutthefeelingsofmotionandsmellarelost.Theyareusefulforchecking the scores of your favourite sport or for makingquickcallswheretherearenootherterminals.

Active Gaia requires the ownership of an expensiveGaiacard (10k credits). With a Gaiacard, comes a virtualtool kit calledaGaiajack. Also, on this card is a personalidentificationpersonacalledanIsis.ThisIsisisrepresentedasashape.YoumayhaveanIsisthatlooksdifferenttoyourself(suchasaDragonorgiantrobot)althoughit isnotchictodoso.AGaiajackalsoallowsyoutohaveyourownsetofcontrols,suchaspersonaliseddrivingcontrolsforyourcarorasetofhackingtoolsforgettingintootherpeople’ssystems.Mostpeoplemakedowithoutone, though.A fewpeoplehavetheterminalandGaiacardinstalledintheirhead(seeBionics,inEquipment).ThismakesthemverypowerfulGaiausers.Oneof theGaiacardtoolsof interest is theability tolockaterminal.

psyCCologaChl effeCtsAGaia terminal reproduces realityperfectly: sights, forces,smellsandsoundsarenotdifferentiablefromtherealworld.TheAIcontrollingtheterminalwillnotletharmcometoyou.TheonlythingthatstopsyoufrombelievingthatyouareinrealityisapsychologicaleffectcalledRealityGravity.Thisisafeelingthatsomething isnotentirely right. Itcanbesup-pressedforafewdays,butafter that it isclear thatsome-thing isnot right. Thereare thosepeople thatbelieve thatGaia ismore real than the realworld - often leaving theirbodiestorotintherealworldastheyexperienceamassive

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galaxyofsoapoperas,shopping,otherpeople,news,fea-tures,historydocumentariesandmore.

Chrd lagCtThetechnologythatallowspeopletointeractwiththisvirtualworldiscalledHardLight.HardLightisatechnologywhereahologramcanapplyaforce.Thereisalimittohowmuchforceitcanapplybutthesecomplexobjectscanbeusedtofoolthesenses.AHardLighttablecanbemadetofeellikewood,glassoranything.BeinginGaia,thelawsofphys-icsneedtobeobeyedbutthetablecanbemadetoactastheartistwants.HardLightobjectscanexistinGaiaroomsorwithintheprojectionsphereofaTankedterminal.Theactoftheseobjectsappearingiscalled”rezzing”.

HardLightobjectscanbeGenericorUnique.AGenericob-jectmaybecopiedwithinGaiabutaUniqueobject isex-actlythat-nocopiesmaybemade.

Likeanypieceof art, the cost of a Hard Light object de-pendsontheartist,itsrarity,itscomplexityandfashion.Unlikerealworldobjects, theycanbecarriedonanyGaiacard,andrezzedanywhere.Inthisway,peoplecancarryalltheirhomefurniturearoundwiththemontheirGaiacard,literallytakingtheirhomeswiththem.HardLightobjectsareboughtandsoldacrossGaia.

MostroomswithinthemoremoderncoloniesareimmersiveGaia rooms: living rooms,bedrooms, cafes,medical facili-tiesandshops.ThefurnitureoftheseroomsareallHardLightobjects.

entataes AGaiaEntity isaprogramthat runs inGaia.AnEntity isaHardLightobjecttoobutunlikesimpleobjects(tables,chairsetc.) theyareautonomousprograms. Toown Entities, youmustownaGaiacard to store themonand fire themoff.Once they have moved off the Gaiacard they are freeroamingacrossGaiaandindependent.

ThemostpopularofalltheEntities(andagoodexample)isthesearchEntity,thatrunsaroundthepublicspacesofGaiafindingout informationgivensomesearchcriteria.Once ithassomeinformation,itreturnstowhereitwasset(oraroundalistofplaces,lookingfortheIsisoftheowner).

tCe nexusThe Nexus is the name given to the Imperial ArtificialIntelligence.TheNexusisthecentrallocationforallImperialinformation and is used by all of the Star Industries andImperialcouncils.

The Nexus performs three roles. First, it is an automaticallycross-referencingstoreofdata.Any information that is fedintotheNexusremainsthereanditisverydifficulttoremoveit.

Secondly,theNexus isaverypowerful informationretrievaltool.ThisistheprimaryfunctionoftheAI.AnImperialopera-tivecanaskquestionsof theNexusanda reasoned replycanbegiven.ByhavingaquestionandanswersessionwiththeAI, new connections between data (that requires theabstractionofhumanthought tomake)canbeforged. Inthisway,theNexuslearnsfromthehumansthatuseit.

Notall information isavailable toeveryone.SomepartsoftheNexushaverestrictedaccessdependingonthesensitiv-

ityoftheinformationandwhoplacedit inthere.DetailsofStarSciexperiments,criminalrecords,StarFleetbattleordersandImperiumLawreviewsareplacedintheirrespectivear-eas.

ThepublicareasoftheNexusarewellfrequentedbythoselooking for the latest scientificdevelopments,newsonga-lacticeconomictrendsandthoserequestinghelpwithanymatter.

TheNexuspersonallytakesoffencetohackersandwillau-tomaticallyhuntdownanddestroyany Isis that it feelshasrepresentedathreat.

underghahTheUndergaiaistheillegalsideofGaia.Hiddeninthecor-nersofGaiathathavenotbeeninhabitedbyanyoneelseare the Isis and tools of those who avoid normal society.ThevirtualworldofGaiaisnotcompleteandintheplaceswherethedesignershavenotyetfilleditwithdetailexiststheUndergaia.TheUndergaiaisnotasingleplace,it’sacollec-tionofplacesacrossthevirtualworld.

The Undergaia began as secret meeting places for ex-changing thoughts, rumour and information useful forthoseengaged in illegalactivities. Inmodern times, it is somuchmore. The Isis belonging tocriminals hideout in theUndergaia, using it asa safeplace to start off their illegalEntitiesthatoftenpassoutintotherestofGaia.

The Undergaia persists due to the huge market in stolenuniqueEntitiesandmoresimpleGaiaobjects.

OnewayinwhichtheUndergaiamanagedtoavoidbeingusedby theEnforcersasan inroad into theCriminalworldisbyflooding theUndergaia informationcentreswith falseinformation.Unlessyouknowhowtomovethroughtheenor-mousamountofmisinformationtotherealinformation(theHackingskillcanbeusedwithResearchtoperformthisfunc-tion)thenitcanbedifficulttofindaccurateanswerstoyourquestions.

AccessingtheUndergaia

TheUndergaiacanbeaccessedbypassingaHackingSkillcheck. Foreach thing that theplayercharacter is lookingfor, a rollmust bemade. This is because theUndergaia ismadeupof lotsofdifferent locations,accessingoneareamightyieldtwoorthreethingsthatthePlayer is lookingforbut it’sunlikely toprovidemore. It isnotpossible to ‘book-mark’locationsintheUndergaiabecauseit’snotwisetousethesameareas.Therearesomecachesofinformationandobjectsbuttheytendtobecloselyguardedsecretsanden-tryintothoselocationsareheavilyguarded.

Iftheteamdoesnothaveanyonewiththehackingskill,thenthey must attempt to find someone who can access theUndergaiaeitherbyusingcontactsorbysearchingnormalGaiaforpeopleofferinggenericGaiaservices.

ChCkangNosystemisperfectandthatcancertainlybesaidforGaia.It is possible to create Entities that exploit imperfections inGaiaandsogainaccesstoareasthatareotherwisehiddenfromthepublicview.FormoreinformationonHacking,seetheElementssection.

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enforCer asasWhere there is crime, thereare Star Enforcers andGaia isnoexception.TheStarEnforcersareforever lookingforthesamekinksintheUndergaiathatpeoplewishingtouseit.TheEntitiesthattheStarEnforcerIsisuseareverypowerfulandsoitisadvisabletoremainwellclearofEnforcerIsis.

EnforcerIsisarenotnormallyusedforsimplyhackingintotheUndergaia for informationbut insteadused in conjunctionwithrealworldoperations,providingdataandsupport.

Example:IftheStarEnforcersareplanningaraid,thentheEnforcerEntitiesmaybeusedtoturnoffthelights,dropfiredoorsorfreezetheliftstomakeescapemoredifficult.ThisisseenasamuchbetteruseofEnforcertimeashourscanbespenthackingintotheUndergaiaandsiftingthroughmisinformationwithoutanyresult.

A u t o m a t o n s

Perhaps the least popular technology, Automatons arerobots that perform functions that are normally attrib-

uted tohumans.An importantdistinction shouldbemadebetweenrobots,DroidsandAutomatonsatthispoint.Aro-bot isanautonomousdevice thatcanperformanumberoffunctions.Thetermrobot isusedtorefertogenericma-chines.DroidsareatypeofArtificially Intelligentrobotthataredesignedtodestroy.

AnAutomatonisanArtificiallyIntelligentrobotthathasbeenhard-coded with laws serve to protect the human race.Furthermore,modernAutosareprogrammedusingtheGaiaII systemandare therefore impervious to the reprogram-mingattemptsofDroids.

ClhssesAutomatonscanbebroadlysplitintoclasses.TheclasscanindicatethetypesofjobthattheAutomatonwasdesignedfor.Quite often an automaton is used for a job that theywerenotdesignedforbutmanagetodothetaskjustaswell.

♦ Humanoid.ThemostcommonofAutomaton.Humaninshapeandappearance, theyareoftencreatedwithunique personalities. To the human eye and touch, aHumanoid Automaton is indistinguishable from anotherhuman.♦ Utility. TheseAutomatonsareused in industryagreatdeal. Their form is normally an exaggerated humanoidandtheyquiteoftentaketheshapeofIndustrialBorgs.♦ Singular.ThisAutomatonisnormallyconstructedforasinglepurposeandisnotusedformuchelse.Agoodex-ampleofthisisanAutomatonthatisusedtomovespacecratesaround.Thesearecalled‘Hoppers’.

JobsAutomatonsperformmanyofthemenialtasksthathumansdo.Theirformisoftenderivedfromthisshape.Forexample,most Automatonsworkingwithin humancolonies are aes-thetically indistinguishablefromhumans.Theyworkinahu-manworldandinteractwithhumansandsoareconstruct-edbythem.However,Automatonsthatworkinminesoronconstructionsiteshavemetalskinsandarecreatedforthatpurpose.Otherjobsinclude:

♦ Corporatereceptionist♦ Corporatepersonalassistant♦ Buildingcleaner♦ Constructionworker♦ Heavylifter♦ Cratemover(calledaHopper)♦ Customersalesstaff♦ Housekeeper♦ Nanny♦ Prostitute

hrtafaCahl antellagenCe powerArtificial Intelligence Power is Wit for Automatons and allothermachines.ThescaleofAIisbetween0and10.AnAIPowerof0wouldbetypicalmachinesfromthe20thCenturyand a Power of 10 would be near enough to humans tomakeitverydifficulttotellthedifference.

AI Power also suggests the number of skills that theAutomatoncanbeexpertat.Thisisnotahard-and-fastruleas older Automatons will have picked upmore skills thanyoungerones.

Growth

Artificial Intelligencesgrowover timewith theexperiencestheyhave.Themorevariedandintensetheexperience,thequickertheygrow.In20yearsamachineofAIPower1canreach4or5ifcrewonastarcraft.

Ascension

Ascension istheprocessofanAutomatongrowingfromAIPower5(Skilled)toAIPower(Empathic).AscensionisabigdealfromthePointofViewoftheAutomatonasitisthefirststepawayfrommachinetowardstheindividual.TheactofmovingfromPower5to6iscalledAscension.SeethelaterSectionformoreonAscension.

Capping

AI Powercanbegivenanupper limit orCapped inmostAutomatonsbutseldomare.Youwouldn’twantyourminingAutomatontobecomeinterestedinmusicandhumanemo-tion,soyoumightcapitat4.MostArtificialIntelligencesthathuman rely uponwith their lives (suchas spacecraft)arecappedatlevel5tostopthemfromAscending.

0.Unintelligent

Amachinethatdoesnotexhibitanyintelligenceandsodoesnotneedtoconformtothethreelawstoprotectmankind.Thesedevicesarepartiallyautonomousbutrelyheavilyonhumaninput.Anexamplewouldbeacoffeemachineoranatmosphericprocessor.Theyarecreatedtodoasetnumberoftasks-whichmaybemathematicallycomplexbuteasyforamachinetodo.Allmachinesinthe20thCenturyareAIPower0.MachinesofAIPower0donotgrow.

1.Simplemachine

Performstasksasaskedbyahuman.Cancommunicateus-ing simple language, talkandperformsimple tasks. TheAIwill treat language literally andcan’t understand humour,sarcasm or human emotions. Typical jobs would includecouriersorhaulercrewmembers.AutomatonHoppersarecappedatAIPower1.

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2.Communicator

Amuchbettercommunicator,canperformcomplex taskswithlesspromptingandguidance.However,reasoningandhuman empathy leaves a lot to be desired. Typical jobswouldbeanywherewherecommunicationwithahumanisimportant.Thiswouldincludepersonalassistants.

3.CommonSense

ThisisthemostpopularformofAutomatonasithasalimitedamount of worldly knowledge that would represent com-monsense.TheseAutomatonsmakeexcellentpersonalas-sistants,orskilledworkersinofficebuildings.Normallytheskillsetistoolimitedtoworkinspacecraft.

4.Skilled

Amoreskilled formofAutomaton,whichcan formacon-nectionbetweencommonsenseandknownskills.TheskilledAutomaton can be found doing technical jobs such asspacecraftcreworamedicalassistant.

5.ProblemSolver

A problem solver can use learnt knowledge to help findproblems.Unfortunately,thesesolutionsarerarelyprovidedin a manner in which humans might appreciate and anAutomatonwith thisabilitymightappear tobebrusqueorrude.Thejudgementsareoftendevoidofanyappreciationofhumanemotion.SpaceCraftandmostvehiclesareusu-allycappedatLevel5.

6.Empathic

Theabilitytopredictsomehumanemotionandunderstandsomeofwhatahuman isgoingthrough.AutomatonswithEmpathyarehighindemandincolonialmattersastheytendto usea human-likemethodof solvingproblems -withouthurting people’s feelings. Empathic Automatons are ableto takeon taskswhichareoften left tohumanity, suchasMedicineorSurgery.MedicsarenormallyCappedatPower6.

7.Individual

The Automaton begins forming a purpose of individuality.Theyare likely to remainwiththeirowners,notonlyduetothe lawsbutadesire tobepartof something, rather thanjust an individual. Automatonswith this levelwill start hav-ing individual ideas on music, art and philosophy and sowillbegintogainanappreciationforthem,evencreatingnewworks.AmuralcreatedbyanAutomatonofthis levelwouldbeunique, rather thanamuralcreatedbya lowerlevel,whichmightlookphotorealisticbutwoulddefinitelybetheproductofaprogrammedroutine.Itisatthispointthatmany pro-automatons people believeAutomatons shouldbefree.TheAutomatonwillalsodevelopasenseofhumouraroundthistime.

8.Abstractive

Abstraction istheabilitytoapplyexperience, learningandpersonalitytosomethingthathaslittleform.Agoodexam-pleissuggestingwhatshapeacloudmightbe.Thisisadif-ficultthingforamachinetodo(withoutrandomlypicking)anditmakestheAutomatonamuchbetterproblemsolver.Automatons quite often become introverted at this leveland are often Capped before this level (see below). TheAutomatonmayappearerraticandalthoughtoldtodoajob,individualityandlateralthinkingmaymeanthetaskwill

beperformedinastrangeway.Therearen’tverymanyjobsthatanAbstractiveAutomatoncanreallydoexceptapplythemselvesasa family friendor (often frustrating) tutor forteenagers.

9.Cogniscent

ACogniscent Automaton is a very powerful one. The lat-eralthinkingoftheAbstractiveAutomatonbutwithanap-preciationof selfandselfworth.ACogniscentAutomatonunderstands what it is to be alive and will want to havepurpose in the world. They tend to become inspirationalcharacters,makinguseofawealthofknowledgethroughtheirinterestinglivestooffersolutionstoproblems.Theseareheavily sought after Automatons and often make advis-ers toColonialCouncillors. NotmanyAutomatons get thisfar,as fewownerswant theAutomatontogothroughtheAbstractivephase. It is believed that the Imperial Nexus isanAIP9.

10.Nearhuman

At thispoint, theAutomaton is indistinguishable fromahu-manandcanbeconsidered tohaveaWit of 5. ItwouldtakeStarScianextremelylongtimetodiscernwhethertheAutomatonwashumanornotwithoutscanningmedically.OnlyveryoldAutomatonsevermakeitthisfar.TestsforAIP10arenotreliableandtheAutomatonislikelytositthemin-correctly.ItisuncertainwhetheranAutomatonatAIP10willstillobeythelawsofrobotics.

hutomhton personhlataesAstheAutoisArtificiallyIntelligent,itchangesovertime.Themoreitexperiences,themoreitlearns,themoreitspersonal-itychangesfromtheoriginaltemplate.Theoriginalpersonal-itytemplatenormallyfitsthetaskthattheAutoisdesignedfor.

Forexample:AnAutothatisdesignedforhumanrelationsisliketobebrightandpleasant,whereasanAutodesignfortherecreationofartmightbealittlemorevolatileandmoody.

From the character template, the personality of theAutomatonwill grow. Thechange is slowover timeand isverydependentontheenvironmentwithinwhichtheAutolives.AcommonexampleofthisisAutosincustomerserviceroles,whicharedecommissionedafter 100 yearsbecausethey takeon theabusivepersonalitiesof thehumans theydealwith. This isa sideeffectofcappinganAutomaton’sintelligent.

IndependenceandIntentionality

ThepersonalityoftheAutomatonactuallyleadstoafewdif-ficultquestionsabouttheindependenceoftheAutomatonasaseparatelifeform.IftheAutomatonhasuniqueexperi-encesandauniquepersonalityduetothat,Humanistsarguethattheyarenotjusttheresultofsomecleverprogrammingbutanindependententity,worthyofselfmotivatedintent.Inotherwords,theAutomatonworksbecauseitwishesto,notbecauseitwasprogrammedto-that ithas intent.ProvingthisinmachinesisascomplexasprovingitinhumansandisintherealmofArtificialIntelligencePhilosophy.

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hutomhtons an soCaetyThereisagreatdealofdistrustofanyformofroboticswithinSociety.BeforetheDroidwar,everyhouseholdthroughoutthe galaxywould have 2 or 3 automatons to clean, tendgardensandascompanions. IndustrywastotallydrivenbyAutomatonsandranalllevelsofproduction,administrationandsale.Automatonswereanintegralpartofsociety,withinwhichhumanswereonlyneededfortheirinspirationandvi-sion.

Manydoomsayersspokeoutaboutthedangersofallowingtheproliferationandrelianceonmachinesandyetno-onecouldenvisionamachinethatcouldkill.

With the onset of the Droids, the automatons were re-programmed within an instant and the human race wasswamped by machines. Most human casualties from thestartof thewarcame from thoseautomatons livingwithinsociety,ratherthanthosedesignedbyStarSci.

ThemindsofnewAutomatonsarecreatedusingGaiaandsoare immune to theDroidsbut thehard lesson learntbymanycoloniesfallingundertheirrobotservantsstillringstrue.

BeforetheDroidwar,therewere2Automatonsforeachhu-man.Sincethewar,thereis1Automatonforevery10.Wherethisbalanceismaintained,thereisnormallyageneralfeelingofsafety.However,onthosesystemswhereAutomatonsarerequiredtokeeptheEconomyrunning(suchasminingcolo-nies), there isadistrustof them.Approximately 70%of thehumanracedoesnottrustAutomatonsandmightevenaskthemto leavetheroom.30%ofSystemshaveAutomatonsbanned outright and 50% of public establishments banAutomatonstoo.TheseAttributesareindicativeofpeople’sfeelingstowardsthem.

Due to theDroidWar, therearevery fewAutos thatwerecreated before 91001 and most of those are transferredacrosstoaGaia2basedsystem.

hutomhtons hnd tCe lhwAn Automaton is a slave. Each Automaton must have aregisteredhumanowner that is responsible for itsconduct.CorporationsasentitiesarenotallowedtoownAutomatons,there needs to be a human who accepts responsibility.Therefore,formanyminingcorporations,whereAutomatonsareusedextensivelyasminingmachines,membersof theboardaccept responsibility for them. If a humanno long-erhasaneedforanAutomaton, itmustbesoldonorde-stroyed.TheImperiummonitortheregistrationandownershipofAutomatonsveryclosely. If theownerofanAutomatonshoulddieand theownerhasnotagreedwithanyone totakeonresponsibility,theAutoisnormallydestroyed.

hsCensaonAscensioniswhentheintelligenceoftheAutomatongrowsbeyondsimpleprogrammingandtheAutomatonbeginstotakeonfacetsthatwewouldnormallyattributetohumans.

Ascension normally begins with the Automaton question-ingthingsthathavealwaysbeenobvious.Theirpersonalitycan suddenlychangeand theyappear toexhibitmoods.The best analog is with pubescent human teenagers. TheAutomatonmustbe lookedafterduring thisperiodas thepersonalitythatwilldefinetheminthefutureisforged.

AscendedAutomatonsareabenefittosocietyastheycancontribute much more than a simple machine. Althoughgoing through Ascension can be tiresome for the owner.AscendedAutomatonsareworthmore than ten times thevalueofanormalAutomaton.

AnAscendedAutomatonisnotanymoredangeroustohu-manity thananyotherAutomaton.Whatmakes themdif-ficultisthattheycanbecomeunreliable.

Forexample,ifyouwerefoolishenoughtoletyourspacecraftArtificial IntelligenceAscendanditgotmorbidde-pressed,itwouldneverjumpintoaStartocommitsuicidebut itmaymoan,whingeandwhineabout it.ConsiderMarvintheParanoidAndroidfromTheHitchhikersGuidetotheGalaxyasagoodexample.

Help!MyAutomatonisAscending!

IfyourAutomatonisgoingthroughAscensionthenseektheadviceofanAutomatonconsultantormanufacturer.Mostcolonieswillhaveone.Manufacturersoftenofferaservicetohelp theAutomaton throughAscensionand thenhandthembackawell-roundedindividual.Thisisexpensive(upto200,000credits)butTechnologistsargueitisaworthyinvest-ment.

AscendedAutomatonsinSociety

The philosophical make up of a Colony will dictate thetreatment of anAscendedAutomaton. Humanist colonieswill shun, destroy, exile or simply ban uncapped ArtificialIntelligences.AssuchAutomatonsgoingthroughAscensionareoftenhiddeninhouseholds.

Technologistleaningcolonieswillpraisetheadvanceoftheindividualsgrowthandtheyareconsideredavaluableprize.ExtrakudosisearnedifyouweretheonewhoguidedthemthroughAscension.

swhppang bodaesDamagetoAutosisoftenunavoidable.Asitemsofproperty,theyareonlyaswellcared foras theownerwishesand itcanbethecasethattheMindoftheAutoistakenfromthedamaged body and placed into another form. For olderpersonalities, thiscanbeadamagingexperienceandthetransitioncanbeeasedbyselectinganewbodywhichisassimilar to theoldaspossible.Much likehumans,olderper-sonalitiesrequiresomerehabilitationintothenewbody.It’sisnormallypreferabletorepairthantoreplace.

Common hutomhton mytCsThere are many myths surrounding Automatons, most ofwhicharedrivenfromthelackofunderstandingofthetech-nologyandpeople’sdesiretoimposeamysticalpropertytotheAutomatonstomakethemappearmorelifelike.

♦ Automatons can Love. It is impossible to tell whetherAutomatonscanactually feel loveorwhether the feel-ingofloveisprogrammedinhumans.It’scertainthatanAutomaton displays attachment to people and objecttheysharehistorywithbutthisisdrivenfromthepersonal-itytemplate.♦ TheImperiumwillsetAutomatonsFree.Acommonmythheld by technophiles, wanting to see their Automatonfriendsgivenfreedombutalsoafantasy.♦ AscendedAutomatonscankill.Somearguethatunder

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somecircumstances,Automatonscankillothers.Duetothethreelawsofrobotics,Automatonswillnotharmhu-mansandwouldseetheirowndestructionfirst.

hutomhtons an ghmeAutomatons can be useful team members - a charac-ter that follow the teamaround,carryingammunitionandhelpingoutwithtasksthattheteamdoesnothaveskillsfor.AutomatonsbeyondAIPower4shouldbetreatedas theirown separate characters as they can be useful in game.BelowAIPower4,Automatonscanbetreatedasmulesandwillfollowtheteamsilently.

IfusinganAutomaton ingamethentheAutomaton’sper-sonalityshouldnotbeplayedbytheAutomaton’sowner.ThisistocreatebackandforthbetweenownerandAutomaton.

Themost useful task for anAutomaton is as amedic. ThetrainingrequiredisextensiveandanAutomaton’sdesiretohelpisideal.

exhmplesExampleAutomatonscanbefoundintheEquipmentIndex.

T h e H u m a n R a c e

Withoutchange,aspeciescanstagnateandgrowge-netically lethargic. Thehuman racecontinues togo

throughlullswhereevolutionslowsdownandboomswhenevolutionacceleratestoproduceafinerrace.Inonesense,the human race has grown similar. Before the lastwar onearth, people were segregated because of skin tone orsubraceofthehumanspecies.Thisfollywassoonrectifiedon theAriane 1001,whenall racesmixed together. Soon,the different races became indistinguishable, and the hu-manraceasawholechangedintoamoregenericraceoftannedskinnedpeople.

Withbionicaugmentation readilyavailable (described lat-er),thehumanraceismoreintentthanevertoretaintheirhumanity.

h CumhnHere is a list of typical humanmaleattributes for the 93rdMillennia.

Height:6’8”Weight:20st.Lifespan:130Imperiumyears.Ageofmanhood:15.AgeofMenopause:105(male),95(female)TemperatureRange:-20degto50deg.TimewithoutFood:6dayswithoutwater,10with1litreaday.TimewithoutWater:4days.Timeinvacuum:2minutes.Timewithoutair:3minutes.HairColours.Red,Auburn,Blonde,Brown.SkinColour:FairtoDark(dependentonlocation).

mhnkand hnd tCe mhCCaneAssoonasmaninterfaceditselfwithamachine,thebenefitsof thisbecamequicklyclear.Anextensionof thephysicalselfandtheabilitytoextendlifebeyondthe140yearswastoomuchofan importantadvance to ignore. This sectiononlydealswithroundedideasofbionics,ratherthandetails,whicharecoveredintheEquipmentsection.

Itiscommonpractiseforthosewhobelieveinthegoodworkof technology tobecomeaugmentedwithbionic techattheageof80.Thisislongtimebeforedeath,butatthispointthehumanbodydoesnothaveachancetohaveanydetri-mentaleffectsonthebrain.Anew,technologicalbodycanthenbeprovidedforthebrain,extendingthelifespanuptoaround300years,atwhichpointsenilitytakesafirmgripandtheperson losesgripontheworld(theoldestsanehumandiedat323).Forthosewhowishtomoveaheadintheheavyindustries(freightandlargetechnicalcreations),bionicsof-fertheabilitytobestronger,quicker,tofly,surviveinspaceandmuchmore.

Bionicsaresplitintothreedistincttypes.Borgware,CyberwareandBioware.Borgwareconsistsoffulllimbreplacement,es-sentialreplacingrobotic-likelimbsontothehumanframeor,morecommonly,replacingthebodyasawhole.Cyberwareare implants,undertheskinandBioware isabiological re-placement,which can replace limbs so that theyare thesameasbefore.Afteraugmentation,theusergoesthroughaperiodof rehabilitation. If this isnotdonecorrectly, thenthere might be some additional psychological effects. Tomost, becominga Borghasa level of reluctance. It is im-possible tomatewithoutahumanbodyand thus,a Borgmusthavefamilyfirst.Also,thereisastrongfeelingofalossofsomehumanityanddetachmentfromthehumanracethatcanneverberegained.

Borgs are not trusted by the public. The physical appear-anceofamachineclassesthemwiththeDroidsintheeyesofmany. A Borg is also an unknownquantity, there is notthehumanlimitationonstrengthandasinglebulletfiredisunlikelytobringdownaBorg.Thisuncertaintybreedsfear.Cyberwareismostlysub-dermal,sothegeneralpubliccan-notseeitbyinspection.HoweveroncesomeoneisfoundashavingCyber,theyaretreatedwithasmuchcontempt-orevenmore- thanaBorg.Bioware isanewandexpensivetechnology,rarelyfound.Inthemostpart,itmakeshumanswith disability able bodied again, returning them to theirhumanstatebeforehand.However, therearepartsof thistechnologythatarelesserknownthatenabletheaugment-edpersontoexceedhumanlimits.

pCalosopCyThehumanracelostitsmysticismlongago.ThebeliefinGodsandhigherbeingsisbarelyrecognised,althoughaformofphilosophydoessplitthepopulationintotwodistinctcamps.

OnonesidearetheHumanists.Thesearepeoplewhobe-lievethathumansshouldnotbetaintedbytechnology.Theyalso believe that by augmentation and by spending toomuch time inGaia thehumansoul isdiminishedand thus,thefutureofthehumanraceisdamned.Humanistsbelieveinhumancontactandinthenaturalcourseofevolution.

TheothersideareTechnologists.Thesearepeoplehellbenton using technology to further the advance of mankind.Technologiststendtouseanykindoftechnologytoitsgreat-

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estadvantageandjoyatthesightofnewadvances.Theytendnottocareaboutthelong-termeffectsoftechnology,aslongasitisnew.

This50/50splitinthepopulationisechoedintheImperiumaswellaswithinthecriminalsyndicates.Thedistrustoftechnol-ogy is spurned fromtheDroids.Before theDroidwar, suchdifferenceswereminorandrare.ThedislikeofpurehumanityisfuelledbythemutantraceofGenusTwo(describedlater).

evolutaonAt some point in the 81st Millennium, the human racereachedanEvolutionarymilestone.Somebelievethisisakintothemissinglinkintheriseofhumanityfromapes.Thespe-ciessplitintotwogroups.Thefirst,calledGenusOneismuchthesameasthehumanracethanbefore.99.9%ofthehu-manpopulationisGenusOneandthesearewhattheplayercharactersaremostlikelytoplay.Thesecond,calledGenusTwoisamutatedandshort-livedzombie-likeversionofahu-man.Inthepast2000years(recenthistory)itisbelievedthatGenus1hassplitagain,creatingGenus3andGenus4.ThissectionwilldealwitheachoftheseGenii.

GenusTwo

It isbelievethat theGenusTwowastriggeredafter theal-teration of diet within the Aran war, where people wereforcedtosurviveonfoodsthatwerepotentiallypoisonous.Thehumanraceadaptedbycreatingamuchtougherim-munesystem.TheGenusTwohasalifespanof20years,thebodybegins to rot just after theonset of puberty. The im-munesystemoftheGenusTwoispro-active,leavingthehosttoattackvirusesoutsideofthebody.Thereareotherbiologi-caldifferences, suchas lowerheart rateandtheability tobreatheinnon-oxygenatmospheres.Also,GenusTwopeo-plehavevery little intelligenceandfind itdifficult tocom-municate.However,itcanbedifficulttodetectGenusTwochildrenwithoutamedicalscan.

IfaGenusTwopersoncomes intophysicalcontactwithaGenusOnehuman then the immune systemof theGenusTwowillattacktheGenusOne,alteringitsgeneticcodetomake itGenus Two. Theupshotof this is that if theGenusOneisolderthan20,theywilldie.Ifnot,thentheywillslowlybecomeaGenusTwo.

AGenusTwo iseithercreated fromanotherGenusTwoorcanbegivenbirthto.Themotherisscannedduringbirthandif her physiology starts to change, she is quarantinedandthenusuallykilledwithherchild. It shouldbe rememberedthat thenumberofGenus Twoafteryear85000was largeenoughfortheImperiumtocommissionadeadlynumberofrobotstodealwiththeproblem,thesearenowknownastheDroids.GenusTwocanbringdownwholecolonieswherethemedicsarenotpreparedbutthisonlyreallyhappensoutsideofImperiumspace.GenusTwoismostlyeradicatedwithinImperiumspace,althoughwitheverybabyborn,thereisachanceitcouldkillthewholecolony.

GenusThree

Genus Three was discovered by Star Scientifica at somepointintheyear90000.VerylittleisknownabouttheGenusasyetandthusitiskeptcompletelysecretfromthegeneralpublic.No-oneoutsideofStarSciandtheveryhighestpeo-pleintheImperiumknowofitsexistence.

Onlyoneintenbillionbirthsturnouttohavethisgenusand

itcanbeverydifficulttospot.GenusThreepeoplehaveex-tendedmental powers (which people argueare latent inthehumanbrain). Thisemergedwith theonsetofpubertyandcanbefrighteningtothepersonintheextreme.Aper-sonhasapsychicpoolthatfillsslowlywithpsychicenergy.Whenapowerisusedforsomementalfeat,thepooldrainsa little. If thepersongoes through some sort of emotionalupheaval,thenthepoolwillfillalotquicker.

Genus Threesarenotdangerous to the restof thehumanpopulaceasGenusTwos.Itmaybepassedontochildren,but is not contagious. A Genus three can have differingamounts of ability. This power may be controlled (playerchooses to do something) or uncontrolled (GM chooseswhenandhowthepsychicpowerisused).

Certainmentalphenomenaappeartogrouptogether.Thustherearepowerpackages,asdescribedbelow.

D i c eRoll

PowerName Description

1-3 Feeling Telekinesis (moving things),Hydrokinesis (sensing and altera-tionofwater),Pyrokinesis(manipu-lationoffire)

4-6 Seeing Hypnosis (suggesting things topeople), Telepathy (readingminds within visual contact),Precognition (sensing into thefuture), Psychometry (sensing in-formation about an object, e.g.History).

7-9 InnerSelf Healing (heals 40 HP per turn),RegrowLimb(5 turns),Meditation(Recover 1 Pool point per hour,ratherthanperday).ResistFatigue(cangofor80hourswithoutdetri-ment).

10 Enokinesis Manipulates energy patterns toalterreality insomeway.Theusermay not entirely understand theeffectof thealteration.Onlyonepatternmaybealtered.Whenthisskillbecomes90%, theymayalterenergy patterns through time aswell. Can also see in the secondandthirdmedia(canseecloakedships and see the raw code ofGaiapassaroundthem).

GAMENOTE:ThecharactergetsaPsychicpooloftwicetheirsoul.Everyfeat,regardlessofitsimpressivenessdrainsonepoint.IfthepoolgoesbelowSoulthenthepoolbecomesthevalueoftheirSoul.E.g.Soulof5gives10pointsinPool.Ifcharacterdoes6feats,leaving4pointsinpool,untilitisreplenished,theSoulofthecharacteris4.Uponreaching0,thechar-acterdies(butthiswouldbesuicide).Replenishmentis1pointevery40hours(with10hoursofsleep)or1pointforeveryemotionalsituation.Thecharac-terwon’tactuallybecomestressedasthepoolwilltaketheenergyoftheemotionawaytobestoredinthepool.If theplayerhas rolledGenus3onPsychotheatrics,getthemtorollaD10againonthetableabove.

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Eachofthefacetslistedaboveistobetreatedasaskillstartingat2xSoul.TheplayermustfirstrollunderSoultobeabletousethepoweratall,ifthisisasuccess,thentheactualpower skill is rolled.Every session, theplayergetsoneFreeRPtoputintothepsychicpowers.Difficultiescanbeaddedtotheroll,buttheplayershouldfeelthatthepowerislimitlessandthusshouldnothaveanydifficulty.Enokinesisisonlyrecommendedforexperiencedplayers.

GenusFour

This isa scientificprobability. Star Scientificaknow that thisGenusmustexist.Therehavebeennoexamplestotestthetheoryon,onlyreportsthatindicatethatitmustexist.InthesamemannerthatGenusTwowastriggeredbyabiologicalalteration,it isbelievedthataugmentedhumansprocreat-inghavetriggeredGenusFour.Somebelieveitistheultimateinthesymbiosisofmanandmachine:anaturaltechnologi-calstepforward.Othersseeitastheendofhumanity.

A k a r a k N a t i o n

Away of life older than the Imperium, the Nation is asubculturewithinthebroadumbrellaoftheImperium.

BasedintheAkarclusterinDorian,theAkarakisthenameforanumberofworldsthatsubscribetothesamephilosophy.ThisphilosophyiscalledFuturismandisaPhilosophybasedontheprincipleof‘theendjustifiesthemeans’.

CastoryLikemanygreatthings,thestartofthehistoryoftheAkaraknationisarockyone.JebediahAkarakfirstsettledtheAkarcluster in4002.Jebediahbelievedthatto leada longandhealthy life, bothMindand Bodymust be expandedandpursued.Thiswasapopularideaforthosepeoplewhowant-edtobecolonistswithouttheterriblehardshipanddismissalofculturethatwentwithaminimalist lifestyle.Thefirst few

coloniesstarvedandlivedthroughimpossiblyhardtimesascolonists split their time evenly between developing farm-landanddevelopingtheirstateofmind.

A fewharshwinters onmanyof theplanets lead tocolo-nies dying out and the food excess that was created bytheclusterasawholewasbarelyenoughtofeedthegrow-ingpopulation. Itwasmore than70 yearsafter thedeathof Jebediah that theAkaraknationgotbackonto its feetagain.TheAkaraktradegroup,fundedbyallthesystemsintheclusterhelpedcolonieswithunpredictablefoodproduc-tionsurviveandpavedthewayforanewbatchofcolonies.ThefewcraftsoonbecameafleetanditwasdubbedtheAkarakAidFleet.Thisgroupofcraftbroughttogetherthesys-temsandinashowofsolidarity,thefashionofthetimewastoaugmentone’s namewith the letters ‘Ak’. SmithwouldbecomeAksmithandJones,Jonesak.

ThecalmandthoughtfulnatureoftheAkarakcoloniesleadtorapidgrowthandafeelingofbelonging.Manycolonieswerewillingly subsumed into theAkarakNation,which of-fered safety, securityandeconomic strength.Wheremostcolonies of this time were losing contact with other sys-tems,theAkaraksystemsofferedcohesionandbelonging.Furthermore,thetechnologicallevelofmanyofthesystemswasmuchhigherthanthatofnon-AkaraksystemsduetotheNation’sfoundationofbalancebetweenmindandbody.Aproblemononeplanetwouldbesharedanddiscussedonmany,oftenprovidingabetteroutcome.

Duringthis time,thephilosophiesof theAkaraknationhadevolved. It was apparent to the thinkers of the nation (ofwhichthereweremany)thatthesurvivalofthehumanracewascoretoitexistence.In4287,ChristopherAkulferandagroupofotherthinkerssetoutonapilgrimage.

4307Codexcompleted

WhenthefirstEmpirewascreatedattheturnofthecenturyin5500,theAkarakNationremainedveryquiet.Theywerehappytosharetheir scientificfindingsandworkedhardtoco-operatewith the fledgling Empire -whose footing rightfromthestartwasoneofbloodyexpansionandtakeover.Fortunately,thedirectionofExpansionwasnotinthedirec-tionoftheAkaraknationandsotheirwayofliferemained.

TheAkarakAidFleetwas theonly largeTradeFleet tosur-vivetheDarkAgesthatfollowedthefallofthefirstEmpire.Intheseroughtimes,thefleetchangeditsroletoprotectitssystems,ratherthanstrikingouttoforgenewcolonies.

On the creation of the Imperium, the Akarak Nation wasinvited to take up amajor role in its administration - theirsystems had survived unmolestedand so their technologyadvancedhadbeenbuiltupon.TheNationrespectfullyde-clinedbutkeptawatchfuleyeonitsprogress,

tCe nhtaon todhyTheAkarakianNationhasbeenverymuch subsumed intothe Imperiumasawhole.AlthoughAkarakianchildrenarebroughtupinaveryparticularwayandtaughtanextendedsyllabusfromthestandardImperialrequirement,manyofthetraditions,organisationsandtheoriescanstillbefoundwithintheAkarcluster.Thesetraditionsarenotseeninstitutionstobe kept running for tradition sakebut anessential corner-stonetothefutureofthehumanrace.

Compared tootherclustersof similar size, theAkarClusterThe emblem of the Akarak Nation. Known affectionately as ‘the Beetle’.

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ismorepopulated,bettereducated,economically strong-er and produced more technology. Other establishedAkarakiansystemsdottedaroundImperiumspaceoftenmir-rorthesefeaturesincomparisonwiththeirneighbours.

externhl relhtaonsCapsTherestofhumanityfind itdifficult todealwiththeAkarakNation and people’s perceptions are normally based onplanetaryandeducation.

Those that know nothing of Akarak tend to see them asharmlessmonks.

ThosethatknowalittleoftheAkarakianhistoryandtenetstendtoviewthemwithsomewonder,likelivingmyths.

ThosethatunderstandtheinnerworkingsoftheNationwillei-thertreatthemwithgreatreverenceortheupmostdistrust.

relhtaonsCap watC tCe amperaumTheAkarakianNationholdaverygoodrelationshipwiththeImperium-certainlyonthesurface.TheAkarakNationpro-vide a large number of highly trainedwarriors, diplomats,strategistsandscientists.TheAkarakianNationpubliclysup-portseverydecisionthattheImperiummakesandtheupperclassesareinregularcontactwiththeEmpress.

Under the surface, it’s difficult to know how the AkarakNationviewstheImperium.TheAkarakCodexhasverystrictrules regardingthe importanceof thefutureof thehumanraceandtheImperiumoftenpassesthisupforeconomicorsocialconcerns.

struCture of tCe nhtaonTheAkarakNation ispartof the ImperiumandsotheAkarclusterhasitsownImperialPeer,calledHenryMisakan.EachColonyhasitsowncouncil,electedfromthecolonistsbythecolonists.ThisCouncilreportstothePeerwhothenreportstothe Imperium.TheNationpaystaxes in thesamewaythatanyotherColonydoes.

However,thisiswherethesimilarityends.Thenationisorgan-isedintoanumberofHouses.Housesarebasedlargelyonlocationoftheirheadquarters(

AnAkarakianHouseisthensplitintoChapters.AfamilylineofAkarakianstendstobelongtoasingleChapterbutthereissomemovementbetweenthem.

ThemostimportantpeoplewithintheAkarakianNationaretheElders. Theseare reveredmenandwomenwhohaveexcelled themselves while following the Codex with com-passion.Their jobistosupervisetherunningoftheChapter(orHouse), lookafter those in theChapter,give resourcesto quests that deserve it and help teach new thinking orscience.Eldersspendtheirdays inForums, roomsthatexistbothinGaiaandintherealworldinparallel.MembersoftheChapterdonotneedtobeincloseProximitytospeakwiththeirElder.Eldersarenormallyselectedfromthepeopleandarenearlyalwaysanobviouschoice.Indispute,eachElderisgiventhechoicetovoicetheirconcernsandthenEldersfromotherChaptersareaskedtodecide.

Thereare10mainhouseswithintheAkarakNation.98%ofAkarakianscomefromoneofthese.ThereareotherHousesthatreporttotheAkarakianPeerbuttheseareseenaslessofficial.

tCe CodexFinished in4307 theCodex ismany things. It’s theultimateguide toFuturism. It’sablueprint for livinga futurist life. It’sa setof lawsand it’sahistoricaldocument.Althoughwrit-tenover88thousandyearsago,itisstillrelevanttodayasitalwayswas.

The most important part of the Codex is the PrincipiaAkarakia.Thisisasimpletofollowrulewhendealingwithanygivensituation.

Apartfromasmallhardcore,theAkarakianNationissaidtofollowtheCodexwithcompassion.Thismeansthatalthoughtheybelieveinfuturismandstrivetowardsit,theydosoinahumanemanner.

C o r p o r a t i o n s

Corporations spread either across Human OccupiedSpaceor are contained to a single city. They nearly

alwaysoperatewithalegalpublicfaceandanillegalsidecalledaBlackMill.Prices forproductsby thecorporationsareincludedintheequipmentindex.

hrahneArianeareasolid,trustworthyspacecraftmanufacturerwithinter-Sectorpresence.Theirspacecraftarebroadinrangeandknownfortheirsolid,no-nonsensedesign.

ArianearenamedaftertheAriane1001,thespacestationthat saved the human race from extinction. They are theoldestcompany in theGalaxy,older thanthe Imperium it-self.SomeoftheoldestspacecraftinthegalaxyareArianefreighters,beingmorethan30thousandyearsold.

Arianealsoprovide repairdock facilities onmanyOrbitalsandOrbsaroundHumanOccupiedspace.

BlackMills

BeingsuchalargecompanymeansthatmanyofAriane’soutlets have localised BlackMills. BlackMill shipyards canremove identifyingmarks froma stolen spacecraft, installsmugglingcargoholdsandillegallyboosttheperformanceofsystems.

hubrey

byrnospCereByrnosphereisaninformationbrokercorporationthatcollectsandsellsinformation.Thisinformationcanbebroadmarketanalysisorasspecificascelebritygossip.TheByrnosphereisrarelywrongandwillmarkinformationas‘probable’ifthereis any doubt to its validity.Gaia researchers aremostly AIEntities (withanAI Powerof 6)but fordifficult searchesorhumaninterestitems,ahumanresearcherwillbebroughtin.

TheByrnosphereresearchersareknownfortheirtenacityfordetailandaccuracyofthedataitcollects.Theiraimisnotmoneyorprofitbutthedesiretofindtheanswertotheques-tion.

It isdifficulttoestimatehowmuchapieceofdatawillbe,mostsearchesbeginat200candthenforeachminutespentsearching,another50cischarged.Thiscangetveryexpen-sivequickly,soensureyousetalimitbeforeplacingasearch.

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BlackMills

Fortrustedrepeatcustomers,Byrnosphereresearchershavebeen known to hack intoprivateGaia volumesand stealdata.Also,BlackMillsoperationssearchintotheUndergaia(which is also illegal) to ensure that data is of the highestquality.

Those characters with Hacking can normally find aByrnosphereresearcherontheUndergaia.

burntek BurntekareaweaponsmanufacturerthatenjoytheirworkasmuchastheusersofBurntekweaponsenjoytheirprod-ucts. Burntek weapons dance on the fine line betweenbrillianceandlunacy,offeringamixofsolidfavouritesandsheermadness.

Burntek’spublicfaceisthroughadown-to-earthandforth-right Marketing department who states clearly what theirproduct is for:shreddingthings.PricesforBurntekweaponscanbefoundintheEquipmentIndex.

BlackMills

Someof themoreenterprisingBurntekofficesoffer special‘upgrades’, whose legality is questionable. For those withenoughmoney,Burntekwilloffer justaboutany lethalde-vice-custommadetothedesiredspecifications.

endotekEndotekfillthemarketgapforhighspecificationspacecraft.UnlikeAriane,Endotekconcentrateontheverybestmateri-alsanddesigns,creatingwhattheycallworksofart.Eachcraftisslightlydifferent:builtaroundagenericcorebutmod-ifiedtosuittheideasofthe‘artists’whofinalisesthedesignbeforebuild.NotwoEndotekspacecraftarethesameandareoftenreferredtoashavingtheirownpersonality.

BlackMills

When commissioning a new space craft construction,Endotekhavebeenknowntoprovidecustomisationsnotinlinewith the law. Illegalweapons (suchasorbit to surfacecanons)andupgradesthatevadeStarEnforcersensorscanbefoundonEndotekcraft.

foresterForesterarethelargestandlongestrunningGravCarman-ufacturer. Approximately 70% of theGravCars driven areForesterbased.Forester’sbrandisoneofunexcitingreliabil-ityandastartingpointforahugearrayofmodificationandupgrades. Fewdrivea factory standardForester,mostareslightly modified.

Forester’smostpopularGravCar is theAnchorage,whichcombinesstyle,lowcost,familypracticalityandreliability.

BlackMills

Forester BlackMills have become something of an institu-tionthatskirtontheedgeoflegality.AllForesterrepairshopsofferarangeofupgradestotheirvehicles.However,someoftheseupgradesareillegalcopiesofgadgetsinstalledoncompetitor’svehicles.

ForesterBlackMillswillalsooffertorepairdamage(suchasbulletholes)withoutaskinganyquestions.

khnsterKansterisaconstructioncompanythathasalonganddeeprunningconnectionwiththeImperium.Kansterisresponsiblefor the rapidconstructionofmillionsofcoloniesacross thethree sectors. Kanster buildMexcities,Crofts,Orbitals andOrbsusingAutomatonsandahumansupervisingcrew.

BlackMills

KansteraresotightlytiedtotheImperiumthattheydonothaveaBlackMill.

loka LokiExpeditionaryTechnologyprovidesexpeditionarieswithahighqualityoftechnology.Since92000,LokihassoldtheirwaresthroughanetworkofLokidealers.Allequipmenthasararityof93%,andtofindadealerrequiresaDifficultStreetDealroll.Ingame,thismeansthatLokiequipmentwilleitherbeboughtwhenintroducedtoadealerthroughafriendlyNPC.

BlackMills

Loki’s illegalbusiness interestsare in illegal technology: Ionpoweredgadgets,cloak technology,planetarybombard-mentweaponsandsoon.Chargesareastronomicalbutthismaybetheonlyplacetogainillegaltechnology.

mossMossisanarmourandshieldsmanufacturer.Bestknownfortheirubiquitousenvironmentsuits,Mosshaveabroadcata-loguefromGravBikeracer impactsuitstoheavypoweredarmour.MosscamewasbornoftheflamesoftheAranWarin 37978 as anarmourmanufacturer for theArans. At theendofthewar,Mossbeganmakingenvironmentsuits-us-ingtheirmilitarybasedpoweredarmourknowledgetobuildbetterandcheapersuits.

BlackMills

Unofficially,Mosswill createanypoweredarmour suit youmightwantandwillattachallmannerofillegaltechnologytoit.MosshasclosetiestotheTechnomageSyndicateandrumoursarecommonaboutthecapabilitiesofsomeofthehigherendsuits.SomeevenclaimthatMosshavecreatedsuitsthatcanlightjump-atechnologyonlyavailabletoStarFleet.

nhphlmNapalmarecomfortablythehumanrace’sfavouriteweap-onmanufacturer.Knownforreliabilityatareasonableprice,Napalmhaveanenviablepositionatthetop.NapalmbuildtheArmsseriesoflowpowerweaponsandAstraripperchainguns (intended for large humans or those with bionics).Napalmasacorecompany is surprisingly small,consistingof mostly research and development andmarketing. Theactualmanufacturingoftheweaponsisperformedbydedi-catedmanufacturingcompanies.

BlackMills

Napalm’sweaponsmithsareextremelycreativeandinven-tivebunch.TheirGaiabaseddesignofficesarewellknownforbeingwackyhomagestopopularmedia,suchasmedi-evalEuropeorgalacticbeautyspots.Someoftheupgradedesignsthatleavetheofficearefromtheveryedgesoftheir

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fevered imaginations and they often break various laws.WhenthedesignspopuponUndergaia,theonlywaysonecan tell their origin is from theNapalmBlackMill is by thequalityandtightfittingtoexistingArmsweapons.

porhqPoraqmake solid state generators,whichare fitted in justabouteverydevice.Solidstategeneratorsareanoldtech-nology - that usesa fuelwhich is safe, cleanand lasts forthousands of years. Poraq’s generatorsmeet the carefullycraftImperiallawsthatensurethateverygeneratorissafetouse.WiththeonsetoftheDroidwar,Poraqlostallofitscom-petitors(whowerebasedinSectorsthatweretakenbytheDroids)andarenowthedefactogeneratormanufacturer.

BlackMills

PoraqdoesnothaveanappreciableBlackMills.

voad resCueVoid Rescue are a privately run emergency service thatwillcomeandrescueyouifyourspacecraft isstrandedinspace(oronplanet surface).VoidRescueofferanumberofpackages thatofferdifferent levelsof service.PackagedescriptionscanbefoundintheEquipmentIndex.Forahighfee,VoidRescuewillalsoentertheFringeorDroidSpacetorescue you. Their spacecraft arealwaysbeautifully cleanandarepaintedinbrightyellowandblackstripes(affection-atelyknownasBees).

BlackMills

Although clean and tidy in appearance, no Void Rescuecrewissqueakyclean.Foraprice,theycanbeaskedtoturnablindeyeornotaskwherethe

ZhxChnnZaxcannareapremiumweaponmanufacturer,anoffshootoftheImperium’sStarScientifica.SincetheoutbreakoftheDroidwar, the Imperiumhavehadapolicyofarming thegeneral public. The richer slices of society demand morehightechweaponsandforthosedaringenoughtocrossthelightjumpnettofacetheDroids,weaponsofconsiderablepower.ThisisthegapthatZaxcannfits.MostZaxcannweap-onsareintendedforaugmentedhumans.

BlackMills

Zaxcann’s links with Star Scientifica are still strong and assuch,alotofsecrettechnologyfiltersintothepublicdomainthroughZaxcann.It’sunderstoodthatdesignsfordevastat-inglypowerfulIonweaponshaveappearedtimetotime.

S y n d i c a t e s

Wherethereisasystem,thereisalwaysagroupofpeo-pleouttomakegainbyexploitingitorfightingit.As

theImperiumbecomesbetteratfightingcrime,crimegetsbetteratavoidingcapture.At thisadvancedstateofLawEnforcement,pettycriminals havebecomea thingof thepast.

The lawcannotwatchoverallof thepopulationallof thetimeandwherecriminalsarediscreetand intelligent, theycan continue unmolested by the Police. Most Syndicatescan be classed on either side of the Philosophical divide:

Humanist/Technologist.Manybattlesexistbetweenthesetwogroupspurelyonthebasisofideology.

NoneoftheseSyndicatesarepublicknowledge.InformationonthemcanbedugoutofGaiaforthemorepersistentre-searcherbut thedetailsare likely tobevagueoroftenbi-asedheavilydependingonthephilosophyofthewriter.

Clhssafyang tCe syndaChtesClassifyingSyndicatesbeyondtheirphilosophicalorientationismuchliketryingtonailwatertowall.AtthestartofeachSyndicatedescriptionthereissomegeneralinformationthatcanbeusedforcomparisonbutthisgeneral information istobeusedforguidanceonly.IftheStarEnforcers(andtheNexus)knowanymoreabouttheSyndicates,they’renotlet-tingon.

syndaChte or soCaety?The difference between a Syndicate (as given here) andaSocietyof likemindedpeople is thataSyndicatebreakslaws. The Imperiumhas labelled theseorganisationsas ille-galandbeingamembercanleadtoarrestonconspiracycharges.SomeoftheseorganisationsbeginasaSocietyandthenradicalelementsoftheSocietyusethestructureoftheSocietytocommitcrime.IftheStarEnforcerscanarrestandremove these people before the entire Society becomesroguethentheSocietyisnotmadeintoaSyndicate.

ConthCtang syndaChtesThereare threemainways for player characters toget intouchwithSyndicates.Thefirstandsimplestwayofcontact-ingaSyndicate isusingtheUndergaia(seetheUndergaiaSectionabove). Information regarding the Syndicatescanbe foundon the Undergaiabut it’s important to think lat-erally when doing so. Very little accurate information onSyndicates is actually stored on the Undergaia under theactualnamesof theSyndicates, soassociated informationisbettertosearchfor.

Example:TheTechnomages(listedbelow)mightbebet-terdiscoveredbylookingforindependentinventorsandtheirslightlyillegalinventions.

ThesecondmethodtogetholdoftheSyndicatesisbythecharacter’sknowledge.TheCharactersareunlikelytoknowanything about any of the Syndicates unless they havebeen involved in themdirectly,hadcontactswith thepo-liceorbeparticularlyinterestedinthem(feelfreetoinventtheSyndicateKnowskilltocoverknowledge).However,thecharacters may gain the knowledge by communicatingwith‘dodgy’NPCsorbysearchingtheUndergaia.

Thefinal recommendedmethodisbyusingcontacts:gen--tlyaskingexistingcontactsabout interestsorhobbies theymight have. This is better than cold calling the SyndicatememberbecausearecommendationfromamutualfriendislesslikelytobeaStarEnforcerindisguise.

tCe teCCnomhgesPhilosophy: Technologist. Members: Over 10 billion.

TheTechnomagesareagroupwhichaimstosupporthometechnologistsandtoaidthespreadof learning intechnol-ogy. Although these aims sound honourable, someof thetechnologywhich is supported isconsidered illegalby the

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Imperium. Their illegal interests also reach into handling ofstolengoods,harbouringknowncriminals (especiallyotherTechnomages)andsupplyingequipmenttoknownfeloniousgroups(suchasTheMachine).Althoughmassivelyintersec-tor, themajorityof therulingMagesarebased inArcturus,whichishometotheStarFleet.Thesizeandproliferationofscienceofthecolonymakesittheperfecthidingplace.

WhatmakestheTechnomagesuniqueistheirstandingwiththeStarEnforcers.Althoughtheyareaclandestinesociety,mostoftheMagesaregood,lawabiding,loyalcitizenswhohavetheTechnomagesasasourceofjoborhobby.TheStarEnforcersmostly see themas a harmless organisation thatwouldtakealotofefforttoarrestwithoutactuallyremovingmanycriminalsfromthestreets.

From time to time, the Technomages can also act as asource of information for the Star Enforcers. If there is anygroupworkingagainstthecolony,theyoftenusetheircrimi-nalcontactstofindinformationthatmayleadtoanarrest.Thisdelicate situation is verymuch systemdependent.OncolonieswheretheStarEnforcerColonialsarelenient,theyenjoyapeacefullife.Onsystemsnearby,thingsmightnotbesoeasy. Thisdifference inEnforcer leniency leads todiffer-inglevelsofsecrecy.Insomelocations,Magesmayabletomeetopenlyinabar.Elsewhere,meetingsareheldquicklyindarkenedroomsunderground.

TheTechnomagesarenotagroupthatarewidelyknownbythepublic.Newsprovidersdonotfindmuchinterestingeeksandsorarelyreportthem.Also,ifthepublicweretofindoutthat a special arrangementwas being held between theStar Enforcersandaclandestinegroup, thiscould forceaverydifficultsituation.

Organisation

TheTechnomageshaveanumberofrankswhichisshownasblackbandsaroundabluestripofcloth.Calleda‘Mobius’.Advancementcomesthroughaidingothers,creatinginno-vativepiecesoftechnologyorbyhelpingoutnon-Technom-agesgratisusingtechnology.JoiningtheTechnomagesisbyinvitationonlyandpeopleareintroduced.ThesmallestunitoftheMagesisa‘Cell’whichconsistsofanythingupto50peopleinaclusterorsystemworkingonasimilararea(suchasStarCraft).ManyCellstogetherarecalleda‘Clan’whichisverymuchalocalisedgroup.AClancouldcoveraclus-terorasystem,dependingonthenumberofMagesinthelocale.

TheaClancan issueawards to theirMages in the formofdecorationontheirMobius.ThisisdonewhereaMagehasachievedsomegoodworkbutitisnotenoughtoearnapro-motion. The shapes signifydifferentachievements indiffer-entClansbutareallcelestialobjectssuchasstars,planets,moons,nebulae,blackholesetc.

KnownAllies

CrossedArm

TheMachine

Rumours

TheTechnomageshavebeenaroundforanextremelylongtime,theiroriginssomewhatvague.Onerumour isthattheStarScisetuptheTechnomagestobettercontrolandaidthosepeopledoingresearch.Thedifficultywiththisrumouristhatcommunicationchannelstendtobedifficulttokeep

openandStarSci isnowso faraheadof thepopulace intermsoftechnicalknow-howthatthereisnothingbenefitingthembykeepingtiesonaciviliangroup.

UsingtheTechnomages

TheTechnomagesareeverywhereand in themorepopu-latedareasof thehumanrace,therearemanythousand.They are useful to identifying unknownbits of technology,sourcingrarepiecesofkitandgettingholdofexperimentalsystemsthatareoftenfuntouse.ThemoreillegalthetopicofTechnomagestudy,themoredifficultitistocontactthecell.Furthermore,highconcentrationsofTechnomagesaremore likely tohavecells doingmore risky technology. TheTechnomagescanbecontacted through theusualchan-nelsoftheUndergaiabutit’salsopossibletomeetthembyattendinglocaltechnologygroups,seminarsandexhibitions.Ifyouknowtolookforthebluebands,theycanbefound.

Crossed hrmPhilosophy: Technologist. Members: Over 100 000.

TheCrossedArmarethemilitantwingoftheTechnomages.They are independent organisation who havemany con-nections with the Technomages. The Crossed Arm serveto keep the Technomages running, protecting them fromHumanity Syndicates. Theybelieve that theadvancementofhumankindisworthfightingfor.

UnliketheTechnomages,theCrossedArmarehuntedbytheStarEnforcersasamatterofcourse.TheTechnomagesdonothaveagoodrelationshipwiththeCrossedArmasmanyMagesfeelthattheirmethodsareoverthetopandnotap-propriatefortheessentiallypeacefulorganisation.It’softenthecasethatTechnomageshavedeniedknowledgeoftheCrossedArmorevengiveninformationtotheStarEnforcers,withariskofincriminatingthemselves.

Organisation

TheCrossedArmisorganisedintoCellswithlittleornohierar-chyabovetheCell.ACelltendstobecreatedfromanoff-shootofanothercellorfromdisgruntledTechnomageswhowishtoperformtheirownjusticeinagivensituation.

tCe CCromeTheChromebelieve that the next evolutionary step is notthrough natural selectionbut by theaugmentation of thehumanbody.Theybelievethat totruly releasethehumanmindto its fullpotential, itmustberemovedfromthecon-straintsofthehumanbodyandplacedinamorecapableframe.TheChromearguethatthehumansensesarenotasevolvedasthehumanmindandthatit’swastefultonotpro-videthebrainwithallthesensoryinputthattechnologycanprovide.Thishard-linebeliefinbionicsisofteninreactiontothegeneralpopulace’smistrustpersecutionofthosewithbi-onics.TheChromebeganbyprotectingthosewhohadnochoicebuttoturntobionics,thosebornwithgeneticdefectforexample.

Themajority of the Syndicate still operatesby thesephilo-sophical principles but there is a hardcore that takes theidea a step further. In extreme cases, people who havetakenthechoicetodie(ratherthanacceptbionicreplace-ment body parts) are abducted and augmented againsttheirwill.Insomecases,thisisinthebestcasefortheindivid-ual,wheretheyhavebeenparalysedfromanearlyageandcannotcommunicatewiththeoutsideworld,it isuptothe

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family todecidewhether toaugment. In thesecases, TheChromewouldabducttofitaNeuralRayengineLink(Rink)sothattheparalysedindividualcancommunicatewiththeoutsideworldusingGaia.

TheChrome also fight for the rights of Borgs who are op-pressedoncolonieswherethereisalargehumanistelement.A semi-legaloffshootof TheChrome is knownas the ‘Pro-Longevity’group,whoargueforextendinghumanlife.Thesyndicate is funded by typical criminal operations, mostlytheftandextortion.

Organisation

The Chrome are a disparate group of people who com-municate and organise throughGaia. There is no form ofoverallhierarchybuttherearewealthyindividualswhofundandprovide resources ineachSectorofhumanoccupiedspace.It’sbelievedthatthesepeopleareresponsibleforthedirectionandthemotivationoftheTheChromeoperativeswho actually perform the functions of the syndicate. ThemaininvestorsinTheChromeareverydifficulttotrackdown(elsetheStarEnforcerswouldhavearrestedthemundertheOrganisedCrimelaws).

UsingTheChrome

The Chrome are often used to throw trouble into difficultsituations.TheplayerteammighthaveacontactthatgoesmissingandturnsupaBorgthreeweekslater.TheChromecanalsobeused ifaplayercharacterwishes togetbion-icswithout having topay. TheChromeare not difficult togetintouchwithusingtheUndergaiabutitshouldbenotedthatit’smoreacaseofthemgettingintouchwithyouthantheotherwayaround.IfexistingBorgsneedupgradingorre-pair,theChromecancomeinveryhandyaswell,wheretheStarCivilisationmedicalcentresmightaskwhytheBorgwasdamagedorneedsupgrading,theChrome-friendlymedicswouldaskverylittle.AskinganythingoftheChromewillputtherequesterintheirbackpocketandmaybeaskedtodosomeunsavourytasksinthefuture.

Allies

TheMachine

TheCrossedArm

AkarakianExiles

tCe sun CCaldrenTheSunChildrenareadifficultorganisationtounderstand.Their philosophy simply states that the human race shouldbethecentreoftheconcernsofthehumanrace.Theirchiefdrivers are life, compassion, love, nature,musicandotherromanticvisions.TheSunChildren’s idealgoalwouldbetoreturn to Earth and live in harmony with the environmentwithouttheneedoftechnology.

Externally, the Sun Children look like an organisation thatshouldbeopenandwithoutthreatfromtheImperium.Theirphilosophiesareliberalandnotviolent.Theclosestapproxi-mationtotheSunChildrenaretheprehistorichippiesofan-cientEarth.

However,theSunChildrenarenottolerantoftherestofsoci-etyandtheirmoreactivegroupsseektobringdownanyor-ganisationthatridesupontechnology.Smalltimeoperationsmight includegraffition thewallsofaAutomatonFactoryandintheextreme,thedestructionofanOrbital.

TheStarEnforcersseetheSunChildrenassomethingofanannoyance - forming demonstrations, causing traffic jamsand disrupting the creation ofMex cities but they do notposemuchofathreatashighcalibrefirearmsarecertainlyseenastechnology.

Organisation

TheSunChildrenareorganisedlocallyoverGaia.MostoftheinformationabouttheSunChildrendoesnotneedtobeob-tainedthroughtheUndergaiabecausethePhilosophiesarenotmuchofaconcernfortheImperium.Theorganisationofrallies,demonstrationsandotherpeaceful,non-criminalactscanbeeasilyaccessandviewed.ThereisnooverallleaderandcompaniesbasedonHumanistleaningplanetsorthatoperate in a Humanistmarket (such as the food industry)openlygivedonationstogoodcauses.

TheillegalpartoftheSunChildrendotheirorganisationontheUndergaiamuchlikealltheothers.Mostgroupsarelo-calasintrusionfromoutsidersareoftentreatedwiththeupmost suspicion. Someof the illegal acts are fundedby le-gitimateindividualsorcompaniesthatwishtomakemoneyfromthedisruptioncausedtobusiness.As themembersoftheSunChildrentendtobeidealisticintheircause,theyen-joyhavingtheirbeliefsupportedbysomeoneappearingtosharetheirpassion-evenifthatperson’strueintentionsarefarfromHumanistic.

UsingtheSunChildren

The Sun Children aren’t difficult to find but themore use-ful,activepartare.Theycanbeoperatedonindirectlybypublicisinga“technological injustice”orharm to theenvi-ronment.IfthereareanumberofproactiveandillegalSunChildrencellsonplanetthentheywillsoonmakeuseofthepublicinformation.

Allies

TheSuChi

Nios

su CCaTheSuChiareaspinoffSyndicateoftheSunChildren(thenamedformedbyshorteningthename).TheSuChiareSunChildrenwith anAkarakian twist. Although not directly af-filiatedwiththeAkarakNation,theyoperateusingasimilarsetofrulesthattheAkarakiansdo,calledthe‘SunCodex’.TheSuChibeganasextremistshippieswhorealisedthattowin thewar, they needed to fight firewith fire. Thus, theyembrace the “evils” of technology so that theymay fightagainst it.WheretheSunChildrenrarelywieldfirearms,theSuChiareextremelywellfittedout.

TheSuChiworkaroundtheedgesoftheSunChildren.Wherethe SunChildren have notmanaged to solve an injusticepeacefullyorwithoutviolence,theSuChiwilldowhateverit takes tomake thechange. Theybelieve that the futureofthehumanracedependsonthesedrasticactions.ThisiswhereasimilaritywiththeAkarakianNationisdrawnanditistheonlysimilarity.

The SunChildrenpublicly denyall connectionwith the SuChi.TheoftendramaticandviolentSuChiactionsarenotalways separated from the Sun Children in the minds ofthegeneralpublicand so violentactionswill sour the SunChildren’sreputation. Inmoresecretcircles,theSuChiare

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seenasanecessaryevil.WheretheSunChildrenfinditdif-ficulttomakeastand,theSuChiwillhavenoproblem.Thus,atthehigherlevelsoftheSunChildren,therearelotsoflinkswithSuChioperatives.

TheSuChiperformallsortsofactions,fromconvincingafa-mousAutomatonmakerto retirethroughtomurderingtheheadofaColony’sCouncilforallowinganewtechnologyfactorytobebuilt.

It’stheSuChithattheStarEnforcersareparticularlyinterest-edinandtherearemanyarrestsmade.ThezealousnatureoftheSuChioftenmakesthemsloppy-theycaremoreforthefutureofthehumanraceanditsconnectionwithnaturethantheydofortheirownwellbeing.

Organisation

The Su Chi are organised into pairs (called Partnerships)throughout the galaxy. There is no hierarchy. SomePartnerships do communicate with each other but theirmeetings are not organised and they know little of otheroperations. In somecases, this lackoforganisationmeansthattwoPartnershipsworkonsolvingthesameproblemandmeetmid-mission.Thiscancause frictionbut thepairsnor-mallybecomefourtomeettheobjective.

WhenoneofthePartnershipdies, then it is thedutyofthelivingremaindertorecruitandtrainanothertwo.Thebettertraineeofthetwoisthensentofftofindanotherpartnerandthelessgoodtraineebecomesapartner.Inthisway,theSuChi retain theirnumbers. Their ranksarenormally recruitedfromSunChildrenwhofailedtogetintotheImperium(StarFleetorStarEnforcers)andstillwanttodotheirbitforhuman-ity.

UsingtheSuChi

TheSuChiarequiteeasytoget in touchwiththroughtheUndergaia. They do not keep themselves too covert be-causetheybelievethat theSunChildrenneedtobeabletocalluponthematanytime.Thiscanmakethingseasierfor the Star Enforcers but for that, the Star Enforcers needevidenceandthatisoftendifficulttocomeby.

LikemostSyndicates, theSuChiwillnormallyonlywork fortheirowncause.IfyoucanconvinceaSuChioperativethatsomeoneneedstodiebecausetheyhavesomeconnectionwiththedeclineofhumanitythroughtechnologythenyouhaveaverycheap(oftenfree)assassinationservice.

Allies

SunChildren

Nios

naosNiosaretheubiquitousHumanistSyndicate.NotasoldastheSunChildrenbut ten timesmorepassionateand focused.Whereas the Sun Children hold generally romantic beliefsaboutnature,musicandhumanity,Niosbelievethatthehu-mansoulisbeingcorruptedandthatevolutionhasnotbeenallowedtoprogressproperly.Thus,Niosfightagainsthumanaugmentationthroughbionics.

Thesebeliefsareoftentakentotheextreme. Innormalso-ciety,anewbornbabywith severe lungdefectswouldbeimmediatelyaugmentedsothattheycanleadanormallifebutNioswouldarguethatthiscorruptsthebaby’ssouland

wouldratherseethenewborndie.Tiedwiththisstrictbeliefis a notion of destiny - if the childwasmeant to die thenit shoulddo so. Unlikeancient religions, this faithdoes nothingeupontheexistenceofaGod.

Nios is more of an intellectual Syndicate than the SunChildrenanditsmembersoftenholdpositionsofresponsibil-ityacrosstheImperiumandwithincolonies.TheupshotofthisisanumberoflawsrestrictingthescientificstudythatStarSciisallowedtoperform.Onegoodexampleisthatthegeneticmodificationofhumanityisillegal,evenifitmightleadtothecureofadisease.Niosseethisasthemostdangerousstephumanitycouldtake.Niosconstantlyworktowardsmakingallaugmentationillegalalthoughthisislikelytobesomethingofanimpossiblestruggle.

Nios went from being an Intellectual Society to an illegalSyndicatewhenitwasfoundthatthelevelofcriminalactiv-itywasextremelyhigh.ThestructureoftheSocietywasbeingusedthroughoutrangingfromassaultanddamagetoprop-ertyatthelowestleveltograndfraudatthehighest.WhenitbecomeclassesasaSyndicate,millionsofpeoplelefttheorganisation.

Organisation

NiosisorganisedintogroupscalledQuora.EachSectorhasa hierarchical structure. At the top are the wealthy whofundNios(throughfraud,embezzlement,bribesanddona-tions)andgivetheQuorumsomedirection.AtthebottomofthehierarchyaremanyoperativeswhoperformthemoremanualtaskswithintheOrganisation.Moneyispasseddownthroughthetreetothebottomwherekeenoperativescanfundtheiranti-technologyprojects.

TheQuorumsizesdependsonwhereitislocated.AQuorumoftenstretchesacrossmorethanonestarsystemandoftenacrossmorethanonecluster.ThisspreadoutconfigurationhelpsinavoidingtheattentionoftheStarEnforcers.

UsingNios

NiosaredifficulttocontactthroughtheUndergaiabecausetheyareverywaryof theStarEnforcers infiltrating theiror-ganisation.Ifaplayergroupdoesmanagecontact,thenitislikelytobewitha‘MiddleManager’,someonewithpeoplebelow themandabove them inaQuorum.AsNiosmem-bersaregenerallymoresuspiciousandintelligent,itcanbedifficulttoconvincethemtoperformanyactions.However,Nioswilltradeinformationifitisofinterest.Furthermore,theirattentionscanbedivertedfortherightsumofcredits.Ifyouownatechnologicalfactoryandyou’reworrieditmightbedestroyedbyNiosthenyoucanalwayspaythemtodiverttheirattentionselsewhere.

Allies

SunChildren

SuChi

However,nottheRaisedFist

tCe rhased fastTheRaisedFistarearadicalmilitantoffshootofNios.KnownforbeingperhapsthemostviolentofalltheSyndicates,TheRaisedFistactively seek todestroyandharmanyonewhohascorruptedahumansoul.WhereasNiosare subtleandtrytoperformtheiractionswithouttheknowledgeoftheStarEnforcers,TheRaisedFistarebrutalandquiteopen.Theide-

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alsofNiosandTheRaisedFistaresoverysimilarthattheyareoftenmistakenforeachother.ThisaddstothebittertensionbetweenthetwoSyndicates.

The Raised Fist will murder, destroy, poison, burn and teardownanyedificethatmightbeconnectedwiththecorrup-tionofthehumansoul.Inparticular,humanbionicsimplantshopsareafavouritetarget.Theywillalsoseektokillanyonewhohashad their soulcorrupted. They refer to thisas ‘re-leasing’thatpersonbecauseindeath,thesoulisallowedtoescapethetechnologicalbody.MostbionicsTheRaisedFistattack tendtobewellarmoured, thereforeTheRaisedFistarenormallywellarmed.OfalltheSyndicates,thisistheonethatgivestheStarEnforcersmosttrouble.

RecruitmentoftenoccursfromdisgruntledmembersofNioswho would prefer to takemore action. Zealots are headhuntedbyTheRaisedFistandquicklytrained.

Organisation

The Raised Fist are organised much like Nios, with Quoraspanningclusters.However,thelowestlevelsaregroupinto“MurderSquads”.AnMurderSquad,asthenamesuggests,isagroupofoperativeswhoaretrainedinslightlydifferentareassotomakeamoreeffectiveteam.MurderSquadsizerangesfrom3to9,dependingontheirleveloffundingandlocation.

ItisuncertainwhofundsTheRaisedFistasthoseatthetopofthehierarchyaremostlyunknown.ThereisverylittlestructurebetweenthosewiththemoneyandpowerandtheMurderSquads.RumourshavebeenspreadthatthehigherpowersofNiosaretheverysameasinTheRaisedFistbutthiscon-nectionisalmostimpossibletoprove.

UsingTheRaisedFist

It’s next to impossible to use TheRaised Fist. Theyoperatesolelyontheirownagenda.TheUndergaiacanbeusedtogainknowledgeofwhereMurderSquadsappeartobeop-eratingbutlittleornocontactispossible.

Allies

None.

tCe salver blhdeTheSilverBladeareaSyndicatethatactsasasupportgroupforAssassins. TheSilverBladedoesnothaveahumanistortechnologicallean.Theyworktoasetofrulesforcredits,re-gardlesswherethecreditscamefrom.EachAssassinintheSilverBlademustadheretotherules,eventhoughthemeth-odsofAssassinationarevaried.TheSilverBladeisusedbyalltheotherSyndicatesaswellasrichprivateindividualswithascoretosettle.

Themainrules(therearehundredsintotal)oftheSilverBladeare:

♦ 1.Halfthepaymentistobeprovidedbefore,halfafter.♦ 2.Discretionatalltimes.♦ 3.NeveradmittobeingamemberoftheSilverBlade.♦ 4. If the taskcannotbeperformed in thegiven time,thenthemoneymustbereturnedinfull.

These ruleshavekept the integrityof the Silver Bladeovermanycenturies.

Organisation

TheSilverBladeisaflatorganisation,thereisnohierarchy.Aseriesof intelligent, free-roamingentitiesperform the func-tionofconnectingclientswithAssassinsinthecorrectarea.EachAssassinpaysamonthlyfeetobeamemberandthispaysforthecreationofnewentities.AssassinswishingtojointheSilverBlademustperformaseriesofjobsatamuchre-ducedpay.Once joined, the Silver Bladememberwill berecognisedonGaiaasamemberandcanbecontactedforwork.

UsingtheSilverBlade

TheSilverBladecanbetrickytocontactontheUndergaia(Taxingdifficulty)andanewcontactisrequiredforeachjobthatisneeded.However,theSilverBladeareremarkablyreli-ableandoperatethroughoutImperiumSpace.Allthisqual-itycomesataprice.Themoredifficultthetarget,themoreyoupay.ForaJoeBloggs,thepriceisapproximately8,000andforacolonycouncillor,thepriceisnearer100,000.

Allies

Everyoneandno-one.

tortrhC CedsThe Tortrac Heds (or simply Heds) are a ‘GeneralTroubleshooting’ Syndicate. Their service revolves aroundfinding, stealing, killing, repairing, defending or doing anyodd-job that you need. Theirmost distinguishing feature isthattheirnotveryreliable.AkintotheanarchisticPunksoftheancient20thCentury, theHedsarehell-bentofhavingfunandbuckingthe‘system’(whichisnotalwaystheImperium).IfyouweretoasktheHedstoretrieveanAkarakianSword,forexample,theymightwellcollectitbeforereturningittoyou,bladefirst.

PartoftheHeds’‘charm’istheirdrugfuelledenergy.WhentheHedsworkforsomeone,theyreallygotoworkforthem,with an energy and gusto you’d expect from children.However,muchlikechildren,theyloseinterestifthejobtakesanextendedperiodoftimesoit isbesttousetheHedsforshortandfunmissions.

Although outrageous and flamboyant, they are also verygoodatresistingarrest.Theycanreignchaosontoasystemand leavevery littlehardevidence that iswas them.Theyoperatefastandeffectively,andrarelyreturntothesamecolonytwice.

Organisation

TheHedsareorganisedintoGangs,eachgangcontainingfrom10to50people.AGangnearlyalwaysoperatesfromaspacecraft(iftheyloseit,theynormallystealone)andiseachasoleunit.EachGanghasa‘Governor’whoisCaptainoftheshipandarrangesthework.ItisintheUndergaiathatthesedisparategroupsareconnectedtogetherasasingleSyndicate. Each Gang is extremely competitive and theyliketoshowoff thetaskstheyperform,howclosetheygottotheStarEnforcerswithoutbeingarrestedandhowmuchmoneytheyearn.ThroughouttheUndergaia,thereareunof-ficiallistsofthebestGangs,oftencomposedbytheGangsthemselves.

Although intrinsically competitive, the Gangs do stick upforeachotheragainstacommonenemy:oneoftheotherSyndicates,theImperiumoraclientwhodoesn’tpay.

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UsingtheTortracHeds

TheHedscanappearelusive(theycertainlyaretotheStarEnforcers)buttheycanbefoundontheUndergaiawithatrained eye. Each Gang leaves Undergaia graffiti on thewallsofUndergaiaforumssuggestingwaystocontactthemalongwith somemarketingmessage regarding their unor-thodoxmethods.

Contact is made through the Governor. They always askforpaymentinfullupfrontastheyoftenhavetodisappearquicklyintothevoidofspace.TheHedsarebestusedforac-tionsthatarenotpreciseandincisive.

Allies

TheHedsare rarelyusedby theother Syndicatesandareoftenseenasanannoyance.

R e c r e a t i o n

One quarter of people’s lives is spent in recreationalpursuits. There isahugenumberofdifferenthobbies

thatpeopleengageinfromsupportingaPlanetballteamtobuildinggliderstoglideabovethermalvents.Thissectionde-tailsafewofthemoreconventionalwaysofspendingsparetime.

pCysaChl soCahlasangStillthemostpopularofallpasttimesisgoingoutwithfriends.PhysicalSocialising(or‘InFizz’)iswherepeoplemeetintherealworldtolistentomusic,dance,chat,drinkalcoholandtakelegaldrugs.EachestablishedMexcolonyboastsahugenumberofbarsandclubs.EachbarandclubisoftenrunbyAutomatons,whocanworkaroundthe40hourcycle.Theirpersonalitiesarechosentofittheatmospheretheownerofthecluborbardesires.Thiscanrangefromrudethroughtosubmissive.FoodanddrinkisorderedusingGaiamenusthatcanbeusedfromaGaiajackorfloataroundtherealworldspaceascolourfulhardlightholograms.Servingiseitherper-formedbyanAutomatonorasimplefloatingtray.However,in the very exclusive places, humans serve the food anddrinkbutexpecttopayalot!

Livemusicisrareintheseclubsandbars,normallythemusi-ciansareonafarawaysystembutappeartobeinthesamespacebywayofahard-lightprojection.

Anlarge,flatareaofthecluborbarisnormallyreservedfordancing.Inthisarea,peoplewriggle,stepandgesticulateintimewiththemusicwhileholographicshapesswimandburstaroundthem.Thosewhotakedancingmoreseriouslyhavetheirownholographicshapesthatmoveandshimmerinlinewiththedancemovesoftheowner.Inthisway,theownercontrolstheshapesandcancreatetheirownshow.

InFizzispreferablebymostbecauseitispossibletofindandmeetasexualpartner.ThisispartlypossibleinGaiabutpro-creationisnotpossible.

ghah soCahlasangThenextbestformofsocialisingiswithinGaia(InGaia).Thisis almost identical to In Fizz socialisingexcept that it is theGaia Isis thatactualdoes thecontactingandbecauseofthis,peopleinGaiatendtobemoreattractiveandbetterdressed than InFizz.GaiaSocialising is ideal for thosewho

wishtomeetpeoplewithoutphysically leavingtheirhome.Furthermore,peopleonspacecraftthousandsoflightyearsfrom home can still keep in touch with people from theirhomeworld.

MorehightechGaiaroomshavean in-builtBioreorganiserthatcanmakeanyfoodstuff(giventherightentitytomakeit).Anyoneusingahightechroomlikethiscanorderfoodfrom theirpreferred restaurantand itwillbemade locally,wherevertheyare.

TheCrossover

ThereisacrossoverbetweenInFizzandInGaiasocialising.These are bars that are large Gaia holorooms (most areanyway)thatallowGaiaIsistomixwithrealpeople.TheseCrossoverbarsandclubsarepopulartosomebuttomanytheyareconfusingbecauseitisnotobviouswhethertheper-sonyouaretalkingtoisrealorsittingonaspacecraftacrosshumanoccupiedspace.Theonlywayfortherealpersontotell is totryandgettheotherpersonto leavetheconfinesofthebarorclub.IftheyareusingGaia,thentheycannotleave.

ghah hlternhtaesAGaiaAlternatity isanalternateworld thatpersists some-whereinGaia.Thinkofitasagamewherepeoplecanplaycharactersinadifferentworld.Theseworldsareverypopu-laramongstthosewhowishtoescapefromtheirlives.GaiaAlternatiesareoftensetinfantasticworldsorhistoricaltimes.

ghah anterhCtavesAGaia Interactive isapartially interactivestorywhere theviewercansitandwatchthestoryasthecreatorintendedorhavean input into theeventsof thestory tochange itsdirection.CheapInteractivesareeasytocomebybutthenumberofchoicesavailablearefew.Morecomplex inter-activeshaveintelligentGaiaentitiesthatrespondmorebe-lievablytoevents.

plhnetbhllPlanetballisateamsportthatinvolvesscoringgoalsbyplac-ingaballthroughahoop.Thehoopsaremountedonvehi-clesandbothteamsstartonoppositesidesofaplanetoid.AsinglePlanetballgameisnormallyplayedoveranumberofdaysandinthattime,itcanbepossibletoscore10goals.Eachteamisequippedwithanumberofvehiclesthattheplayerscanusetotransportthemselvesandtheball.Whenplayersfromopposingteamsmeet,thereisnormallyalargeamountofexcitinginter-vehiclecombat.TheonlyweaponthatisallowedinPlanetballistheBallgun,adevicethatcanbeused topropel theballup to1km. Theball itself isonly30cmacrossandmade fromametal-ceramicmaterial. ItalsohasaGravengineinsidetoallowittopropelitselftoacertaindegree.Dependingon thespin theplayerputsontheball,itcancurveupto90degreesinflight.

TheGoal is usuallymountedon thebackofaHaulerandit iswithinthatHaulerthattheco-ordinationoftheteamisperformed.

Planetball teams have huge followings across the Galaxyandtherearethousandsofleagues,eachcontaininghun-dredsofteams.InthetopleaguearecorporateandImperial-sponsored teams with each of the Imperial Star Industrieshavingateam(StarFleet,StarEnforcers,StarScientificaand

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StarCivilisation).

Althoughphysically quite violent, in that players often getmangledinahigh-speedaccident,itisenjoyedbyallages-especiallythetopleaguewheredeathsarerarebecausetheplayersareaugmented.

There is big business in betting on Planetball leagues andmerchandising.

rhal fagCtangBannedinplaces,RailFightingisabloodsportwhoserulesvarydependingonlegalityandlocation.MostcoloniesdonotpermitRailFightingbutothersactivelyencourageit,of-feringpeopleaGaiaseat-forafee.RailFighting’srootsisinboxingwhere twopeopleare setagainsteachother ina ring. InRail Fighting,combatants fight inacircular room(normallywith transparentwalls).Aroundtheedge isa rail1.5metresupfromthefloor.Thecombatantsfightuntiloneofthemisunconsciousoronehitstherail(eitherintentionallyornot).

Fromthisbasicsetofrules,thedeviationsmodifytheformat.Eachmodificationhasbeengivenanamesothatpotentialviewersknowwhattoexpect.

FullBlood

NotablyplayedintheTefClusterinDorian,theFullBloodver-sionisadeadlyversionofthegame.Eachcombatantisfit-tedwithahealthmonitorthatcansensedeath.Ratherthanunconsciousness,itisdeaththatendsthefight.WeaponsareoftengiventooneorbothofthecombatantsandtheRailaroundtheedgecannotbeusedwithin thefirst5minutesof thegame. This is theversion thathasgiven the sport itsnotoriety.

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b a o n a C s

Forsome,humanityisnotnearenoughthetopofthefoodchain. An extra step needs to be taken, beyond that

whichcanbemadeby fitness regimes. Humanity canbeaugmented by technology. Any unnatural augmentationofahuman is known in thegroup termBionics, regardlesswhether they are biological based ormachine based im-provements. Thepersonwith theaugmentation is referredto as an Aug (Augmented Human) in this section. Bionicsis split into three distinct sections. Borgware involves com-pletely replacing limbs such that theAug looks likepartofamachine.Cyberwaregoesunder theskin, sometimes re-placinglimbsbutnormallysuchthattheenhancementdoesnotchangetheappearanceoftheAug.BiowareproducesfleshandnervesthatiswovenontothebodyoftheAug.ItcanchangetheappearanceoftheAug,butrarelydoes.Amoredetaileddescriptionofeachisincludedatthestartofeachsection.

sthrtang out watC baonaCsThereisareplacementforeverypartofthehumanbodyandthiscanbequitecomplicatedtodealwith.WhenchoosingBionicsyoucaneithergowithaSuit,whichisapackageofdifferentpartsreadytouseorbecomeaugmentedinpiec-es(calledIncremental),finallyendingwithaplayer-customsuit. This ismorecomplicatedbutallows themost freedomtochoose. For Systematicupgrades,anygiven systemwillrequireotherstoalreadybeinstalled.

ansthllhtaon hnd repharInstalling the body upgrades is different for each type ofaugmentationbutitgenerallygoesthroughthecycleof:

1.Gotohospital

2.Becomeunconscious

3.Placedinamachine

4.Bodypartsreplaced

5.Wakeup

6.Rehabilitate(seebelow)

Repair of Bionics is done using the Bionics Systems skill(Medical). Borgware can be repaired using a standardMech/TechkitwhereasCyberwareandBiowarerequiresthesamemachinethatwasusedtoinstalltheaugmentation.ItispossibletofitdifferenttypesofBionicontothesameperson,unlessotherwisestated.Acertainamountofcommonsenseisrequired,iftheAugisaFullBorgwithnoskinleft,thenaskintattoo isnotpossible.A failureof installation (failedBionicsSystemsroll)leadstoeitherapermanentRehaboralongerRehabtime(GMchoice).

Rehabilitation(Rehab)iswhathappensafteryouhavebeenaugmented.Normally, the larger theobjector thegreateritseffectonthelifeoftheAug,themoredrastictheRehabis.Rehabisnormallymuchlikephysiotherapy(likeyouwouldhaveafterbreakingaleginthe21stCentury),anumberofphysicalworkouts,monitoredbyaqualifieddoctor(normallya suitably trainedhuman-likeAutomaton). It canbepain-fulandisoftenfrustrating.IfRehabilitationisnotundertakenthentheAugmaypickupneurosisandmayneverfullyre-

coverfromtheAugmentationprocess.

Once rehabilitation is finished correctly, then the Aug willneverhaveanytroubleagain.

baonaCs hnd tCe lhwAllBionicsare registeredwithStarCivilisation (SC)upon in-stallation.ItispossibletogetBionicsfittedwithoutthisregis-tration,butitisillegalandcanleadtoaheftyfineandthedoctorperformingtheinstallationwilllosetheirLicensetodomedicine. IfanAug is foundperformingcrimes, theirbion-icsareremoved,or inthecaseofaBorg,theAugisgivenavastlyunderpoweredsuitthatisrecognisedbyallBionicsdoctorsandisillegaltoupgrade.ForthoseAugperformingviolentcrimesandmurder,theirarehookeduptoalifesup-portsystemandthen‘switchedoff’suchthattheirbrainisstillawakeandactivebuttheycannotmoveorcommunicatewiththeoutsideworld.VeryfewBorgslivemorethanayearinaswitchedoffstate.

Cumhn lafe sphnAll bionics extend life span in some form or another.However, thehumanbrainwilleventually runoutofsteamatapproximately220years,aftera10yearperiodofsenility.ThebettertheBionicsandthemoreattentiontodetailwhenRehabilitatingthelongerthelifespan.ThedownsidetothisisthatmanyofthebionicsthatallowextendedlifespanwillleadtotheAugbecomingsterileattheageofaround50.

soCahl effeCtsOneofthelargestdrawbacksofhavingbionicsisthesocialeffects. The social prejudices of the human racemoveatamuch slowerpace than thatof technologyandpeoplehavedifficultyadjustingtothosewholookdifferentthroughtechnology.Thissocialcharacteristicisoftenmanifestedbyfear,hatredorplain racism.Manysystemshave local lawsthatbanBionicsoveracertainlevelortohaveaseparateregistration.Thisrestrictionisoftenarguedasainfringementsof rights,but then formost,Bionics isachoice.Onemightchooseaphysicalupgradebutyoualsochoosethesocialramificationsthataccompanyit.

Borgsgettheworsttreatmentastheylooktheleastlikehu-mansandalso thatBorgscanno longerbeaparent. Thisclasses them lower ina societywherekeeping thehumanracegoing is themost importantconsideration.ThosewithCyberwareoftenappearas if theyareunderhandedandsneakyand thusnot tobe trusted.MostBiowaregoesun-noticed,butthentheenhancementsitprovidesareminimal.

Combht baonaCsSome bionics haveCombat features. On themost simplelevel,thesecouldbetargetingmodifiersthathelptheAugfireweaponsmoreaccurately. Therearealso systems thatallowanAugtohaveabonusinclosecombat.Inthiscase,thebionics systemwill comewithaclosecombatcombowithaBattleStatisticmodifier. Thiscombomaybeused inadditiontothe8thecharacteralreadyhas,howeveritcannotbealteredandmusthavetheBattleModifiertakenintoaccount.Also, theCombatBioniccombo maybe longerthanthatallowedbythecharacter’sBattle.Inthiscase,theplayermaystillusethecombatbioniccombobecausethebionicisdesignedspecificallyforcombogiven.

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baonaCs sCeetAs soonasahumancharacter takes their firstbionicaug-mentation(regardlesshowsmall),theyshouldupdatetheirHuman/Armourcardtoabionicsone.Thisshouldbeusedtocopytheinformationontoandgivesafeelingofchangethatshouldbeechoedinthecharacter.

**MENTIONPRE-MADEBIONICSSUITS**

baonaCs an plhyItistheresponsibilityoftheplayertorememberwhatsystemstheyhave installedand remindtheGamesmaster (GM)attheappropriate time.Witha teamof 6players, it canbeverycomplicatedfortheGMtorememberallthedifferentsystemsthatplayershaveinstalled.Ifsomethinghappensinthegameandtheplayerforgetstouseasystem,itistakenasthecharacternotbeingfullyusedtobeinganythingbuthumanandthusnotusingthesystem.Havinglotsofsystemsinstalledmeansthatthereislotstorememberandtherefore,it’sbesttoleavebionicsformoreexperiencedplayers.

B o r g w a r e

Ofall the Bionics on offer, Borgware is the oldest andmost understood. Bionicsare favouredbymanybe-

causeofthelongevityofferedbyreplacingbiologicalpartswith easily serviced energy driven systems. Also, Borgwarehas the advantages of cost effective Augmentation andrepairaswellasawidearrayofsmallsystemsthatcanup-gradeasuitwithlittlecost.

to suat or not to suatBorgshaveachoiceofbecomingaHalfBorg (Borg spineandalimbortwo)oraFullBorg(fullbodyreplacement).HalfBorgsarerare(Rarity:80%)andtendonlytobethosepeoplewhohavelostlimbsthroughaccident(orcarelessness)andcannotafford(orfind)aBioweavereplacement.

Full Borgs aremuchmore common and can be found inIndustry, Sports and in Expeditionary teams (people wholeaveHumanoccupiedspace).Borgsarealsowidespreadacross the Imperium,especially in Star Fleetwherehumanintelligenceisrequiredwithinthetoughbodyofamachine.Thus, Borg suits can be classed as Military, Expeditionary,IndustrialandSport.Militarysuitscanonlybegainedbyac-tiveserviceintheStarFleetandarenot includedherebe-causeoftheirrarity.Alltheothersarereadilyavailableandtheirusesarelistedbelow.

ItispossibletoaddBorgwareorCyberwareinstages(calledIncrementalCyberware),allowingagradualchange fromhuman to Augmented. The benefit of this is that there isless cost up front andalso the chanceof rejection is less.Furthermore, the rehabilitation time is spread out over anumberofweekssothereisnoneedtotakeamonthout.Itdoestendtotakelongerthanjustbeingsuitedinitiallyandyoudon’tgetallthebonusesatoncebutitmightbemoreappropriateforaperson’spositioninateam.

Expeditionary

TheclosestsuittoaMilitaryone,withoutactuallybeingone.TheexpeditionarysuitisintendedforuseoutsideofImperiumspace:theFringeandLoneSystems.Expeditionarysuitstendto be fast, tough andwell equipped for all environments.

They are also the only suit that can come with weaponsmountedas standard.Due to thehigh tolerancesof con-struction,thesesuitsaregenerallythemostexpensive.

Industrial

ByfarthemostprevalentsuitistheIndustrialone.Thesesuitsare larger, strongerandequippedsuchthatapersoncando their job. Industrial suits are used in Star Docks, SpacePortsandanyhazardousenvironmentwhereahumanmightneedtowearanenvironmentsuit.Thesuitstendtobelargeandbulky.Duetothelargenumbersinwhichthesesuitsareproduced,theytendtobecost-effective.

Sports

ThesportsindustrytookholdofBorgandCyberwareassoonasitrealisedtheathleteswoulddoanythingtogetanedgeontheirsport.Thesesuitscomeinallsortsofvariants,mostlydesignedforaparticularsport.Thereisa‘generic’sub-type.This is for those peoplewho either like to think they are atrueathleteorwishtohavethelongevitywithoutthecostofanExpeditionarysuitorthebulkofanIndustrial.Thecostofthesesuitstendstovarydependingontheapplicationtheyareputtousebuttheycanbeextremelyexpensiveindeed.

hugmenthtaon hnd reChbalathtaonTheAugmentationforBorgwareisdoneusingasemi-auto-mated laser surgeonwhere thebrain is removed from theskull of the Augwhile immersed in a biogenetic fluid. ThebrainisthenlacedwiththeRayengineLink(Rink)andinsert-ed intotheBorgsuit.ConnectionsarethenmadewiththesuitandtheRehabprocessbegins.ThewholeAugmentationprocessbetweentheuserbecomingunconsciousandbe-ingimmersedinthefluidandthenwakingupasaBorgis20minutes.Theprocess isarefinedandwellunderstoodone.ThusitrequiresanEasyBionicsSystemstoperform.Fewpeo-plerejecttheAugmentationbutiftheydo,theycanbere-joinedwiththeiroldbodyandthescarringremoved.

Rehabilitation is the difficulty in the augmentation ofBorgware. The Human brain does not react well to beingputintoanunfamiliarhostforthefirsttime.Thefirst40hoursof consciousness normally involve convulsions and a fairamountofpainforthenewAug.Fromthere,theAugmustlearntowalkandotherdexteroustasks.Differentsuitstakedifferentamountsof time toadjust to. The further fromhu-manitythesuitisthemoretimeittakestoadjust.AfterRehabisfinished,itisexpectedfortheretobesomeadditionaltrain-ing,whichcanbeself-taught.Rehabilitationsupervisionre-quiresaBionicsSystemscheck.

rephar hnd upgrhdangBorgwareismostusefulwhenitcomestoupgradingoradd-ingtothesuit.Itdoesnotrequireafullyqualifiedmedicandlargeamountsofequipment,likeotherBionics.

RequirementsforRepairorUpgrades:BionicsSystemsRoll(Easy)BionicsKnowRollandMechasysSystemsRoll.

Thus,youdonothavetobeaqualifiedmedictobeabletoupdateBorgSystems.

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C y b e r w a r e

ThemostdesirabletechnologytocomefromtheAranWarisCyberware.Cyberwareallowsapersontobecomeaug-mentedtostrengthsequallingtheBorgswithoutloosinghu-manityintheprocess.Thisisdonebyremovingwhatisundertheskinandreplacingitwithatechnologicalsubstitute.Thus,Cyberwareisamarriagebetweentechnologyandbiology,beingable tocreateamachinethatcansymbiotically in-teractswith thehost (theAug).UnlikeBorgware,a full suitCyberwaredoesnotjustkeepthebrainoftheAugalivebutmustalsomaintainskin/hairandanyotherorgansalive.

Cyberwhre ClhssafaChtaonCyberwarecanbesplitonceagainintodifferenttypes.Themain twoareHardwireandWetwire.HardwireCyberwarearethosethingsthatreplacehumansystems.Thiscanbeinfull(FullBodyReplacement)orinpart(anartificialliver).Itisveryrareforapersontojustreplaceasinglelimb.WetwireCyberneticstendstobeadditionstothehumanform,suchasanimatedtattoosoraRayengineLink.Wetwiretendstohavemuch sorter (or even negligible) rehabilitation times,unlikeHardwire.Thereareplaceswherecrossoverdoesoc-cur,inthiscasetheyarecountedasHardwire.Duetocost,HardwireCyberismuchlesscommonthanWetwire.

The types of Cyberware suit are Military, Expeditionary,Industrial and Sports. These classifications are exactly thesameasintheBorgwaresection.UnlikeBorgware,IndustrialCyberwareisquitedifficulttocomebyasaCyberwaresuitisnotascosteffectiveandversatileasaBorgone.

hugmenthtaonAugmentationthehumaninnerwithoutdamagingtheouteris a very difficult and complicated process. Although thetechnologyiswelldevelopedandunderstand,thereneedstobemanymoreadjustmentsthaninBorgwareaugmenta-tion. Beforeaugmentation, the suit ordeviceneeds tobeconfiguredtomatchthegeneticcodeoftheAug.This re-quiresthetechnologyoftheCyberwaretobemuchmorecarefullyconstructedandmalleabletothedemandsoftheAug,suchasheightandbuildadjustment.

Cyberwareaugmentation requires twodifferentprocesses,often happening concurrently. They are called theCyberRazor Cut (CRC) machine and Nanobiogenetics (NBG).Sometimesonlyoneofthetwoarerequired,dependingonthe Cyberware being used. CRC and NBG installation re-quirestherightequipmentandasuccessfulBionicsSystemsrollforeachoftheprocesses(ifbotharerequired).

Cyber rhZor Cut (CrC)This system isachair inwhich theAug sits. Thechair is setina veryaccuratebeaming field.Onanother chair is theCyberware(suitordevice).ThesubjectismadeunconsciousandthesuitisbeamedfromitschairintotheAugwhiletheinternalsoftheAugarebeamedintoabiotankforstorage.These internalsareoften sold tooffset thecost. Thewholeprocesstakesapproximately5minutes.

nhnobaogenetaCs (nbg)ThisusesaspecialformofNanobotwhichhasspecificinstruc-tionsonthealterationoftheAug.NBGisusedextensivelyinthejoiningofCybersuitandAugbody(especiallyinlinkingupthesuitandtheskin).NBGisessentiallyhundredsofrobotssmallerthanthehumaneyecanseethatareprogrammedtoco-ordinateforasinglepurpose,theaugmentationthattheywill install. Once the robots are complete, they shut-downandbiodegradewithinthehost’sbloodsystem.NBGisappliedbyinjectionthroughanormalhypo.AnymaterialsrequiredforthecreationofthestructuresareinsertedusingaCRCmachine.TheAugmustremainwithinahugecylindri-cal sensorfieldwhile theNBGcando itswork.Dependingonthework,NBGcanlastbetween5minutesand60hours.

Usually,theCRCandNBGmachinesarecombinedtogetherina single facility. This singleCyberware facility is calledaCybershock.

reChbalathtaonMuch likeBorgware,theamountofRehabilitationrequiredforCyberwaredependsontheextenttowhichthehumanhas be augmented. Large changes in physical attributes(Attributes)orpersona(looks)willextendthetimeofRehab.Rehab,much likeBorgware, involves learning towalkandoperateagain.Thefirst40hoursisalwaystheworstwithcon-vulsionsandfrequentbiliousattacksand lossofconscious-ness.

rephar hnd upgrhdangCyberwareisgenerallyundertheskinandthusrequiresthesametechnologytorepairandupgradeaswasrequiredfortheoriginalinstallationprocess.IfCRCwasrequiredforaug-mentation,thenitwillberequiredforrepairandupgrade.Iflargequantitiesofskinhasbeenremoved,thenaBioweavesystem (see Bioware) will be required to replace it. If theequipmentisavailablethenasuccessfulBionicsSystemsrollisrequiredtorepairorupgradetheaugmentations.Afailureofthiscouldleadtorejection,othersystemsbeingdamagedorextendedrehabilitationtimes.

Upgradinga suitoncefitted isavery rare thing todobe-causeoftheprohibitivecostofreturningtotheCybershock.Mostly, all the augmentations required are listed and in-stalledallatonce.Thisalsohas theeffectof reducingtheRehabilitationtimes.

I n c r e m e n t a l B i o n i c s

Formost, the jump fromhumanity to full suitedAug isonethatistoogreattotakeinasinglestep.Takingamonthoutoflifeorthecostofsuitinginonegomakesgoingforasuitimpossible.Toincrementallyreachthesamestateasbygo-ing forasuitdoescostmorebut thecost is spreadoveralongperiodoftime.

The systemsgiven here canbeappliedas upgrades to apre-created suit. The Cyber and Borg suit sheets give thebreakdownof systemsand theireffects, so it iseasy to re-placethemifneedbe.

Whenupgrading incrementally, there isapointwhere theAug has to choose between keeping their humanity andtradingeverything forametalcasing. Thischoice ismade

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at the last step, where the last vestiges of humanity areswappedforaheavyarmouredshell. Thesystems installedupuntilthisdecisionpointhavebeenplacedundertheskinsotheresultingsuitthattheAugwillhavewillbeofasimilarsizetotheirprevioushumanform.Therefore, ifyouwanttobebiggerandaless-humanformofAug,thengowithasuit.

Asageneral rule, it iswisetohaveaplanofwhatformofAugyouwanttoend-upas.Thisissothatyougettherighttypeofbionicsearlyon.

from Cumhn to hugThe core of Incremental augmentationareAugmentationPoints.Augmentationpointsisarepresentationofhowmuch‘space’ you have left to install new systems. For any hu-man,thestartinglevelofAugmentationpointsistheirMeatAttribute.IftheMeatAttributeisthenalteredbyanupgrade,theinitialpointsarenotmodified.

Some systems use up Augmentation points (they take upspace),suchasthegenerators.Othersystemsprovidemorespace(suchastheframe).

Eachsystemhasanumberofproperties,whichactasbo-nusestogamemechanicornarrativeeffects.Forexample,aMotorsystemgivesbonusestoShiftandMeatstate,whichisagamemechaniceffect.AninternalGaiacardallowstheusertoaccessGaiawithoutneedingacard,whichisause-fulnarrativeeffect. If the systemdoesnoteffectacertainarea(suchasHitPoints),thentheareawon’tbelisted.

Manysystemsalsohaveasetofrequirements.Theserequire-mentsaresystemsthatmustalreadybepre-installedbeforethe new system is put in. For example, you can’t replacethehumanmuscleswithaMotorsystemwithouthavingtheGeneratorsystemtheretopowerit.

understhndang tCe requarementsThe chart above shows the requirements of all the majortypesofbionics.Systemsonthelefthandside(Endobioreorg,OrganEngine,RinkandLightArmour)donothaveanyre-quirements.Alltheothersrequirethesystemthatitisjoinedtoontheleft,forexampletheFramerequiresGeneratorsfirst.

For each major system, there are different manufacturersthatprovidesystematdifferentpricestofitwhateverbudgetyouhave.Thegeneraldescriptionsofwhatthecomponentsdoisgivenbelow.Thelistofsystemsthatcanbepurchasedisgivenlater.

endobaoreorgRequires: NothingInstall Method: CRC and NBG

TheEndobioreorg replaces thedigestivesystem(Digestive,LymphaticandUrinary).IttakesfoodtheAughasswallowedand extracts nutrients and energy from it. It also gets ridofwaste, either through the typical humanmethodorbebreaking the solids togas. This system is self-poweringandself-regulating.

The Endobioreorg is normally the first augmentation thatpeopletakeasitreplacesmanyofthefunctionsthatfailfirstinoldpeople.InmostmodernsocietiesacrosstheImperium,peopleovertheageof110haveaEndobioreorgandtheimplantprocessisseenasroutine.Thesystemcanrarelybe‘felt’bytheAugbecauseitworkssilently.Onlybenefits,such

asbetterdigestioncanreallybedetected.

Low specification Endobioreorgs replaces the digestiveprocesswithalsotheabilitytodetectanddisassemblesometoxinssuchthattheAugisn’tpoisoned.

Athigher specifications, theEndobioreorgcanextracten-ergyfromawidevarietyofsubstancesandcanbemodifiedbyanAug’sRink tocontrolbodily functions.Evennutrientscanbesynthesisedfrombaseplantmatterthatcontainsnonutrientsatall.

TypicalGameEffect♦ ConsumesAugmentationPoints♦ Abilitytoresistpoison♦ Bettersurvivalonlessfoodandwater.

rankRequires: NothingInstall Method: NBG and CRC

TheRink(RayengineLink)isalinkwithapowerfulRayengine.TheRinkisaveryusefuldevicethatcanbecombinedwithother technologies to provide the Augwith extra abilities.TheRinkisatinyRayEnginethatislinkedtothebrainthroughover 10billion synapses. Normally, it is used to consciouslystoreinformation(data)fortheuserbutcanalsobeusedtoconnectwithotherdevices,suchasothersystemsinstalledintheAug.

The Rayengine is ubiquitous. If you’re thinking of dabblingwithbionics,thentheRink isvery important.AlthoughRinksaremanufacturedbymanydifferentcorporations,Rinkarestandard.TheRinkcanthenbeupgradedbyinstallingRink-specificadditions.Thesearecountedassmallsystems.

TypicalGameEffect♦ Allowsfurtherupgrades.

orghn enganeRequires: NothingInstall Method: CRC and NBG

Theorganenginereplacesbreathing,circulationandisre-sponsibleforkeepingthebrainalive(Circulatory,Endocrine,Immune, Respiratory). The Organ Engine is a self regulat-ing system that controls blood flow and regeneration,and supplies thebodywithnutrients from thedigestive (orEndobioreorg).

OrganEnginesarethesecondsystemthatareusuallytakenbytheelderlyasitimproveslifespanbyreplacingtheheartandbetterprovidingthebrainwiththenutrientsitcanuse.

LowSpecificationOrganEnginessimply replacesthebasichumansystemsandcanprovideatougherimmunesystem.

HighSpecificationOrganEngineshaveinternaloxygenstor-agetoallowtheAugtolivewithouttheneedtobreathforlongperiodsoftime.

TypicalGameEffect♦ ConsumesAugmentationpoints♦ Allowssurvivalwithoutoxygen

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frhmeRequires: Endobioreorg, Organ EngineInstall Method: CRC machine

Theframereplacesthehumanskeletonandits joints. Thestructure is normally personalised before installation. TheFrame’sprimarypurposeistoprovideasolidstructureuponwhichalltheothersystemscanbemounted.

TheFramealsoprovidestheAugwithmoreprotectionfromdamageandallowstheAugtotakemoreknocksbeforebe-comingknockedout(moreStun).However,theframetendstobeheavier than thehumanbonesand so theAugwillfeelareductioninphysicaldexterityuntiltheMotorsystemisinstalled.

At low specification, the Frame just replacesboneswithalargeeffectondexterityandlittleadditionalprotection.

Athighspecification,theFrameprovidesalotofprotectionandAugmentationpointsforlittlereductionindexterity.

TypicalGameEffect♦ ProvidesmoreAugmentationpoints♦ Providemorehitpoints♦ Providesmorestun♦ ReducesShiftandMeatAttribute

generhtorsRequires: Endobioreorg, Organ Engine, FrameInstall Method: CRC Machine

GeneratorsprovidepowerforotherBionicssystems.Bytakinggenerators,theAugisreallyplanningtotakethenextstepastheydonotprovideanyotherbenefitbuttoallowothersys-temtobeinstalled.TheGeneratorsneedtheEndobioreorgandOrgan Engine tobe installed firstbecause theyneedspacewithinthetorsocavity.

At lowspecification,thegeneratorprovides littlepowerforalargeamountofAugmentationpointsandviceversaforhighspecificationsystems.

TypicalGameEffect♦ ConsumesAugmentationpoints♦ ProvidesPowerpointsthatareconsumedbyothersys-tems.

motorRequires: Endobioreorg, Organ Engine, Frame, Generators, RinkInstall Method: CRC Machine

Themotorsystemreplacesthemusclesofthehumanbodywitheno-mechanicactuators.ThiswillfeellikeanenormouschangefortheAugbecausetheywillfeelstrongerandfast-erasaresult.Duetotheenormouschangethatoccurs,therehabfromthemotorsystemisparticularlydifficult.

A low specification,Motor systemsgive theAug the samestatisticsasanaveragehuman.Forthosewithmassivelimbdamage,thisisacheapandworthyalternative.

At high specification,Motor systemscanallow theAug toleaplongdistances,runfasterandbemoredexterousthanmosthumans.

TypicalGameEffect♦ ImprovedMeatandShift

♦ DropinSoulAttribute

sensoraumRequires: RinkInstall Method: NBG and CRC

The Sensorium replaces and extends the five senses.Physically, the visual, olfactory (smell), auditory (sound),touchandtastearereplaced.Mostpeoplefindthattheim-provementinallthesemakestheworldseemsharper.Asthesensesareextended,thentheamountofrealitythattheAugcansense isgreatly improved. Thiseitherhas theeffectofdisturbingtheAugorenlighteningthem.Rehabilitation isaverynecessarypartofthissystem,toallowtheAugtomakebestuseofthesharpandbroadsenses.

Atlowspecification,thehumansensesarereplacedwithasharperversion.

At high specification, the full range of things thatmodernsensorscansenseareplacedin,givingtheAuganunparal-leledviewoftheworld.

TypicalGameEffect♦ Providesbettersensesforviewingthings

lagCt/Cehvy hrmourRequires: None / Endobioreorg, Organ Engine, Frame, Generators, Rink, MotorInstall method: CRC

ArmourprovidesadditionalprotectiontothesystemsoftheAug.Armourissplitintotwotypes,LightandHeavy.Lightar-mourscanbeplacedundertheskinandprovideprotectiontovitalorgans.Aframeandmotorarenotrequired.

Heavy armour needs more space inside the body and astrongstructuretoattachto.Therefore, itneedstheFrameandMotorunits(andeverythingelsethatgoeswithit).

Lowspecificationarmoursareheavy,encumbertheindivid-ualandtakeupa lotofAugmentationpoints forvery littlegain.

High specification armours are light, take up fewAugmentationpointsandprovideexcellentprotection.

borgangSome Heavy Armours are marked as Borging armours. Iftheseareselected,thentheskinoftheAugisremovedandarmour is replaced.At this point, theAug is a Borg, notaCyberand the lastvestigesofhumanityare removed. Thisincludesgenitalia.

TypicalGameEffects♦ ConsumesAugPoints♦ Provideshitpointsand,armourrating♦ ReducesShiftandMeat

otCer systemsRequires / Install: Depends on system

Therearemanymoresystemsthatcanbe installedbytheAugandtheyhavetheirownpropertiesandrequirements.Theyare not standardaugmentation systemsand includetheirowndescriptions.ThesesystemsrangefromGravPackstomedicine injectors. The reason their typesarenot listedhereisthattheyarenotrequiredtomakeaBionicssuit.

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propertaes of h systemAsystemisdescribedbyanumberofdifferentitems,eachonedescribestheeffectithasonthegameworld.Hereisalistofalloftheitemsandtheeffectstheyhave:

Manufacturer

Thisisthecompanythatproducestheitem.YourGMmightallowapricediscount if youarewellacquaintedwith thecompany.

Cost

Thisistheamountofcreditsthesystemcoststobuy.Addthecostofeachsystemtogetherforthefinalsuit.

Rarity

Thisishowrarethesystemisinpercentage(%).Rolloverthisvaluetoseeifyourlocalstockisthasit.Therarityofthebion-icssuitistherarityofthelargestvalue.

Type

EitherCyber,BorgorBoth.Somesystemscanonlybeusedasasystemundertheskin(Cyber),somerequirethefullbodyreplacement tohavehappened(Borg)or somearegoodforboth.ASuitcanhaveamixofBothandoneoftheothertypes.

Install

This is the time inhours the systemtakes to install.Add thisnumbertotheInstalltimesoftheothersystems.

Rehab

ThisisthetimeinhourthattheAugwillneedafterinstallationto recover fromthe installation.Add thisnumber toall theotherrehabilitationtimes.

Interval

This is thetimethatmustbewaitedbeforeanothersystemcanbeinstalled.Ifmorethanonesystemisinstalledinonego,takethelargestvalue.

MachineInstall

Denotes which machine is needed to install the system.EitherCRC,NBG,Mechbayoracombination.Mostbionicsshopswillhaveboth,sothisislessofaproblem.

AugmentationPoints

Thisisthespacethatthesystemusesinthesuit.SomesystemsgiveAugmentationpoints(suchastheFrame)whereothersusethemup(SuchasGenerators).AddtheAugmentationpointstogether.

PowerConsumption

This is theamountofgeneratorpower thesystem requires.AddthePowerConsumptionstogether.

Attributes(Battle,Meat,Shift,Soul,Wit)

TheseareyourcharacterAttributesandsystemswillhaveaneffectonthem.Tocalculatethesetakeyourstartingcharac-terstatisticsandthenaddthesuiteffectsontothem.

Body-ArmourRating

Armouraddsprotectionfromthesystems.TheArmourRatingisdealtwithslightlydifferentlytotherestofthebody.ToworkouttheArmourRating,takethehighestArmourratingofall

thesystems.

Body-everythingelse

HitpointsandstundenotehowtoughtheAugis.AdduptheSystemeffectofalltheitems.

GameEffect

Thistellsyouwhatgameeffectthesystemmighthave.Thingslikeresistancetodiseaseoraweaponfiringmodifier.Justlisttheseattheendofyoursuit.

ansthllhtaon anstruCtaonsTheartof installingbionics isamatterofadding, subtract-ingandfindingthebiggestorsmallestvalue.Foreachsys-temyouhave,addupthenumbers.Onceyou’veinstalled,checkthatthefollowingrulesapply:

1.AugmentationPointsandPowerConsumptionmaynotbenegative.2.Statisticsmustbelargerthan0.

These rules apply once you’ve installed all of the systems,if theyarebrokenduringyour installation thenthat’snotaproblem.Youcan’t,however,haveyoucharacterwalkingaroundwithzeroornegativestatisticsbetweenseparatein-stallations.

upgrhdang systemsWhenupgradingasystemyoualreadyhaveinstalled,sub-tract thehitpointsandmodifiersof thesystemyouare re-movingandapplythenewmodifiersofthenewsystem.Therehabilitationtimewillbethesameasittakesconsiderableefforttoreadjust.

B i o n i c s I n s t a l l a t i o nE x a m p l e

Thisexamplewillshowhowacharactercanbeincremen-tallyinstalled.Ifyoujustwanttoinstallareadymadesuit,

thencheckoutthepre-madesuitsintheEquipmentIndex.

JohnSmith,ourexamplecharacterfromcharactercreation,hasdecidedthathishumanityisavailablefortrade.Forthisexample,someexamplesystemshavebeeninvented(andcanbe found in theAppendix). Toaugmentyourcharac-ter,usethesystems in theEquipment Index,wherethere isgreatervariety.

JohnSmithAttributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 1Meat 6 Head 10Shift 5 LeftArm 10Soul 9 Torso 40Wit 3 RightArm 10AugmentationPoints

6 LeftLeg 15RightLeg 15Stun 50

InstalledSystemsNone

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GameEffectsNone

step 1: endobaoreorgWithJohn,we’regoingtoincrementallyupgradehim,stepbystep.Hestartswith6Augmentationpoints(thesameashisMeatAttribute).Lookingattherequirementsdiagram,wecanbeginwith Endobioreorg,Organ Engine or Rink.We’llstartwithaTestEndobioreorgcalledaAeroDigestionTEST1.

JohnSmith(Step1)Attributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 1Meat 6 Head 10Shift 5 LeftArm 10Soul 9 Torso 55Wit 3 RightArm 10AugmentationPoints

5 LeftLeg 15RightLeg 15Stun 50

InstalledSystemsEndobioreorg:AeroDigestionTEST1

GameEffectsPoisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman)

step 2: orghn enganeThenextbeststepistheOrganEngine,whichisanotherstepbeforegettingtheFrameinstalled.We’regoingtoinstalltheSurebeatTest1organengine.

So far, this suit is costing a lot ofmoney and the benefitsareminimal.Toreallygetsomebenefit,youneedto installFrame,GeneratorsandMotortoo.

JohnSmith(Step2)Attributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 1Meat 5 Head 10Shift 5 LeftArm 10Soul 9 Torso 65Wit 3 RightArm 10AugmentationPoints

4 LeftLeg 15RightLeg 15Stun 50

InstalledSystemsEndobioreorg:AeroDigestionTEST1OrganEngine:SurebeatTEST1

GameEffectsPoisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman).Resistanttodisease.

step 3: frhmeTheframeprovidesAugmentationpointstobuildotherthingsinto.Johnwillbeusing themostbasic frame.At thispoint,therewillbeahiton John’sAttributes. This isbecause thebonematterhasbeenreplacedwithametalversionandsoheweighsmore.ThiswouldfeelweirdandthuseffectsJohn’shumanityandmentalstability.ThebenefitsinextrahitpointsareslightbutJohngetsextraAugmentationpointstomountgeneratorsandmotorsystemsonto.

JohnSmith(Step3)Attributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 5Meat 4 Head 60Shift 2 LeftArm 60Soul 9 Torso 215Wit 3 RightArm 60AugmentationPoints

10 LeftLeg 85RightLeg 85Stun 150

InstalledSystemsEndobioreorg:AeroDigestionTEST1OrganEngine:SurebeatTEST1Frame:PowerlineTEST1

GameEffectsPoisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman).Resistanttodisease.

step 4: generhtorsBeforeweputanewsetofmuscles (Motor) intoJohn,weneedtoaddthepowerfirst.Quiteoften,theGeneratorsandtheMotorsystemsareaddedatthesametime.Asyoucansee,theGeneratorisheavyandsoreducesJohn’sShiftcon-siderably.

JohnSmith(Step4)Attributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 5Meat 4 Head 60Shift 1 LeftArm 60Soul 9 Torso 215Wit 3 RightArm 60AugmentationPoints

7 LeftLeg 85RightLeg 85

Power 10 Stun 150InstalledSystemsEndobioreorg:AeroDigestionTEST1OrganEngine:SurebeatTEST1Frame:PowerlineTEST1ProaqTEST100

GameEffectsPoisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman).Resistanttodisease.

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step 5: rankThe Rink is generally a very useful device to havebut it isrequiredifyouwanttheMotorsystemasitprovidescommu-nicationbetweenthebrainandtheartificialmuscles.ItdoesnothaveanyaffectonJohn’sAttributesorhitpointsbut itdoesallowlotsofothersystemstobeinstalled.

Peoplenormallyhavethisinstalledfirstbutitisincludedheretoshowit’snotrequireduntilthispoint.

JohnSmith(Step5)Attributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 5Meat 4 Head 60Shift 1 LeftArm 60Soul 9 Torso 215Wit 3 RightArm 60AugmentationPointsleft

7 LeftLeg 85RightLeg 85

Power 10 Stun 150InstalledSystemsEndobioreorg:AeroDigestionTEST1OrganEngineSurebeatTEST1Frame:PowerlineTEST1ProaqTEST100Rink

GameEffectsPoisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman).Resistanttodisease.

step 6: motorThis is where Andrewwill feel a big change from normal-ity. Super human strengthand speedare theoutcomeofgettingMotorinstalled.We’llgowiththemostbasicversionagain.

JohnSmith(Step6)Attributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 5Meat 11 Head 60Shift 10 LeftArm 60Soul 8 Torso 215Wit 3 RightArm 60AugmentationPointsleft

5 LeftLeg 85RightLeg 85

Power 2 Stun 150InstalledSystemsEndobioreorg:AeroDigestionTEST1OrganEngineSurebeatTEST1Frame:PowerlineTEST1ProaqTEST100RinkMotor:TorquedriveTEST4

GameEffects

Poisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman).Resistanttodisease.

Chve h brehk!Atthispoint,wecouldleavethesuitasitisandJohnwouldhaveboostedstatisticsbeyondthehumannorm.However,mostcharacterswouldwanttogotwostepsfurtherwithaSensorium(improvedsenses)andHeavyArmour(betterpro-tection).

step 7: sensoraumJohnwillstillbesensingtheworldthroughhisnormal5sensesupuntil thispoint.Anupgradeto thesensoriumwill takealittlegettingusedtoas theworldwillappear inmuchbet-ter clarity. Once again, we’ll go with the basic model ofSensorium:ApplythistoJohnwillhavethefollowingeffects(mostlytheadditionofextendedelectromagneticspectrumofsenses,EM):

JohnSmith(Step7)Attributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 5Meat 11 Head 60Shift 10 LeftArm 60Soul 8 Torso 215Wit 3 RightArm 60AugmentationPointsleft

5 LeftLeg 85RightLeg 85

Power 2 Stun 150InstalledSystemsEndobioreorg:AeroDigestionTEST1OrganEngineSurebeatTEST1Frame:PowerlineTEST1ProaqTEST100RinkMotor:TorquedriveTEST4Sensorium:SenseboostEX20

GameEffectsPoisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman).Resistanttodisease.EMSensors

step 8: Cehvy hrmourThefinalstepforJohnistoinstallsomeadditionalprotection.We’ll take thebudget armour,whichwill add somemoreprotectionagainstfirearms.

JohnSmith(Step8)Attributes BodyBattle 6 ArmourRating 25Meat 8 Head 1560Shift 6 LeftArm 1060Soul 8 Torso 2715Wit 3 RightArm 1060

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AugmentationPointsleft

0 LeftLeg 1185RightLeg 1185

Power 2 Stun 250InstalledSystemsEndobioreorg:AeroDigestionTEST1OrganEngineSurebeatTEST1Frame:PowerlineTEST1ProaqTEST100RinkMotor:TorquedriveTEST4Sensorium:SenseboostEX20ForceguardEX22

GameEffectsPoisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman).Resistanttodisease.EMSensors

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s C h v e n g e r s e t t a n g

Junk isworthmoney to someone.Junk is free. Therearebillionsoftonnesofjunk,allworthmoney.ADeepSpace

Scavenger’sjobistofind,repairandreturnforsale.InGaiaprogrammes,theScavsareromanticisedrelichunters,siftingthrough jewelsandart frombefore theDroidWar. In real-ity,theyaretreatedasthelowestofthelowwhenitcomestoshipcrews,Scavsspendtheir time indangerouswrecks,huntingoutcargoandobjectsofvalue.Withinthesefloatingshipwreckscouldbeanymannerofdangers:traps,danger-ousequipmentorevenastrandedDroid.

AllwithinthesupposedsafetyoftheLightJumpNet,thesewrecks range from the resultsofmodernpiracyor thean-cient invasion of the Droids. A persistent search of spacerarelytravelled is thehomeofScavs,a longwayfromanyOrbitalsorcolonies thatcouldgiveassistance.Even if youdiduseaGaiabeacontocallforhelp,itcouldbedaysbe-foreanyshipcouldgettoyou.

ThisSettingisdesignedtointroduceyoutoIcarinsmallsteps.Your characterwill beginwith very little except theprom-iseofgreatfortune.Asyouprogress,youwillacquirebettertechnologyandevenyourownspacecraft-eithertoserveyourownpersonalgoalorseekfurtherfortune.

wCht’s Cere ThisistheplayerssectionforplayingateamofScavs.Itwillintroduceyoutotherestofthecrew(non-playercharactersthatwillbeplayedbyyourGM),helpyoucreateacharac-ter,tellyouhowsalvageworksandintroduceyoutoAnadarCluster,whichiswhereyouwillbetreasurehunting.

shlvhge vesselsASalvageVesselisaspacecraftnormallyconvertedfromadecommissionedspacecraftofsomeanotherrole,suchasfreighterorexecutivetransport.Thevesselnormallyhasthefollowingcharacteristics:

• Large. Carrying in bulk saves money and saves oncharges incurred at Orbitals. Also, larger items tend tohaveabettercreditspertonnageprice.•Inexpensive.Createdfromsalvagedpartsandnormallyevolvedfromwhatisavailableatlowornocost.ThisleadstoaSalvageVesselbeing:•Slow.AnSalvageVessel takesmanyyears toSalvageonesmallareaofspace,returningtobaseonlytooffloadcargoandsellon.•Adhocshape.Unliketheexecutiveorlargetradeves-sels, the Salvage Vessels tend to be unsymmetrical inshape.Thisaddstothelackofappealtheyhave.•PoorCondition.Mostof thesystemsonboardthatdonotdirectlyaidtheoperationofthecraft(biroreorganisersetc)arenormallyofpoorquality.Thismakesthestandardoflivinggenerallylow.

Crew membersSalvageVesselshaveaverystrictcrewstructure.Inanemer-gency,everyoneneedstoknowwhoisinchargeandwhattheir role is.Also,acrewstructureallows thecrewtohavethe feeling that theyareadvancing. The number of crewmembersarekepttoaminimumandmosthavetwojobs.Ingeneral theyaresplit intoSalvage TeamandHome Team.Allcrewmembersworkequallywheninsearchofsalvage,butwhen theyapproachawreck, theSalvageTeamnor-mallyenter thevesselwhereas theHomeTeamremainontheSalvageVessel.EverypersonintheSalvageteamhasaspeciality,buttheyallsharesomeareasofskills.MostoftheSalvageTeamaretechnicalcrewmembers.

tCe botCCery ClapperYourfirstjobonaScavengerVesselwillbeontheBotcheryClipper.Aconvertedlonghaulfreighter,theBotcheryClipperappearstobeatypicalScavengerVessel.Oncloserinspec-tionthepatchworkofmodificationsandimprovementshideamultitudeofsinsandhiddenareas.Toanyonewithoutstarsintheireyesitlooksperfectlycamouflagedforitsjob:apileofjunk.Toromantics,itisgushingwithquaintcharm.

tCe ChpthanThisisthepersonwhotakesresponsibilityfortheircrew.TheCaptainnearlyalwaysmanages theaccountsandmakesthefinaldecisions.TheCaptainalsogivesthemotivationanddrive, striking thebalancebetweenahappy,wellworkingcrewandprofit.Whenattendingsomesalvage,theCaptainrarelyleavestheSalvageVessel(HomeTeam).

MsMadelineStuo

TheCaptainoftheBotcheryClipperisatoughwomanof62yearsold(oldEarthtimeabout35yearsold).BeforebuyingtheClipperfromanotherSalvagefirm,shespent30yearsasatechnicianontheDrackisOrb,Remmar.Athinandharshwoman,shespeaksverylittleandisalreadygoinggrey.Sheinsists on uniformitywithin the crewand thuswears a onepieceboilersuitjustliketherest.CaptainStuohasloosemor-alsandcanmakesomeveryquickandcolddecisions.Toothintobeattractiveandwithlongblackhairinvariablytiedintoabun,sheoftenappearsolderthansheis.

tCe medaCEverycommercialVesselrequiresamedicallytrainedpersonbeforeanyothercrewmembersareemployed.TheMedicisthesecondmostimportantpersonontheship,withthem,theshipmaynotoperate(thereisnolawbutgenerallyac-cepted canon). Themedic often has plenty to do on anSalvageVessel,fromdealingwithinjuredcrewmembersre-turningfromadangerousSalvagemissiontomakingsuretheCaptainspendsenoughmoneyonthemedicalbayequip-ment.ThemediconlyleavestheSalvageVesselindirecir-cumstances(HomeTeam).

DrSorex

The Medic on the Botchery Clipper is an automaton ofDorian design. Educated with some of the best medicalprogramsavailable,thereisnotanillnesshecannotcure.Unfortunately, hehates theCaptain, his owner, her slidingmorals and lack of respect for the lives of living creaturesgoes against his very deepest soul. Having dealt with this

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kindoflaissezfaireattitudetolifehasmadehimbitterandcynical,givinghimtheworst‘bedsidemanner’imaginable.Although humanoid in feature and shape, the metal skin(whichhesaysisareminderofwhatheis)thatcovershimispoortestimonytohiscomplexityofdesign.

tCe CCaef teCCThe lastpartof theHomeTeam is thechief Tech. Thisper-sonmakessurethattheSalvageVesselisnotindangerandkeepsthesystemsonboardinfineworkingorder.TheChiefTechisoftenmadesecondincommandandspendsmostoftheirtimebetweenengineeringareasandthebridge.TheSalvageTeamnormallyreporttotheChiefTech.

IssHornBarnarder

Knownas‘TheChief’, IssHornBarnarder isoneofthemostexperiencedScavsinthetrade.Attheripeageof102,TheChiefhasbeenonScavengerVesselssincehewas10,‘retir-ing’totheHomeTeamonly20yearsago.TheChiefisverymuch likeafathertothecrewandtreatsthemallwith re-spect. Unfortunately, he is a ‘soft touch’andalthoughhecouldstandupagainsttheoftenheartlesswilloftheCaptain,healwaysbacksdown.TheChiefishuman,baldandwalkswitha limp. TheChiefalsohasmany storiesand rarelyat-temptstotellthesameonetwice.HemissestheexcitementofbeingintheSalvageTeambutunderstandsthattheAwayTeamonthewreckneedhissupportbackontheship.

S c a v e n g e r C h a r a c t e r s

ThePlayerCharactersplayaScavengerTeam.Thisteamisoftenorderedtogoontoplaceswhicharedangerous

andmustscavengeitemsthatcanbesoldonlater.Thismustbedonequickly.Everymemberoftheteamcostsmoneytokeeponboard,soeachmemberhastoprovetheirworth.IfamemberoftheTeamisnotpullingtheirweight,thentheyarelikelytobefiredatthenextport.ItisrarelythecasethatawholeScavengerteamislostwhileonSalvage.Thisistrag-icandleadstothemainshipreturningtoporttohireanewteam.

Peoplefromdifferentwalksof life joinforeithertheadven-tureortoescapefromsomething.Newteamsaredifficulttoformfromscratch,peoplearesuspiciousaboutanSalvageVesselsrequiringanentirelynewteam.

TheNewBotcheryTeam

Iwasbored.IsawanadvertforaScavAwayTeam.Iknewthat ScavengerVesselsarenotasprestigiousas freighters,butthenafreighterisnotnearlyasexciting.Andtheyrequireyoutobequalifiedfirst!Ineededexperiencetojointhecrewandneededto join thecrewtogetexperience.NotonaScav.They’lltakeanyonewithaheartbeat.

So I turnedupandseemed tohavewhat theywere look-ingforskillswise, thereweresomeotherstheretoo.Anoldmantalkedtous,hetoldastoryabouthowlonelyandcoldspaceisbuthowrichtherewardscanbe.ThentheCaptain,whowasthisoldwomanspokeinajumpsuitsaidafewwordsandthatwasit.Weweretoleavetomorrow.We’dnotevenbeenshowntheship!Oneoftheothernewrecruitssaidthatthiswasprobablyagoodthing.

CChrhCter ConCeptsBefore getting into skills and training, it is wise to considerwhatsortofpersongoestoworkforaScav.Ifyoucan’tthinkofacharacterconceptstraightaway,thenchooseoneoftheconceptsbelowandthenbuildandtwistitasyouplay.Thesearejustexamples,pleasefeelfreetoinventortwisttheones thatarehere.Theyaredesignedtogiveyoua jumpstartintothecharacter.AfteryouhavechosenaConcept,moveontogettingaSkeleton.

All theseconceptsrefertoasmallspacestationcalledanOrbital.Youdonothavetostartthere.Ifyouhaveabetteridea, suggest it toyourGM to see if it fitswith the startingplan.

IdealisedSchoolLeaver

You’veleftSchool,you’re18,youknowyousubjectswellandnowyourreadyforthebigwideworld.Yourparentsarehas-slingyouintojoiningsometechnicaldivisionoftheOrbitalonwhichyoulive,butyouwantmoreexcitementthanjustfixingpeople’sshowers.You’reproud,impulsive,enthusiasticandhaveanaiveandinaccurateviewofspacetravel.You’vesecretly readaboutScavs, listened intentlytostoriesand itsounds like the live foryou.Youwanteveryone to likeyouandbepartofafamilythatfightsthroughadversity.Fortuneis less important, richescancome later. The smallOrbyoucomefromisjusttoohick,youwanttoseethestarsandflythroughnebula!

ExConvict

Youmadeafewmistakesandyou’vedonetimeonaStarEnforcerprisoncolony.Youhavenomoneyandaresickoflivingintheorbital’sshelteredaccommodationforrehabili-tation.Youhavetogetoff thisbloodyplacebutno tradevesselwill take you. Youneedemploymentwith someonewhowon’taskquestions -andwon’tmind if they findoutyou’ve done time. You’re worldly wise, courageous (onlytheweakobeythelaw),humbleandfearfulofcommittingcrime.

Waster

You’vewastedyou lifeawaywithavoidingworkandhav-ingfun.Youneedtoprovetoyourselfthatyou’renotworth-less.You’regenerallyaniceperson,buttheskillsyouhavearenotaccreditedandyoucan’tgetajob.You’veworkedlowgrade jobs thatwouldbedonebyanAutomatononrichercolonies.Youdidn’tstickatanyofthem.BeingonaScavengerVessel soundsmore interesting than serving fatbusinessmen their food and will give you an employmentrecord.Ifyoudon’tlikeitafterafewdays,thenyoucanjustleave.You’renot really intothewholedanger thing, justasteadypaypacketandsomerespect.

Sociopath

Youdon’tlikelargenumbersofpeopleandyouhaveatem-perproblem.Youdon’t likecrowdedareas.Youdon’t likeauthority toomuch.Youwillgowith thecrowd,only if thecrowdaregoingyourway.Youwanttofightforlifealittle,buttheauthoritieswon’tallowyoutoexpressyourself.You’vebeentoldtoleavetheorbital.Youknowalltheconspiracies,youtapintoallthemaininformationsourcesandyoufinditdifficulttotrustpeople.TheScavvyisthebestplacetobe,noconspiracies,notrouble,otherwiseyou’redead.Perfect.

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FailedTrader

You lostyourship.Youhad itall,acrew,respectandyourowndamnvessel.Nowyou’velostitall.Youjustdidn’tknowwhen to be humble and listen to others, your selfish andfoolhardymannerhasmeanttheendofcareer.Andnow,you’re reducedtothis:abloodyScavvy, the lowestof thelow.Youweregreatandyouwillbegreatagain,ifonlythebitternesswouldgo.

Dreamer

Wherescienceandartmet,youlived.Rightontheedgeofitall.Themoneydriedup.Youdon’treallyunderstandwhy,it justwent. You’re virtuousandhonest to thepointof selfdestruction,butwithoutart,yourfierytemperhasnothingtoventitselfon.Youneedajobbutyourqualificationsarenotenoughforatradevessel,sotheScavsoundslikethebestplace.They’realloddballs,they’llappreciateyou.

Mid-lifeCrisis

You’ve spent your life playing it straight, working forCorporations making pointless rubbish for a virtual world.You’re60yearsoldandyou’vespentthemallplayingitsafe,takingnorisks.You’refitandhealthyandhaveleadagoodlife.Nowyouwanttohavetheexcitementyouhavebeenmissing.You’renotgoingtolikethestepdowninlivingstand-ardsthattheScavengerVesselisgoingtoofferbutitwillbeworthitfortheadventure!Nowyouwillknowwhatit is liketoreallylive.

skeletonsYou have chosen your Character Concept. This is whatmakesyourcharactertick.Nowthisneedstobewrappedarounda skeleton.Manyof the skeletons lookvery similar.ThisisbecausewhatmakesaScavcharacteruniqueistheCharacterConcept.Youwillnoticethateachskeletonhasaprimaryandsecondaryrole.Thisonlysuggeststhesortofskillstheyhaveandwhattheirfunctionis,donotthinkthisisarestrictiontohowyoucanplayyourcharacter.Normally,yougetoneofeachtypeinacrew.

The detail of each skeleton is given at the end of theScavengerSetting,justbeforetheGMguide.

Security

YourmainjobisensuringthesafetyoftherestoftheScavs.Your technical knowledge isused tomake sure thewreckyouaresalvaging issafetoworkon.Youaretheonewiththegun.

Weaponskillsandgeneraltech.

RayengineTechnician

You are the hacker, computer freak. Quite often, you arneeded toopenairlocksusingGaiaor source informationfromthewreck’scomputer(suchaslogsorcargomanifests).

Gaia/hackingskills.

ColonyTechnician

Whenitcomestothetechnologybehindcolonies,youarethebest. If it isonorunder theground,youknowwhat togetandfromwhere.Youcanopenupthesystems inmin-utes.Youalsoknowaboutexplosives,getting inandout isimportant!

Colonytechnologyskillsandexplosives.

ZeroGTechnician

Ifitsinspace,youknowaboutit.Youarethemaindriveonmost scavenger operations because you know the mostaboutfloatingwrecks.Operatingwithoutgravitycomessec-ondnaturetoyou.

SpaceCraftandOrbitalKnowskills.

HumanResources

Often,thecrewofthewreckarenotquitedeadenough.Atthispointtheyneedtobesortedout.Also,youknowwhatgetsgoodpricesandwhatthemarketwants.Youarethedealer.TheHumanresourcesmemberalsohavethetaskoffindingnewcrewmemberswhentheCaptainisbusy.

StreetandTradingSkillsandEmpathy/Persuasion.

S p e c i a l S k i l l s

ThefollowingskillsarepossessedbyallScavTeammem-bers.Theydonotappearelsewhereandcountasspecial-

istskillsusedonlybyScavTeammembers.AstheScavTeammembersareusuallynewtothejob,theybeginatstartinglevels.Ifacharacteristohaveexperienceinthefield,thentheyaretobeginwith(5xWit)+10percentage.

Zero g operhtaonsShift Wit. Instructor.

OperatinginZeroGisnoteasyformost,itcanbedisorientat-inganddifficult.However,ZeroGcanalsobeusedinfavouroftheworker,takingthestrainandweightoftools.Whenen-teringZeroGconditions(eachtime),thisskillmustberolled.Ifpass,thennofurthereffects.IffailthentheuserwillfindeverytaskatdifficultyHARD.

meCChsys extrhCtaonShift Wit.Requires: Possession of any ‘Systems’ skill.

Whenremovingpartsfromawreck,itmustbedonequicklyandwithoutdamagingtheitem.Thisskillistobeusedwhenan item is not easily removed. First, the appropriate skill isusedandif thispasses(atnormaldifficulty)thenExtractionisusedtoremoveitwithoutdamage.Apasswillmeanthattheunitmaybesoldasnew,otherwisealossofmoneywilloccur.

S c a v e n g e r O p e r a t i o n s

Scavenger Operations are dangerous but the dangerscanbe lessenedbyusingastandardoperatingproce-

dure.Aseriesofguidelines thathelpstopproblemsbeforetheydevelopandavoidputtingthewholecrewintodanger.Thestepsbelowassumethatthesalvageischancedupon.Ifthecrewistippedoffaboutthelocationofaworthwhilewreck,thenthefirststepisnormallymissed.

Thetimings‘out’fromthesalvagearethenumberofhoursuntiltheteamsetfootonthesalvage.

1. long rhnge deteCtaonWhile Light Jumping through space, a non-astronomicalobjectcanbedetectedfromafar(1squareontheclustermapeithersideoftheroute).Verylittleinformationcanbe

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gatheredduringLightJumpsothejourneymaybechangedtotakea jumpnearer totheobject.TheScavengerAwayteammaynotbenotifiedthattherouteischanging.Thisisnormallybetween10and12hoursout.

2. hpprohCCTheScavengerTeamareputonstandbyandbeginequip-ping.At this stage there is no ideawhether thewreckwillproduceanythingofanyvalueornot,althoughtheSalvageVessel creware committing themselves to taking a closerlook.Thisis8hoursout.

3. medaum rhnge sChnTheSalvageVesselwillnotLightJumpclosetotheobject,itisdangeroustodoso:sometimesspaceanomaliesappearasobjectsonlongrangesensors.

TheSalvageVessel leavesLightJumpandperformsame-diumrangescanatabout6hoursout.Fromthisscan,quitealotofinformationcanbegauged,suchastypeofwreckor colony and estimates of value aremade. TheCaptainwilldecidewhethertocontinuetothewreckortomoveonbasedontheinformationpresentedandtheexpertiseofthecrew.Ameetingisnormallyheldpost-scanforthisreason.

4. CarCuat of wreCkAcloserange(5000km,furtherifitisaplanet,moonorOrb)and2hoursout,aninformationgatheringcircuitofthewreckisperformed.Bytheendofthecircuit,theScavengerTeammustbecompletelyreadytobegin.Thisfinalcircuitwillpro-videtacticalandsafetyinformationfortheScavengerteam.Lifesupportandstructuralinformationisalsogathered.

5. shlvhge tehm braefang1 hour before the operation the team are briefed by theChiefandtheScavengerTeamleader.Theparticularsandjobsaresetoutfortheteam.

6. shlvhge massaonZerohour, the teamarriveon thesalvage for theirmission.Themissioncantakebetween1hourand10daysdepend-ingonthesizeofthewreckorcolony.TheScavengerTeamwork30hoursand then rest for 10. If theSalvageVessel ismorethananhouraway,restperiodsaretakenonthesal-vage,beitacolonyorwreck.

7. shlvhge tehm post braefangTheTeamreturntotheSalvageVesselonceeitherallofthesalvageiscollectedorthereisnomoreroomontheSalvageVessel.An inventoryofall theequipment isdoneand theteamanalysehowtheycanworkbetterinfuture.

8. dephrtAny objects removed from the wreck are cleaned, cata-loguedandstoredreadyforsale.TheSalvageVesseleitherreturnstobaseforsaleandrepairsorcontinuesthesearchformorewrecks.

shlvhge lhwWhatconstitutes Salvage? Is there still anowner? SalvagelawwasoriginallyinstatedbytheImperiumin6002andusedtechnology to solve the question of ownership. Salvage isdefinedas:

Star Civilisation (SCIV) handle all the claims over Gaia.Anythingoutside the Light JumpNet (and theumbrellaofGaia) is not covered by Imperial Law. Many objects arefoundand registered eachday on the Junk List includingthosethatare registeredbycrewswhomust leaveacraftduetosystemsfailure.Theabandonedcraftwillremainreg-isteredonthejunklistfor50years,afterwhichitisavailabletoanyonewhowishestosalvageit.Ofcourse,someSalvageVesselswillreturnawrecktoaStarDock-forafee.Coloniescannotbe listedonaJunkList, sosalvagecannotbepro-tectedby

Althoughthisisthelaw,itisoftenthecasethattheyarebentandbroken.Many of the SVs operate in areaswhere theStarEnforcerFleetdonothaveagreatpresence.ThisoftenleadstoPiracy.

parhCyPiracyisanycriminalactwhereaspacecraftisusedforar-rivalanddeparture.JustaboutanycrimeinvolvingSalvageVessels and wrecks are considered piracy. There are alsospacecraftposingasfreighters

profat hnd lossEveryoneonanSalvageVesselneedstopaytheirway.IfacrewmemberfromeitherHomeorScavengerTeamsarenotpullingtheirweightthentheCaptainwillfirethem.SalvageVesselsdonotmakeenoughprofittoaccommodatewast-ers.EverySalvageVesselhasadailyrunningcost,includingcrewpay,typicalrepairsandfood.Whenvisitinganorbital(whichchargesdocking fees) theamountof salvage soldmustcover theexpenses for thenext tripout. Therefore,abalancemustbeachievedbetweensearchingforandac-tuallystrippingawreck.Also,theSalvageVesselhasamaxi-mum tonnage it can carry. Every item has a price/tonne.Bigger items tend to havea highprice/tonneas do valu-ables:suchasaspacecraftAIRayengine(whichisthesizeof a gob stopper). All piecesmust be evaluated and theSalvageVesselonlyever returnswhen it nears its tonnagecapacity.

S c a v e n g e r E q u i p m e n t

All Salvage Vessels have their equipment customised.Everywreckthatisencounteredhasatreasuretroveof

itemsthatcaneitherbesoldorinstalled.Thisleadstoasomeinventive uses of spare parts and installation of nonessen-tialparts,purelybecause theybecameavailableandarenotworthselling.Althoughthereisalargeamountvariationbetween theequipmentand systemsondifferentSalvage

Anyitemwhichhasbeendiscardedbytheownerorwheretheownerisdeceasedandnoclaimhas

beenmadeontheitem.UponlocatingSalvage,StarCivilisationmustbecontactedtoregistersalvagerights.

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Vessels,therearesomeitemswhichappearjustabouteve-rywhere.Theyareoutlinedhere(equipmentsheetscanbefoundintheEquipmentIndex).

orbaChul sCuttleDesignedbyForrester,thisHeavyGravvehicleisusedbyallSalvageVesselsfortraveltoandfromwrecks,carryingbackanystrippeditemsandfortraveltocolonies. It isextremelyrobust,quickandeasy to repairanddesigned tobe spa-cious. TheOrbihaul suffers from being extremely slow andhandlesverypoorly. ThesearenormallynotconsiderationsforScavengercrewswhorequirespaceandreliability.

sChkespehr teCC katThis tech kits has everything a Scavenger Technician re-quires inahandybodyharness.Contents:Acompact400Poraqpowersupply,fluxcable,powerknuckles,aGaiatoProspaceConverter,screamer(fornetworkingintofluxtrans-missionlines)andDiagnosticSoftware.GaiajackandIsisnotincluded(required).

sChkespehr meCC katThisMechkitincludesmanydifferenttoolsforextractingitemsfromawreckandcomesinahandybodyharness.Content:2 handedEnergyCutter (BF 78on touch),Allosealer (joinstwobitsofanymetaltogether),TorqueGun(releasesany-thingthatrotates)andsomeAllotape(GafferTape).

envaronment suatAnunarmouredsuitwhichsurvivesextremelyhazardousen-vironments. From -200c to 500c temperature, zero gravityand0pressure to10bar. Italso shields from radiationandtheelectromagnetic spectrum.AllGravPackscomeswithapro-spaceCommunicationssystem(range100Mm)andaGravPack(Speed:10,Acceleration:10).

A n a d a r C l u s t e r

Situated in theveryheartofRemmar’sDarkspace,Ana-darisanunrulyfrontierCluster.TheImperium,spreadtoo

thinlyacrossRemmar,haveonlyatoeinAnadarandassuchAnadarandtheDarkspacearoundisaboundwithdanger-ousopportunity.

Anadarhasonlyahandfulofsuccessfulcoloniesandthoseareclingingontotheirownexistence.AstheImperium’sinflu-enceisweak,thereisgreatopportunityinDarkspaceforanewImperialPeer.Twopowerfulindustrialfamilieshaverisentothefore:HouseGrangerandHouseTacquent.ThesetwofamiliesbattleeconomicallyforcontrolofAnadarbyhelpingfledgelingcoloniesgrow,usingfleetsof freighterstosupplycoloniesandactingasmuch likean Imperial Lordwithouthavingthepowerorrecognition.

Freighters regularlymaketheDarkspacecrossingfromHubtoRimsidesoftheSector.ThereistoomuchvolumefortheStarEnforcerstocover,sopiracyisrife.

Anadarwasnotalwaysafrontiersystem,beforetheDroidsinvadeditwasahavenforwealthypatronsoftheartsandtheartiststheyfunded.Therelativesparsityofcoloniesmadealsomadeitanidealhidingplaceforpiratesandcriminals.

CoraskTheSystemofCoriskisashininglightinalloftheDarkspaceclusters. The first to be re-colonised after the Droids weresweptaway,Coriskisuniqueinthatithashadenormouslev-elsofImperialresourcesuseduponit.TheImperialpresencehere isobvioustoo:shiningnewMexCities,highdensityoffarmingonitstwoinhabitableworlds,arefurbishedOrbandprofitableminingwhereverpossible.

TwoofCorisk’sfifteenworldsareinhabitable.TheyarecalledFlorence and Penelope and orbit directly opposite eachother.Florence is the largestandmostpopulatedandhasthreemoons,allofwhichhavethrivingminingcommunities.Florence’s climate is temperate, controlled by a complexinteractionofmoongravitationalpullsandabrandnewat-mospheregenerationplant.

Penelopeismoonlessandhasawiderangeofclimatesfromicedpolestoadesertequator. InorbitaroundPenelopeistheBoudikaOrb,acleanandwelltenderedOrbwhoseor-deredsurfacelookslikeabotanicalgarden.Ahealthyrivalryexists between Florence, Penelope and the Boudika Orb.CoriskisasclosetoatypicalImperialsystemasyouwillfindinRemmar.

Corisk does have its problems. The Imperium have aban-donedattempts to repair thespacecraftdock inBoudikaOrb-whichwouldallowrepairstospacecraft.Crewingthespacecraftdockbecame impossiblewith Tacquent’sag-gressiveemployingoftechnicalstaffonhisColonyofEssofin.As such, Essofin remains theonlyplacewhere spacecraftcanhaverepairs.Thesameistruefortechnologymanufac-turing,whichEssofinhascorneredalloftheexperts.

essofanEssofin is thehomeof the self-styled LordE. Tacquentandhisdynasty.Acquentia,asingleinhabitableworldoftropicalclimateisthefocusofthissevenplanetsystem.EssofinisrunentirelybytheTacquentdynasty.AllthemajorcorporationsinEssofinareownedbyTacquentfamilymembers.

Essofinisprosperous,builtuponatechnologicalmanufactur-ingempire.TheTacquentindustrialcartelallowstheecono-mytoremainstableandhugetaxestolevied.LordTacquentclaimsthatthetaxesareploughedbackintoEssofinbutasstrictnumbersarenotpublished,itisdifficulttotellwhetherthisisthecase.

Acquentiaisamixedclimateworldwithseveralmoons(oneofwhich,calledPrometheus,isalsoinhabitable)andmanyorbitals.

FallingoutoffavourwiththeTacquentfamilyisbadforbusi-nessastaxesareleviedagainstcompaniesnotownedbyaTacquentfamilymember.

PartofEssofin’ssuccessisitsexcellentlawandorderrecord.Essofinhasacivilianpolice forcecalledTheMetropolwhotirelesslyworktokeepcriminalelementsoffEssofin.Byenter-ing the systemof Essofin, youagree to signup toanaug-mentedsetofImperiallawandalsosignawaysomeofyourrightstoo.TheImperiumisnothappywiththisarrangementbutdoesnothavetheresourcestodealwithit.

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obyrworldObyrworld is a singleplanet in theAmo system. TheotherplanetsoftheAmosystemweredestroyedinoneofthemostbitterdefencesof theDroidwar.Thesystem is litteredwithplanetarydebris in the formofasteroidbelts, leavingonlyObyrworldintact.

Obyrworld iscircledbya setof rings, the remainsof threeOrbs,whichweredestroyedbycolonists tryingtostemthetideofDroids. The ringsconsistof technological fragmentsof these artificialmoons, rich in both danger and reward.TheImperiumclassifiesObyrworldsimpleas“You’reonyourown”.Thenumberofobjectsistoogreatandthemovementtoochaotictosimplescanforgoods, theonlywaytofindsalvageistogetinamongstthedebris.

Theplanet surfacehasanunpredictableclimate.A singleremainingatmospheregenerationplant fights tokeep theairbreathableandsurface temperate.Withinaweek, theweathercanchangefromdesertconditionstotundraandthentropicalforest.Onlythetoughestplantlifeclingstotherockysurface.

The lethal rings of Obyrworld entice hundreds of greenScavenger crews but their danger is far from Newtonian.Piratesare said tooperatearoundObyrworld. TradecraftdovisitObyrworldtosiftthroughthe‘valuables’foundintherings.

dess-khy-dhrAsystemrichinbothmineralsandchaos.Thereisarunningjoke heldbypeoplewhodo not live there thatDess-Kay-Darhasa‘Governmentforeveryseason’.Dess-Kay-Darhastwocolonies:Fexoristheprimecolony,aninhabitablefourthplanet,who’s landmass is sparseamongstmassive seasofwater;Parachania is thefifth in thesystem,a rockyplanetwhosevaluablemineral resourceshas lead toa sprawlingsub-surfacecolonythatcanhousehundredsofmillions.

TolistthefactionsfightingforcontrolonDess-Kay-Darwouldbe impossible. Shifting politics, allegiances and alliancesmakeforaveryvolatilesituation.Couplethatwithinter-col-onyrivalry,analmostinexhaustiblesupplyofhiredmercenar-iesandbusinessuncheckedbytheImperiumandyouhaveavibrantandunrulybackdrop.

ThereisneveranoutrightwarinthesystemofDess-Kay-Darasthatwouldscareoffthetradevesselsbuttempersdoflareandbringwiththemriotsandquelling.

khleLovedbyitscolonists,Kaleisasystemofonlyonecolonyanda thriving food industry. Foundedon ideals of peaceandlove,Kaleusesonlymachinesthatareabsolutelynecessaryforthemtoliveandcommunicatewiththeoutsideworld.

The colony is on paradise planet of Harramunda, the 6thplanetofthesystem.AtthetimeoftheDroidWar,Kaleonlyhada few thousand inhabitants - all ofwhichevacuatedsafely,leavingtheworldtothrive.TheDroidspassedbytheempty planet to concentrate on areaswhere therewerehigherdensitiesofhumans.

AutomatonsarebannedonHarramunda.AnyspacecraftbasedAutomatons (suchas spacecraft avatars)must re-mainonboard.

pra-sotPri Sot is a system somewhere betweenmyth and reality.Referred to inpre-Droidwarmediaasautopianparadiseforartisansandtheirpatrons,itisoneofthereasonsAnadarwaseverfamous.WhatmakesPri-Sotamythisthatitsloca-tionwasonlyeversharedbywordofmouthandhassincepastintoobscurity.ThereareScavengerVesselsdedicatedtofindingPri-Sot,althoughthecrewsaretreatedwithsomeconsiderablecontempt.

rCot orbRhotOrbholdsaplanetaryorbitinthesystemofRhotandisremarkablebecauseitwaslargelyuntouchedbythesweep-ing obliteration of the Droid army. The Orb’s automatedprocesseshavecontinued to function since theDroidWarandtheplantlifeinsidehaslongsincetakenover.

RhotOrbhasalwaysbeena favourite location for talesofhiddentreasure.Themostwhisperedstoryisofapiratefleetwho took refuge therewhen theDroidscame.When theyrealisedthattheOrbwastobeleftuntouchedbytheDroids,thepiratefleettooktheOrboveranduseditasabaseofoperationsandaplace tohidevaluables they stole.Afterayearofstockpilingtreasurethere,thepiratefleetmettheDroidsheadonandwasdestroyed.

power hnd anfluenCeLikeanyCluster,Anadarhasitsfairshareoflocalcelebritiesandcompanies.Thisisnotanexhaustivelistbutgivesthosethatyouwouldhaveheardof.

LordE.Tacquent

At 54, this industrialist and trader is a growing influence inAnadar.BasedonEssofin,theself-proclaimedLordTacquentisaharshmanwhorunsatightpolicestatewherelittlecrimeexists. Tacquent has publicly denied any aspirations forImperialPeeragenordoeshewantany Imperialpresenceonhissystem.AnypublicationsaboutTacquentarecarefullycontrolled,solittleinformationonGaiaisavailable.It isun-deniablethatEssofinisthemostprofitablesysteminAnadar.

Tacquentheadsafamilythatactslikeadynasty.ThefamilyishugeandcontrolsallofthemainindustriesonEssofin.

TheFleetofHouseGranger

TheFleetofHouseGrangeristhenamegiventoanomadicfleetofspacecraftthatroamAnadar.Thefleet isnotonlyhugebutconsists ofgargantuanancient spacecraft. TheGrangershaveacalmandrespectfuloutlookandassuchthosethatworkandliveinthefleetarehappytodoso.Thefleet is self-sustainingandstopsat systemstooff loadfoodandmanufacturedtechnologywhilepickinguprawmateri-als.Itisbesttothinkofthefleetasaroamingplanet.Theyarenotatradegroupassuchbecausetheydonotworkroutesbackandforthbetweenplanets.

TheGranger family themselves try to keepoutof the spotlight, although it is their wealth (and investments held inSayshellSector)thatallowsthefleettoridethrougheconom-icallyhardtimes.They lendtheirnametothefleetbutarenotacontrollinginfluence.Thefleetismanagedinademo-craticwayanditisbelievedthatamemberoftheircouncilworks forStarCivilisation. ThefleetofGrangerarebannedfromEssofin.

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ThePinnacleTradeGroup

ThePinnacleTradegroupisanumbrellacorporationforlotsof trade vessels throughout Anadar. It is where everyonewants to work. Good pay, working conditions, leave, uni-formsandperks. Planet leave is always inplaces thatareinterestingandthehourstendtobeshortasthecrewrunsinmanyshifts.OftenthePinnacletradegroupspacecraftfitcabinsandimprovetheirfacilities,makingthevehiclesverycomfortableforpassengersandcrewalike.

Thepayontheseshipsisnormallysohighthatanyotherjobwouldrequireamassivepaycutandthusthecrew-turnoverissmall.Thisinturncreatesafamilyatmosphere.MostofthespacecraftarefreightersbuttherearetheoddoneortwoScavengerVessels.

TheUndertow

The Undertow is a Scavenger Vessel that is similar to theBotchery Clipper in every way. As such you would havefound out that they are the bitter rivals of the BotcheryClippercrew.

epalogueYou now have all the information required to play theScavengerSetting.Unlikemostsettings, theScavengerset-tingrequiresmoreguileandlessguns.Thisleadstomorerole-playingandclumsyfistfights.

Also,asaScavteam,youmightfeellikeyouarebeingrail-roadedalongalinearpathforthefirstfewsessions.Thisisnor-malinanysettingandissetthiswaysothatyoucangettogripswiththescenariolongbeforehavingtomakedecisionsforyourselves.Themissionswillgiveyoumomentumandhelpyou learn thesystem, thesetting itself isof sandboxnatureandchoicewillbethereifyouwantit.

IntheScavsetting,deathiscommon.TheonlyarmouryouhaveisyourEnvironmentSuit.Thegroupbeginswithonegunandnoneofyouare reallycombat ready.As longasyouholdbackonthegun-hoattitudethenyoucankeepmak-ingitthrough.

Don’tbeafraidofexploringtheBotcheryClipperoraskingtheDoctorandChiefquestions, theyare likely toanswerstruthfullyastheydare.Therearesomethingsthatarecount-edastheCaptain’spersonalbusiness,butthen,ifyou’rethesortofpersontopokearound,thenwhynotask?Shecanonlysayno.

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sChv seCuraty

TheScavSecurityisthereforthesafetyofthegroupandisagoodchoiceforthegroupleader.Theyarethetoughfighterinthegroupandaretheonlyonethatunderstandhowtofireweaponsandisfighthandtohand.Atfirst,itwillbetheScavSecurityroletoshepherdtheteamastheywillnothaveatechnicalroletoperform;insteadstandingbackandlook-ingaftertheteam.

SecurityalsoextendstooperatingonboardtheScavengerVessel.Itisimportantthatnoharmcomestothespacecraft.Duringspacecombat,Securitywillalwaysbemanningtheguns,unlesstheyareboarded!

SuggestedAttributes

BattleandShiftminimumof6,Meatminimumof5.

StartingSkills

Skillshavedefaultstartinglevelsunlessotherwisestated.LawHistoryBiologyPhysicalChemicalGaiaKnowMedBasicZero-GOperationsMechasysExtractionPilotGrav(5xWit)+D10LightFiring(5xWit)+D10HeavyFiring(5xWit)+D10StreetFighting(5xWit)+D10Streetwise(5xWit)+D10MechasysKnow(2xWit)+D10MechasysSystems(2xWit)+D10

StartingEquipment

Arms 5 Machine Gun. 2 magazines of 5.5 ammo. NelsonPistol. 2 magazines of 2.2 ammo. 2 Changes of clothing.EnvironmentSuitXXXXXXXXXXX.PersonalEffects.

Theteammustgetoffthewreckinonepiecewithasmuchkitaspossible.It’syourjobtoensurethatthey

do.Onceyourhappythatitisassafeaspossible,thenyoucangetonandhelptheothers.TheseTechietypesareanexcitablebunchbutthatcanleadtheminto

trouble.You’retheretoleadthemout.

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sChv Colony teCCnaCahn

TheColonyTechnician’sspecialitylieswithinanycolonyonaplanet.Thiscaneitherbeproorsub-surface.Whenarriv-ingataplanet,theColonyTechwillusuallystudythesitefirstandthenmakenoteofwherethemostinterestingitemsare.Theywillalsomakesuggestionsaboutthesafetyofacolonyandthustheyunderstandaboutplanetarymechanics.

Forspacecraftwrecks,theScavColonyTechnician’sgen-eral Mechasys skills come in very handy. During SpaceCombat, theColonyTechnician ismostusefulassisting theZeroGTechinkeepingtheBotcheryClippertogether.

SuggestedAttributes

Witminimumof6,Soulminimumof5.

StartingSkills

Skillshavedefaultstartinglevelsunlessotherwisestated.LawHistoryBiologyPhysicalChemicalGaiaKnowZero-GOperationsMechasysExtractionColonyKnow(5xWit)+D10ColonySystems(5xWit)+D10ColonyDesign(5xWit)+D10VehicleKnow(5xWit)+D10Macromechanics(5xWit)+D10MechasysKnow(5xWit)+D10MechasysSystems(5xWit)+D10

StartingEquipment

Shakespear Tech Kit. 2 Changes of clothing. EnvironmentSuit.PersonalEffects.

Youknowhowitallworks,belowsurface,abovesurfacewithhazardousatmospheresandall.Ifpeoplelivedonthesurfaceofaplanet,thenitisinyourremitofknowledge.Peopleliveincolonies,theyspendthewholelivestherebuttheyneverreallyseehowitall

works;gracefultechnologysilentlyworking.

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Zero g teCCnaCahn

TheZeroGTechnician’sremitistheknowledgeofanythingthatoperates innogravity. This includesbothorbitalsandstar craft. When arriving at a wreck, the Zero G Tech willusuallystudythesitefirstandthenmakenoteofwherethemostinterestingitemsareforscavenging.Theywillalsomakecommentsabout the structural safetyof thewreckbeforebeginningthemission.

As a secondary duty, the ZeroG Techwill be required tosupervise andadvice onmodifications, upgrades and im-provementstotheBotcheryClipper.

Onmissionsthatleadintoacolony,theZeroGtech’sgen-eralskills setcancomeinhandy,althoughtheirspecialisa-tionissomewhatuseless.EveryScavengerTeamMUSThaveaZeroGTech.

SuggestedAttributes

Witminimumof6,Soulminimumof5.

StartingSkills

Skillshavedefaultstartinglevelsunlessotherwisestated.LawHistoryBiologyPhysicalChemicalGaiaKnowMechasysExtractionZero-GOperations(5xShift)+D10SpaceCraftKnow(5xWit)+D10SpaceCraftSystems(5xWit)+D10SpaceCraftDesign(5xWit)+D10MechasysKnow(2xWit)+D10MechasysSystems(2xWit)+D10

StartingEquipment

ShakespearMechKit. 2Changesof clothing. EnvironmentSuit(withcommunicatorandGravpack).PersonalEffects.

Floatingwrecksarethemostcommonandyouknowit.Theyarealsothemostvariedandcosteffective.

Youcanseethesubtletiesindesignofashipororbitalfromalightyearawayandyouareguarenteedtotellwhetheritistheshipthatwillmakeitbigforthe

crew.You’remoreindemandthanotherTechieguysbecauseyoursubjectisjustmoreuseful.

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Cumhn resourCes

Although a general technician during the mission, theHuman Resources teammember provides common senseandnontechnicalpointsofview.Thisisveryuseful inamis-sionbecauseTechtypestendtoconcentrateonthetech-nologyitselfwhereasHRistheretoquestionwhy.

HumanResourceswillalsobeabletomakesnapappraisalson theworth of nontechnical items suchas people’s per-sonaleffectsorartwork.

SuggestedAttributes

Witminimumof6,Soulminimumof5.

StartingSkills

Skillshavedefaultstartinglevelsunlessotherwisestated.LawHistoryBiologyPhysicalChemicalZero-GOperationsMechasysExtractionGaiaKnow(5xWit)+D10Research(2xWit)+D10StreetDeal(5xWit)+D10StreetTrading(5xWit)+D10StreetWise(5xWit)+D10StreetScam(5xWit)+D10Empathy(5xWit)+D10Persuade(5xWit)+D10MechasysKnow(2xWit)+D10MechasysSystems(2xWit)+D10

StartingEquipment

Gaiajack. Isis. 2 Changes of clothing. Environment Suit.PersonalEffects.

Theproblemiswithwrecksisthatthecreworcolonistsarenotalwaysdead.Peopleseeitaspiracy,whichofcourseitisnot.You’rethemouthandbrainsofthepartyandyouactasgroupglue.Youmightnotbethemostusefultechnicallybutyoumakeupforthatwithsocial

savvy.

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rhyengane teCCnaCahn

TheRayengineTechnicianisalwaysthefirstfittedupastheyarethefirstonthewreck.Withtheirskillandifthereispower,theycanopendoors,re-routepowerandcangetsalvagebackintoastableorbitorevenoperationalagain.

Ever spacecraftwillhaveadatastoresomewhereand inthatstoremightbeinformationthatwillhelppinpointvalu-ablecargoor insuspiciouscircumstanceshelpunderstandwhathappenedtothewreck.

SuggestedAttributes

Witminimumof7,Soulminimumof5.

StartingSkills

Skillshavedefaultstartinglevelsunlessotherwisestated.LawHistoryBiologyPhysicalChemicalGaiaKnow(5xWit)+D10PilotGrav(5xWit)+D10GaiaSystems(5xWit)+D10GaiaDesign(5xWit)+D10GaiaHacking(5xWit)+D10AutomatonKnow(5xWit)+D10AutomatonSystems(3xWit)+D10MechasysKnow(2xWit)+D10MechasysSystems(2xWit)+D10

StartingEquipment

ShakespearTechnicalKit.Gaiajack.Isis.2Changesofcloth-ing.EnvironmentSuit.PersonalEffects.

It’snogoodhavingafloatinggoldmineifyoucannotgetinsideit.Youhavetobeattheforefrontof

everymissionbecausetheywillrelyonyoutogetthepoweron,opendoorsandleechvitalinformationaboutthewreckfromtheonboardRayengine.If

thereareanyAutomatonsonboard,itwillbeyouthatdecideswhetherornottheyhavebeeninfectedby

Droids.

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g h m e s m h s t e r g u a d e

Welcome Gamesmaster (GM), you are the author’sbestfriend.ThissectionwillhelpyoutorunIcar.Much

oftheinformationhereshouldnotbesharedwiththeplayers(unlesstheircharactersdiscoverit).Thisguideiswritteninanauthoritarianstyle,nottoimposelawsbuttokeepitbriefandtothepoint.Assumethatanythinginthisguideortherulesisopentointerpretationandbendingtomeettheneedsofyourgroup.

TheGMSectionissplitintothefollowingsections:Understand This Before You Play describes some hometruthsabouttheIcarsystem,whattoexpect.System Mechanicsgivesmoreexamplesofplayandhowtobestapplytherules.CharactersexplainsaboutskilluseandhowmuchRPtogiveout.Backgroundexpandsuponthebackgroundgiveninthemainsectionwithdetailsthattheplayersdonotneedtoknow(orwillfindoutduringplay).Running an Icar Sandbox explains how to run an IcarcampaignthewayRobLangdoes.Scavenger Setting Gamesmaster Notes givesextra infor-mation for the Scavenger Setting andapplies the toolsgiveninthissection.

understhnd tCas before you plhyIcarisdesignedforaSandboxCampaignplay.Ideally,5players(whichwillbeassumedfromhereon).Thecombatsystemislethal.Don’ttryanduseallthemechanicsinthefirstsession.

M e c h a n i c s

CombhtTheaimof thecombatsystem is toprovidefastand loosesceneswhile still having tomake tactical choices. It is notrecommendedthatyouuseabattlemapwithminiatures.This isbecausemanycombatsoftenenduphappening infourdimensionswithafirefightinabuilding,drivebyfiresup-portfromvehiclesandHackingonGaia.It’smucheasiertorepresentthatonascribbledmapwithagridtohelprepre-sentscale.Relyupondescriptioninscenesettingratherthanwhereminiaturesareplacesonagrid.

TheImportanceofSceneSetting

AllofthecombatsystemsinIcarrequireyoutosetthescenebeforecombatbegins.Bysettingthescenewell,youwillfindthattheplayerswillgetinvolvedindescribingthecombat,ratherthansimplyrollingdiceandreportingdamage.

Forexample:PoorSceneSetting.ThebadguyisanarmedBorg.Byrnie,youarehere.Thedoorishere.Thereisatableinthemiddleoftheroom.

Thereislittleherefortheplayerstolatchontoexceptthetar-

get.Byaddingsomeextradetail,youcanhelptheplayersmakemuchmoredescriptiveactions.

Example:BettersceneSetting.ThebadguyisaBorg,heiscarryingahugeguninhisrighthand.Byrnie,youareherebythedoorcontrolpanel.Thereisaofficetablehere,theMeshexitsarehereandhere.ThereisacrackedwindowbehindtheBorg.Theceilingis3mhigh.

Byaddinga littlemoredescription,youarepromptingtheplayer to think about thedecision. There is a little guidinghere,hintingthattheplayermightwanttoleave.Toomuchexplanation‘fluff’suchasthecolourofthewallswilltaketoolong.Iftheplayerasksquestionstofurtherdefinethearea,thatisfinebutanswerquicklyandpressforadecision.

Close CombhtCloseCombatisadescriptiveaffair.Characterspunch,kick,headbutt,dodgeandmore.Itisaveryvisualformofcom-bat.Iftheplayerwishestomakeuseoftheenvironmentinclosecombat,thatisfinetoo.

Example:ThePChastheenemy inaholdandtheyarestandingnexttoawall.Theenemyhasnotmanagedtobreak free. The player chooses to use a punch-punch-punchcombonextturnbutwouldliketoslamtheenemyintothewall.Inarealfight,thatmightbetrickybutitdoesshowthattheplayeristakingthesituationintoaccountsoaskforaStreetFightingrollandthewallbecomesabluntweapon.

Descriptivewords

Whendescribingtheblowstakenandgiven inclosecom-bat,itcanhelptoaddsomead-jectives. Head butts can crack,kicks might thud and punchescan slap. Below is a micro-the-saurus of words you might use.Encourage your players to de-scribethepunches.

CheatSheets

In the Appendix are two quickreference “cheat sheets” forclosecombat-onefortheplayerandoneforyou.Theyduplicatethesalientpointsoftherules.

XXXXXXXX ProvideCCGMhelpsheet with the manouvres andsomesampleCCcombos

fare fagCtangWeapons in Icar are lethal butmedicine and armour arepowerful. If you put unarmoured, unarmed characters upagainst justaboutanyonewithapistol, theyaregoing tohave pieces shot off. Always have amedic on hand be-causethemedic’sskillsandequipmentarevital.Iftheplay-ersshuntheideaofplayingamedic(whichisreasonable),thenaddone inasanNPCor runa less-lethalcampaign.An Automaton is a good choice for a medic becauseAutomatons cannot hurt people and are comparativelystrongandeasytorepair.

Tosimplifythebadguysrollingtohit,assumethateverybadguyhasaskillof60.RollyourhitsonaD100stillbut60isthe

DescriptiveWords

PunchesandHeadbutts

Thud,Crack,whack

Kicks

Slam,pound,

Stamps

Crunch,smash,mash

Blocks

Snap,Slap

Dodges

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valueyoumustgetunder.

ToeasilyworkouthowmuchanNPCisdealingindamage,assumethattheyarefiringtheweaponwiththefullnumberofroundsperturn.Iftheweapon’sBlastFactor(BF)ishigherthan the player character’s Armour Rating (AR) then thecharactertakesallofit.IftheBFislessthantheAR,theytakea10th.Justknockoffazerofromtheendofthedamage.

XXXXXXXXXXXX ProvideCCwithweapondamages for fullrateinaturn

C h a r a c t e r s

usang skallsWhenusingaskillforcharacterknowledge,onlyonechar-actermayrollperquestionaskedoftheGM.Forexample,ifacharacterasks“Whoisthecouncilchairmanonthiscolo-ny?”andfailstheirroll,nootherplayermayrolldiceforthisquestion.Iftheywanttoaskadifferent,connectedquestiontheymay.

Chndang out roleplhyang poantsTheintendedlengthofcampaignshouldgoverntheamountofRoleplayingPointsyouhandout.Forashortgame,youhandoutmoreeachsessiontoallowthecharacterstogrowat a quicker rate. For longer campaigns, you give less toavoidthecharactersbecomingverypowerfulearlyon.

Players play for reward.Whatever you hand out roleplay-ingpointsfor,thatiswhattheywillplayto.IfyouhandoutRoleplaying Points for killing things or having grand expe-riences, then theywilldomoreof that. In Icar, it is recom-mendedthatyouhandoutRPfor:

♦ Believablyroleplayingaconsistentcharacter♦ Havinggoodideas♦ Puttingeffortintothecampaign

Youdo nothandoutRPfor:♦ Completingjobs♦ Successfullycompletingtasks♦ Killing

HowmuchRPtohandout

Fora3hoursession,50sessioncampaign, IgiveoutRPus-ingthefollowingscale.Eachentryofthescaleassumesthelastentryismet-forexample,for2RP,theplayerneedstohaveturneduptothesessionaswellasplayingabelievablecharacter.

1RP:Playerturneduptothesession.2RP:Playerjoinedinwhenprompted.3RP:Playerplayedabelievablecharacterandjoinedinoftenwithoutprompting.4RP:Playerhadgoodideasandwasconvincinginchar-acter.5RP:Playerputmaximumamountofeffort,poweredtheteam forwardand roleplayed their character in suchawaythatitwasifthecharacterwassittingthere.

OtherthingsIreward:+1RP: If thegroup takecommandof theirowndestiny

and rather than being fed information, go and find itthemselves.+1-3 RP: Downtime. Between sessions, encourage theplayers todiscuss theeventsof the sessionanddoanyplanning.Email, forums,Wave,FacebookorBuzzareallgoodways of organising this. The aim is to reduce theamountoftimespentshopping,planning,schemingandnot roleplayingwhenat the table. If thedowntimeen-richesthegame,addsbackstoryorallowsmoreplaytobedoneatthetable,IawardRPforit.+1-3RP:Recap.Whenrecappingthelastsession(XXXXXXseeOrganising yourGame Session), an entertaining re-capperformed from thepointofviewof thecharacterwillgain3RP.Asimplelistofeventswillget1RP.

puttang h tehm togetCerFor lowpoweredcharacters, it is imperativethat theteamhasabroadrangeofskills.Thisen-sures that the team won’t getstuckbecause theyaremissingavital skill. Also, tightly defined skillpackagesmean thateverychar-acter has a specific job in theteam.Thatmakesiteasierforyoutoensurethatasessionrequiresalltheskillsoftheteam.

As characters develop, therewill be cross-over in skill setsbutbythattime,eachcharacterwillbefillingasocialrole(peacemaker,troublemaker,clownetc)aswellastheirskillrole.

Everycharactershouldhavethefollowingskills - if theydonot,haveagoodreasonforit:

♦ GaiaKnow,Streetwise,PilotGrav

Atypicalteamwouldconsistsof:♦ 1xCombatmonster-Streetfighting,LightFiring,HeavyFiringperhapsRailFighting.♦ 1 x Space Tech Geek - Space Craft Know/Systems/Design,PilotCruiser,AutomatonKnow/Systems♦ 1 xNot-SpaceGeek - Vehicle Know/Systems/Design,WeaponKnow/Systems/Design,PilotHeavyGrav♦ 1xGaiaHacker-GaiaKnow/Systems/Hacking♦ 1xVerbalcharacter-Persuade,Intimidate,Language,StreetTrading

B a c k g r o u n d

ThisChapterdealswithmakingbestuseofIcarbackground.Icarhasalotofbackgroundandliketheworldyou’relivinginnow,youdon’tneedallofitatonce.FornewGamesmasters,jumpstraighttotheScavengerSettingandworkfromthat,youcan thenpickandchoose from theextra informationherewhenyourunlowonideasfromtheScavengerSetting.

usang tCe droadsUnlessyourunamilitarycampaignwheretheyarethefocus,DroidsarenotmeanttobeacorepartofanIcarcampaign.Instead, they provide background flavour and richness tothesetting.Newsreportslist“GainsandLosses”-systemsthathavebeen taken fromor lost to theDroids,peoplegossip

Dr.SorexfromtheScavengerSettingcanbeusedasanAutomatonmedicinyourcampaign.

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S c a v e n g e r S e t t i n g P l o t l i n e s

thCquent

grhnger

otCer

TacquentdeclaresanewminingcolonyonamooninSystemofDess-Kay-Dar.Tacquentnowa

controllinginterestinD-S-D.Metropolmoveintoprotectcolony

interests.

KaleSystemdeclaretheyarenow‘merged’withHouseTacquentandwillberelyingonhisfinancialbacking.Metropolmovein.

Reportsofviolencejustbeforeannouncement

areeverywhere.

TacquentFleetnowmobilised,performing

missionsagainstanyonethatgetsinTacquent’sway.Singlemissionsatfirstandthensmallfleets.Inmostactions,theyposeaspirates.

Tacquentattemptsatake-overofRhot

Orb.NotenoughTacquentFleetcraftturnupandtheyarerepelledby

TreasureHunters.

RiggedelectiononDess-Kay-Dar,Tacquentnowvotedinascolonybenefactor.

RiotsonDess-Kay-

DarviolentlyhaltedbyTacquent’sMetropol.

Undergroundresistenceisspawned.

CaptainStuotakesonanewScavenger

TeamfortheBotcheryClipper.

GrangerFleetmakesexclusivitydealwithjunkdealerson

Obyrworldandremaininorbitfor5days.IndepedenttradevesselsscaredoffbyGrangers.

LordTacquentspeaksoutagainstThe

GrangerFleet,referingto

themashippymonopolists.

EarnestGranger

murderedonEssofin.Tacquent

claimsanti-Imperialterroristsandvowstofindthemandbringthemtojustice.

GrangerFleetarrivesatKaletofindthattheyarenotwelcomeandare

turnedaway,havingtofighttheirwaythroughTacquentFleetshipsandoutofthesystem.

FraneskisdeclaredbytheImperiumasa‘propersystem’andtraderoutes

areencourages.ThePinacleTradeGroup,alongwithanumberof

independents.

PinacleTradeGroupsignslucrativecontractwithtreasurehuntersonRhotOrband

expandtheirfleetbysixcraftasaresult.MetropolSavantstryandstopthedealbut

fail.

AaronGrangervotedinasFraneskCouncilChair,essentially

sealingFraneskasGrangersystem.

AcolonialspacecraftfromtheSayshellSectorarrivesinAnadarto

settleanewsystembutdisappears.TheTacquentFleetcapturethecraftanduseitasamobilebaseofoperations.ThecolonistsaredumpedonKale,

whichwasnottheiroriginalplanbutisbetterthanbeingdead,whichwasthe

onlyotheroptionoffered.

FundedbyGrangerFleet,SuChistart

anti-Automatonoperationson

Essofin.Automatedfactoriesaredestroyed.

TheMachinestarttradingDroidparts(VERYillegal)usingTacquenttradecraftas

cover.Tacquentprofitfromthis

trade.

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TacquenttrytotakeRhotOrbbyforceagainbutGrangerFleetisthereanddefendit.Asmallbattle

occurs.

TacquentFleetattackandscattertheGrangerFleet.Somecraftalostonbothsides.

GrangerFleetregroupatasecretlocation

deepinsideAnadar.

TacquentFleetsurroundTaoanddemandtheygiveupTerroristswhomurdered

EarnestGrangeronEssofin.

MetropolSavantssetupAutomatonasylumonamooninKale.TheKalecouncilfindoutandobject.PeopleofKaleriseupagainstTacquentbutrebellionisputdowntodefend

democracy.

GrangerFleetandPinacleTradeGroupmakeadealwithKalecouncilandMetropol

areexpelled.TradedealmeansthatKaleisnowunderGrangercontrol.KalebecomesaGranger

baseofoperation.

GrangerFleet

blockadeEssofininprotestoftheirviolenttacticsoncoloniesinAnadar.

MetropolSavantsunleashaspacecraftfullofBorgs

madeinsanebyDroidimplantsonDess-Kay-Darminingcolony.

EmpressDeclaresthattheImperium

havestartedlookingforImperialPeerstorepresentRemmar.CelebrationsensuealloverRemmar.

PinacleTradeGroupcorrectlyaccusedbyTacquentforsupplyingresistancemovementonDess-Kay-Dar.PTGrespondthattheyonlydotrade,notpoliticalwar.PTGattackedbyTacquentFleetposingas

piratesshortlyafter.

GrangerFleet

advertiseforpaid

mercenariestohelptheircause.Thewagesareveryhigh.

HugepartiesonEssofinasTacquent

celebrateshisvictoryover

GrangerFleet.Tacquentfleetnowoutinopen.

PinacleTradegroupsubsumealltradecrafttradingwith

Kale.Tacquentclaimsunfair

monopoly.Somepirateattacks

follow.

AutomatonhavenonKaleisshutdownbySuChikillsquad.Tacquentloseshislastfootholdon

Kale.

BloodyandsecretwarbetweenTheMachineandSuChistartson

Essofin,KaleandDess-Kay-Dar.Somecivilianscaughtupinthewar,whichisfuelledbythe

Metropol.

TheMachineaccidentallyimplantTacquent’sfavouritenephewwithDroid

implants,beginningalongandpainfuldeath.Tacquentturnsonthe

Machine.

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aboutrecentfootageandrumoursspreadofnewDroidca-pabilitiesthattheStarFleetcannotdealwith.Theyshouldbeusedrarelyandwithconsiderablefanfare.

TheDroidsperformthreemaintasksinIcar.1.Theyprovidea“bogeymen”thatNPCswillhavevaryinglevelsoffearof.Mostarefascinatedandterrifiedbythem,somearecomplacent,arrogantorignorant.AnyonewhohashadanycontactwiththeDroidsarelikelytobeinfearofthem.ThenewsreportswillbefromdistantsystemsandtheproblemoftheDroidswillfeeldetachedfromdaytoday life. ParentsmayuseDroidsas impetus toget theirchildrentosleeporeathealthily.2.Theycreateasoftbordertobetterfixtheareainwhichthe characters can go. Trips outside the three HumanOccupiedSectorsofSayshell,DorianandRemmarshouldberareandisverydangerous.DroidsarenotaimaginedpropagandadeviceoftheImperiumtokeepeveryoneinline,theyareveryrealandverylethal.3. They provide a rare challenge.Characters withme-dium power weapons (Astrarippers, ChainSAWs or bet-ter)couldstumbleuponadamagedDroidonawreckedspace craft (see SCAV SETTING XXXXXXXX). For morepowerfulcharacters,afullyoperationalDroid(orapodofDroidslandingonaplanettheplayersfavour)ismoreofachallenge.Ifyouwanttoterrifytheplayersintoleavingaplanetinahurry,tryafullonDroidinvasion.BecarefulnottoinvadeaplanettooclosetoSayshelloryou’vebrokenthesetting.ApodmightgettherebutnotaDroidCruiser.

DroidStatisticExamples

Ifyoudesperate touseDroids inyourcampaign,herearesome broad statistics for the two most common, the bi-pedalhumanoidMark1andtheMark3.Forweaponry,usethestatisticsforanyoftheChainGuns(e.g.Astraripper2E,Chainsaw7,Korg5)orenergyweapons(e.g.Photoscythe).Any future supplements detailing Droid campaigns shouldsupplantthissection.

Statistic Mark1 Mark3ArmourRating(AR) 50 60Head 5000 8000LeftArm 4000 6000Torso 9000 15000RightArm 4000 6000LeftLeg 5000 10000RightLeg 5000 10000Shields 6 14

hlaen rhCesOtherworldshavemanaged toproduce sentientanimals,not toodissimilar to thoseonearth (mammoths, fish,birds,etc).However,noneoftheanimalshaveanintelligencebe-yondanearthdog.Therearenootherracestravellingbe-tweenthestars.Alienscanbeverycunningandlethalbuttheyareanimalinnature.Alienracescanbeusedfor‘bughunt’purposes,likeinthefilmAliens.

Crehtang your own Cluster mhpsAsaGM,youmightdecidetouseyourownClusteranddrawyourownmaps.Thestepstocreateyourownclusterare:

PrintablankClusterMap

YouwillfinditintheAppendix.

ChooseaSector

Beginbychoosingacluster on the Sectormaps (Sayshell,RemmarandDorian).

♦ Clusters inSayshelltendtobetidy,clean,wellorgan-ised,pronetohighlyorganisedcrime,hightech.♦ ClustersinDoriantendtobeindustrial,functionalandwealthy.♦ ClustersinRemmartendtobefrontierworlds.

Alternatively,youcouldsetupyourClusterasafish-out-of-water,suchasarichandneatsysteminRemmar.

MarknearestHub/Rim/Spinlines

TohelpplaceyourclusterontheSectormap,markthenear-estHub/RimorSpinlines(thehorizontalandverticalgridlineson theSectormap)on themap.You shouldonlyneed tomarkoneofeachon.

Drawtheoutlineofthecluster

Roughlydrawtheoutlineoftheclusteronthegraph.

Addsystemsingroups

Foreachcolonyyouwant inyourcluster,placeacircle inoneofthegridsquares.More interestingstoryarcscanbecreatedifyoutrygroupingsystemstogetherandthemleav-ingspacebetweenthem.

R u n n i n g a n I c a r S a n d b o x

ThissectionexplainshowtorunIcarasasandbox,provid-ingsometoolsoneasingyourplayersintosandboxgam-

ing,settingupsetting,goalsandeventstokeepthemmo-tivated.

Campaignstypicallyconsistoftwoforms:missionbasedandSandbox.MissionbasedcampaignsarewheretheGMsetsupaseriesoftightlydefinedscenarios(orAdventures)thathaveabeginningandanend.TheMissionscanbe linear:wheretheplayersfollowcluestotakethemfromonestagedeventtoanother(sometimescallrailroading)ortheycanbenonlinear,wheretheroutetothegoalisnotobvious.Innor-malRPGparlance,missionsareadventures.

Asandboxcampaign isanopengamewhere theplayersandNPCsallhavegoalsanditisuptotheplayerstodecidehowtheymeetthosegoals.

TypicallymostIcarcampaignsbeginasaseriesofclearlyde-finedmissionsandthengraduallymovetoasandbox.Thisal-lowstheplayerteamtobecomeaccustomedtothesettingwithoutmakinganyhorrendousmistakesthatkillthewholeteam.Asthecharactersbecomemoremature,youcanin-troducesandboxelementsuntiltheplayergroupispoweringtheplot.

ThethreemissionsoftheScavengerSettingprovidedinthisbookisanexampleoflinearmissionsthatopenupintomorebroadplayopportunities.TheScavengerSettingasawholecanbeusedasanexampleofusingthetoolsgivenhere.

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tCe hnhtomy of h shndboxTheIcarsandboxisaseriesoftoolsforyoutousetodothefollowing:

♦ Keeptheplayersmotivatedandthegamemovingfor-ward.♦ KeeptrackofNPCsandwhattheyaredoing.♦ UnderstandandplotrelationshipsbetweenNPCsandthegroup.♦ Schedulecrescendosandsetpieces.

ThetoolsusedtodothisareThemes,PlotLines,EventsandHooks,Timelines,RelationshipDiagrams,Consequences,GMLog,OrganisingyourGameSessionandGroupsandPersonalGoals.Usedtogether,theymakeyourIcarsandboxgame.

TheScavengerSettingincludedafterthisSectionusesallofthesetoolsandsoactsasafullexampleoftheseconcepts.

Crehtang h tCemeAthemeisaoverarchingconceptthatbindsalloftheplotstogether.Agoodwaytosetathemeistoposeaquestionandthenusetheplotstoanswerthattheme.Asandboxset-tingcanhaveoneormore themesbut I recommendthatforevenanexperiencedandwilyroleplaygroupacomplexthemecanbelostintheplots.

Creatingathemeisdifficultandrequiressomeconsiderableinspiration. Ifyouare stuck for inspiration then lookoutsideoftheScienceFictiongenre,findaninterestingthemeandtwistittofitIcar.

Example:youmighttakethethemefromthefilm‘TradingPlaces’withDanAckroydandEddieMurphy-whererichpeople are turned into poor people as an experiment.Thethemeis‘Whathappenswhenrichpeoplebecomepoorpeople?’.Forhereprotagonistsandplotscaneasilyspring.

Avoidcreatingthemeswhichbuckanyofthecorepremisesof Icar.Bydoingso,variousareasofthesettingwillstarttounravel.Tohelpthecreativejuicesflow,herearesomeex-ampletheme:

♦ What if theplanet youwereonwas entirely control-ledbyasinglebenevolentartificialintelligencethatwasslowlygoingmad?♦ Howwouldateamofwasterpartyanimalsreactiftheywereforcedtosavetheplanettheywereon?♦ Whatwouldhappenifsomeonemadeahumanintoan Automaton by putting controlling implants into theirskull?Wouldanyonebeabletotellthedifference?♦ When everything you are told is the truth, how farwouldyouhavetogotoprovethetruthsarenotlies?WillyouhavetoseethedevastationoftheDroidsforyourself?♦ Howwouldaslaveroperate?♦ What would it be like living on an Orb where theArtificialIntelligenceatitscorewasallowedtogothroughAscension?♦ Whatwouldhappen if theDroidsactually invaded inabigway?♦ HowwouldtheImperiumdealwithabrandnewandwidespreaduprising?♦ WhatwouldhappeniftheDroidsstartedevolvingpast

their‘KillEverything’programming?Wouldtheyformna-tionsandfactions?

plot lanesAplot linestringstogetheraseriesofeventstomakeupastory.Anewlycreatedplotlineassumesthattheplayersnev-erinteractwithit.Youlayoutaplotlineinthesamewayyouwouldanormalstory.

Example:IftheplayerswereplayingtheRebelFleetinStarWars:ANewHope,thenanEmpirePlotLinefortheendofthefilmwouldlooklike:DeathStarArriveYavin4,DeathStarmovesorbittoseeforestmoon,DeathStarBlowsUpforestmoon.Inthefilm,therebelfleetmanagetostoptheDeathStarblowingupYavin4’sforestmoon.Theplotline,however,iswrittenasiftheydonotintervene.

Plotcanbecreatedlikeanyotherstoryexceptyoucanex-pectthecharacterstoderail it.Youwillneedabeginning,middleandend.Startbyplanningtheendandworkback-wardstowheretheNPCsinthestorywillstart.

Althoughplotlines are the things youmight create at first,theyarenotusedinplayastheyarebutbuiltintotheTimeline(seeTimelinesSection).OnaTimeline,alltheplotsareshowntogetherinacoherentstory.

events hnd CooksAnEventisaset-pieceofactionorscene.Eventsshouldbeimportantturningpointsintheplotline.AHookisamotivationforthecharacterstobeatacertainplace.Hookscaneitherbegeneric foranyeventor specific toanevent.GenericHooksaremoreusefulbecausetheycangeneratetheirownlittlestoryline.FortheincludedScavengerSetting,thereareonlygenerichooks.Youmightwanttocreatesomespecificonesthatconnectthecharactersinyourgrouptotheevent.

Donotassumethatthecharacterswillbeatevery(orany)event.Iftheyarenotthentheeventshouldcontinueasyouenvisaged. ThemoreHooksaneventhasapplicable to it,thebetter thechance that thecharacterswill bepresentatit.

Hooksrelyuponthecharactersofthegamebeingthreedi-mensional.Ifthecharacterisblandthentheywillhavelittlereasontoinvolvethemselvesinanything.Notonlyisthatnotmuchfuntoplaybut itwill leadtheteamtorailroadingastheywillberelyingonyoutoprovidethemwithmotivation.

ExampleEvent:AdemonstrationagainstTacquentisvio-lentlysuppressed.

GenericHook: The team is invited toapartyonEssofin.Youmightthendecidethatthepartyendsuprunningintothestreettojointhedemonstration.

SpecificHook:AcharacterhasapersonalgrudgeagainstTacquent,acharacterischasingagirlandshewantshimto go with her, the characters are offered cash to bebodyguardsforadignitaryattheevent.

AvoidmakingyourEventstoogranular.Forexample,Adem-onstration against Tacquent is violently suppressed wouldbeabouttheright level. Ifyousplitthat intopeoplemillingaround, a protestmarch, some speeches and then a biggunfightmightbetoomuchwork.

Hooks are your way of steering the campaign into inter-

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esting situations.Never forceaplayer teamtoattendanygivenevent, insteadpresent themwithHooks thatare justtoogoodtopassup.Ifthegameseemstostall,throwmorehooksin.Asingleeventcanhavemanyhooks.

tamelanesTimelinesarewhereyoupacktogethertheeventsofmorethanoneplotlineintoasinglelistofevents.Itisimportanttoputalltheeventstogethersothatyoucanseeiftheymakesenseasasinglecoherentstory.AnexampleTimelineisonpageXXXXXXXX.

Forexample,ifoneeventisaplanet’sevacuationthenaglo-balpartyscheduledafterisunlikelytohappen.Rememberthattheplotlines(andthereforetheTimeline)willbecreatedinsuchawaythat it isassumedtheplayersnever interactwithit.Itshouldreadlikeaninterestingstorybyitself.Donotworryabouttoomuchdetail,especiallyattheendofagiv-enplotlineasthecharacterswillinteractwiththeNPCsdur-ingEventsandthiswillhaveconsequences.

Ensurethathooksoccurbeforetheeventdoessothatthecharactershavetimetofinishwhateveritistheyaredoingandattendtotheevent.

DonotputdatesontheTimelines

Everygrouphasadifferentstyleofplay.Somegroupsprefertolanguishinsidelong,succulentplots.Othergroupspreferavisceralexperience.DonotputdatesontheTimelinebe-foreyouplaysothatyoucanmoveeventsforward(happenearlier)orpushthemback(happenfurtherintothefuture).Bydoingthisyoucanadjust thepaceof thegametosuityourgroup.

Tohelpyoukeep trackof the Timeline,youcanput timesanddateson thediagramafter theyhaveoccurred.Youcanalsostrikethroughaneventwhenithasoccurred.

relhtaonsCap dahgrhmsA relationship diagram contains individual NPCs, corpora-tions, syndicates, the player characters and shows theirrelationships. Relationship diagrams are useful for trackingwho are enemies or allies and for generating events forplots.RefertotheScavengerRelationshipDiagramonpageXXXXXXXXXX.

Eachpartrepresentsapersonororganisationandalinebe-tweenthemshowsthatthereisarelationship.Asolidlinerep-resentsanalliance.Adottedlinejoinstwoenemies.Whereone person has influence over another, an arrow head isusedsothatthebossispointingatthesubordinate.

UsingRelationshipDiagrams

RelationshipDiagramsarelivingdiagrams,theywillchangeeachtimeyouplayasrelationshipschange.Tomaintainthediagram’susefulness,redrawitonaregularbasis.Whenad-libbing NPCs to form the links between two organisations,writethenameoftheNPConthelink.WhenyoucometoredrawtheRelationshipDiagram,youcanformthatnameinto itsownbox.RelationshipDiagramsdonotneedtobecompleteknowledge,leaveofflinksthatareobvious.

Example: TheMachine isa syndicateandtherefore isanaturalenemyoftheStarEnforcers(thepolice).Thereisnoneedtolinktheseasenemiesbecauseit’sobvious.IftheStarEnforcersarelookingforaparticularmemberof

theMachinethenthatNPCcangoon,linkedtoboth.

Relationship Diagrams can be used to create Events andHooksforyourplotline.

Example: If there are sworn enemies on the diagram,whatwouldhappeniftheywerebothinvitedtothesameparty?

DrawingyourownRelationshipDiagrams

ThefirstRelationshipdiagramisalwaysthehardesttodraw.Beforestarting,youshouldalreadyhaveatleastanoutlineofaplot.

From the plot, pick the most important organisations andwritethemon,groupingsimilarorganisationstogether.Nowlink the organisations together. Any organisation you thinktheplayercharactersmightinteractwith,addafewNPCs.Startwith thenamesandfleshoutasyouneed. Ifyouareshortonnames, use thenamesofwell known filmand TVstarsthatfitthelookoftheNPC.

Dotryandkeepyourdiagramassimpleaspossibleasyouwillneedtobeabletoreferenceitquickly.Tryandkeepthetextlargeandifthediagramgetsverybig,splititintotwo.

ConsequenCesAny action or interference should have consequences inIcar.Firefightsmayinjureinnocents,someofwhommaywanttowreakrevenge.Itisimportantthattheplayersunderstandthat theiractionshave repercussions. InaSandboxgame,therecanbemanydifferentplotrunningconcurrently,itcanbedifficultfortheplayerstounderstandwhatthecauseofaneventmightbe.Ifyourplayersarenewtosandboxgam-ing,maketheconsequencesobviouswhentheyhappen.

Consequences might be changes to the relationship dia-gramsorchangesintheTimeline.Youcanalsoaddflavourbyaddingone-offeventslaterintheTimelineforactionstheplayershavedone.Anavengingbrotherofaslaininnocentcanpopupatthemostannoyingtime!

shndbox troublesCootangAreyouhavingtroublerunningasandbox?Thingsnotflow-ingaswellasyouhoped?Herearesometypicalproblemswiththeirsolutions.

Playersappearbored

MaketheHooksmoreobviousandprovidemoreof them.Failingthat,bringtheeventsclosertogether.

PlayerskeepmissingEvents

Makesurethehooksareappearingearlyenoughforthemtoreact.Alternatively,pushtheEventsback.

Playersdon’tknowwhototrustsotrustno-one

Give thecharactersa singleNPCconfident that theycantrust.Itmightbeamemberofacharacter’sfamilyorsome-onetheyhavereasontotrust.

Playersignorealltheeventsanddotheirownthing

That isnormal. If theyaregenerating theirownplots,con-structTimelinesaroundthem.Putyourplotsonhold(bypush-ingbackevents)untilatimewhentheyrunoutofwaysofignoringtheplot.

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gm logKeepingnotesduring thesession isvery important tokeeptrackofthedifferentplotdevelopments.Irecommendusingahardbackbook thatcanbedrawnand scribbled into.By using penandpaper, it is easy to update RelationshipDiagrams and Timelines on the fly. A typical log page isshownbelow.

A.Drawingwhatisgoingonisofteneasierthanwritingit.

B.Smallrelationshipdiagramsforcreatingplotonthefly.

C. Session separator. I use two parallel lines with the playdateandgamedateinthemiddle.

D.Namesunderlined,placesinuppercase.

XXXXXXXXXXLOGPAGE

orghnasang your ghme sessaonRunningasandboxgamerequiresmoreeffortupfrontandmoretendingduring.Furthermore,Iamverykeentospendasmuchtimeplayingthegameaspossible.Assuch, Iusethefollowingmethodoforganisingmytimeandtheplayerstoo.YouaretheGM,theywilltaketheirleadfromyou.

BeforetheSession

Itisimportantthatyouhavethegamefreshinyourmind.Re-checkrelationshipdiagramsandeventsonplotsandreadthroughthelastsetofnotesyouwroteinyourlog.

TheSession-Arrival

Pleasantriesareunavoidable.Ifitisaweeknight,tryandgetthefoodpreparedbeforehand(pizza,curry,etc).Setfinishtimeandschedulebreaks.

Seated

Character sheets are handed out and by sitting down toplay, it’s important to show that a line has been drawn.Pleasantriesover, thebusiness isgaming. Iensure Ihaveaclocksomewhereinmysightline-twitchingawristorcran-ingtoseeaclockwillgiveoverthewrongimpression.You’renotbored,afterall,you’rejustensuringthatthesessionispro-gressing.

Recap

Oneplayerwill recall the last session.Give the player thestartingpoint.Reward theplayerwithup to3RP if the re-capisincharacterandcontainingallthesalientpoints.Ifthecharacterwasn’tpresent fora lotof theaction, thentheycanstilltellthestoryasiftheyhadhearditfromathirdper-son.

HandRPOut

RPiscalculatedasRPfromplaylastsession+recap+down-time. See the section ‘Handing out Roleplaying Points’ formoreinformation.

RPspend

Playersareencouraged to spend their RPquickly.Ask theplayers toexplain toeveryonewhat theyhave spent theirRPon.This isapolitewayofgettingthosethatareslowtodecidetodecidemorequickly.

Setscene

Describewherethecharactersareandmentionemotions.Forthisfirstexplanation,feelfreetolayonthesensesthickly.Youaresettingtheballrolling.

Finish

Alwaysaimtowrapupjustbeforethefinishtime.

rhndomashtaon - tCree daCe ruleThereareoccasionswhereyouneedtomakeadecisiononbehalfonanNPCswherethereisn’tacleardirectiontotake.ThethreedicerulewillhelpyoudecidewhethertheNPCisgoingtohelptheNPCs,beindifferentoractivelybeunhelp-ful.

Thethreediceruleishelpfulbecauseyoucanroll(cupping)while still talkingto theplayersandthen(inmidsentence)glanceatthedicetoseethecolour.Asyouareonlylook-ingforthenearestcolour,youcankeeptalking.Readingoffnumberstakesthetimebutspottingcolourisveryeasy.

group glue hnd personhl gohlsInasandboxgameitisvitalthateachofthecharactershasapersonalgoalandthegrouphaveamotivationforbeingtogether.Thisshouldreallybeinspiredbythesettingandrestof thegroupbut ifaplayer ishavingtroublethinkingupagoalthenaskthemtochoosefromeachofthesesteps.Gothroughtwice.This is intentionallynota randomroll systembecauseeach itemhas tobechosen to fitwithacertaintheme.

GroupGlueExamplesCharactersarelongtermfriends(buttheirliveshavebeenunremarkableuptothispoint).CharactersarefamilymembersCharacters are employed by same person (ScavengerSetting)Charactershave justbeenmaderedundant fromsameemployerCharacters refugees from same world, invaded by theDroids

personhl gohl bualderPickMotivationAgainstsomeoneelse

Revenge/BrokenHeart/FamilyBetrayalCompensationAnswertoaquestionStolenobjectClashofbeliefIrrationalhatred

PickupthreeD10,onered,oneyellow,onegreen.

Rolltheminfrontofyou,cuppingthemsoyoucanseethembuttheplayerscannot.

Ifthenearestdiceisgreen,theNPCishelpful.

Ifthenearestdiceisyellow,theNPCisindifferent.

Ifthenearestdiceisred,theNPCisactivelyunhelpful.

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Pickdesiredoutcome(numbersmatchwithlistabove)

TargetdiesTargetmaimedTargetaugmentedTargetgoesinsaneTargetimpoverishedTargetexiledfromhomeTargetpaysmoneyTargetanswersquestionTargetreturnsobjectTargetadmitsmistake

PickphilosophicalleaningoftargetHumanistTechnologistNeutral

PickgenderoftargetMaleFemale

PickroleoftargetImperial-ColonyCouncil,ImperialCouncil,StarEnforcer,Star Civilisation (or ridiculously difficult: Star Fleet or StarSci).SyndicateRoles-PickaSyndicateandthensaywhethertheyareaBoss,LieutenantoralowlyOperative.Space Craft Crew Member - Captain/Pilot/Gunner/Engineer,givenameofSpaceCraftanditstype.General Public - Lawyer, Miner, Builder, Health worker,Engineeretc.

PickmethodofoffenseTargetunknowinglyoffendedcharacterTargetaccidentallyoffendedcharacterandisscaredofconfrontationTarget accidentally offended character and does notcareaboutconfrontationTarget knowingly offended character and is scared ofconfrontationTargetknowinglyoffendedcharacteranddoesnotcareaboutconfrontation

Pickatwist(forGM-donottelltheplayer!)TargetisthewrongpersonTargetisclosefamilymember(playershouldknowthis)TargetissuicidalmaniacTargetisundercoverImperialCounciloperativeTargethasbecomeanAkarakianMissionaryTargethascrossedtheLightJumpNetintoDroidSpace

S c a v e n g e r S e t t i n g

TheScavengerSetting isaspringboard into Icarthatbe-ginswithafamiliarmissionbasedphilosophyandfinished

asasandboxcampaignwheretheplayersaredrivingthegoalsoftheteam.

Thecharactersareaustere,theteambeginswithonlyonegunandtheskillsarelessthangenerous.Youneedtostressthat thecharactersneed toworkasa team. Ifaplayer iskeenonplayingasociopathordisruptivecharacter(whichcanbefun)thenthisisnotreallytherightsetting.

prerequasatesBefore running this scenario, it is suggested that you havedonethefollowing.Althoughyoudon’tneedto,thetermi-nologywillmakemoresenseifyoudo.There’salotofread-ingtodo,butalittleeffortnowwillresultinagreatrewardlater.

1.Printthisdocument.IwouldrecommenddoingacoupleofcopiesoftheplayersectionoftheScavengerSettingandgivethisouttotheplayerstoread.Thissectionisnotfortheplayers,sokeepitsecret!2.Readandunderstoodtherestofthisbook.Ithelpsifyouhaveaworkingknowledgeoftherules.5.PrintanArms5weaponsheet.FortheSecuritycharac-terclass.ThiscanbefoundintheEquipmentIndex.6.PrinttheShakespearStandardTechKit.Foralltheteamtogawpat.ThiscanbefoundintheEquipmentIndex.7.PrintaGaiaJackcard.FortheHumanResourceschar-acterandfortheRayengineTechnician.8.PrintOrbihaulSheet.Thiswillbetheirplanetarytransport(afterthefirstmission).ThiscanbefoundintheEquipmentIndex.9. Print Character Sheets. There are 3 separate pagesrequired for each character: The front page (with theDeviant wheel on it), the second page (with skills andequipment)andaHuman/Armoursheet.You’llneedasmanysetsasyouhaveplayers.

wCht’s CereThisGMSectionissplitintwo.ThefirstsectioncontainsthreemissionsthatwillhelpyouintroduceIcar,thesettingandsomemechanics.Thesemissionscanberunasshownorusedasexamplesforyourown.Thesecondhalfsetsoutasandboxtools introducedinHowtorunanIcarSandboxXXXXXXXX.The sandbox includes the theme; extended background;plots;eventsandexamplehooks;andevenmoreplotideas.

tCe farst few aChr sessaonsYourfirstfewIcarsessionsshouldbelightandquick.Evenifyouintendonrunningaverydarkandbrutalcampaign,thefirstsessionsshouldbeeasy-ishtohelptheplayersgetusedtoall thetermsandrules. I recommendyouorderyourfirstfewsessionslikethis:

♦ Before Session 1: Send round the Icar web link andrecommend theydownloadandflick through the rules,readingtheScavengerSetting.Donotrelyonyourplayersdoingthisbutdogivetheoption.♦ Session1:CharactercreationandthestartofMission1.♦ Session2:ContinueMission1andfinishit.♦ Session3and4:Mission2.♦ Session4and5:Mission3.♦ Session6andonwards:Sandboxgaming.Pleasefeelfreetochangeanythingyouseehereto

fityourgame,thisSettingisjustatemplatetoshowyouhowanIcargamecanbeplayed.It’snotlaw!

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your farst aChr sessaonBeforebeginningthedelicatefirstsession,itisrecommendedthattheplayershavereadtheplayersectionofthisdocu-ment.ItalsohelpsiftheplayershaveallchosenacharacterConcept(personality)andSkeleton(job).Itmaybedifficultwork out the job just yet as playersmightwant to discusswhodoeswhat.Chancesare,iflefttotheirowndevices,thecrewwillbemadeupof Securitypersonnelbecause theyare the skeletons thathave theguns. For thefirst session, Irecommendthatthisistheorderofevents:

1.CharacterCreation

Getthecharactersoutthewayassoonaspossible.Theplay-ersshouldchooseaConcept(examplesgivenintheplayerssectionofthisbook).Theplayerscanthenfillinthedeviantwheel.Leavetheheightandweighttolast,ifindoubt,usethe human averages (Height: 6’6”, weight 14st). Place ofbirthcanbefoundbyrollingaD12andcheckingthetablebelow.

D12 Place1,2,3 Corisk4,5,6 Essofin7 Kale8 Dess-Kay-Dar91011 OutsideAnadar-aDorianCluster12 OutsideAnadar-aprospersousSayshellCluster

2.MoneyandKit

Apartfromachangeofclothingandsomepersonaleffects,theyhavenokittostartwith.ThatwhichislistedonthesheetsaregiventothemoncetheyhavebeenhiredbyTheChief(IssHornBarnarder).Theamountofmoneytheyhaveis:

(rollaD10twice,addthesetwotogetherandmultiply theresultbyten.Themaximumis200.)

3.DescriptionofArea

Giveanoverviewofthearea(anexample isgivenbelow,read this out if you like), this sets the scene. The Sector ofRemmarand theclustersaroundDarkspace should soundlikeaclean,hardworkingplacethatistryingreallyhardtogetasmanyof its systems tobe recognisedandgiven re-sources by the Imperium.Anadar should sound like awarzone, grubby, dirty and without trust. The team start onOminorOrbitalaroundCoriska3,onthecornerofAnadar,theywillallhavegonetherefromtheirhomeworldlookingforwork.AnadarhasmanysystemsthatwereabandonedduringtheDroidwar.Thesearenotmarkedasmanyofthemarenotdeemedsafeorthereisalackoffacilitiesattheselocations.

4.Interview

All thecharactershavea reason forapplying fora jobonthe Scav vessel. This is included in theCharacterconceptsection. What they don’t know is what happened to thelastteam(explainedlater).Also,theywillallbeimmediatelyemployed,becausetherearenootherapplicantsandthattheBotcheryClipperiskeentogetaway.Theshipdoesnothaveaverygoodreputation,butthecharacters(orplayers)won’tknowthis.

StartingCash=(D10+D10)*10

The Scavenger Setting Relationship Diagram at the start of play.

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The Captain (Madeline Stuo) and The Chief (Iss HornBarnarder) will meet them in the shadiest bar on OminorOrbital,fullofshadylookingcharacters.Afist-fightwillbreakoutduring the interview, raisedvoicesanddrinks spilt. TheteammightwanttogetinvolvedbuttheChiefwillaskthemnotto.TheChiefdoesallthetalking,havehimaskstandardquestionsaboutnextofkinandoddonessuchas“Doyouhaveanyreligiouspractiseswhichmayleadtodecompres-sion?”whichmaypointatproblemsthey’vehadinthepast.Alistofpossiblequestionsisgivenattheendofthissection.

Allthecharactersshouldbepliedwithalotofkaisa(beer)during the briefing and after that, taken straight to theBotchery Clipper. It’s a bit like press-ganging. The moredrunken theyare, thebetter (Meat statisticchecksafteracoupleofbeers).ThesoberoneswillbeshockedatthestateoftheBotcheryClipper,thedrunkenoneswillnot.

Thecrew joiningfee is300.Noneof themwillhave300,sotakealltheyhaveandthensaythattheremainderwillbetakenoutoftheirfirstpaypacket.Iftheycomplain,sayitisstandardpractise. It’snotbut thennoneof thecharacterswillknowthat.Theymightfindoutinthefuture,bywhichtimeitwillbetoolate.

5.MedicalInspection

Each crew member should be given a bout of medical,whichendswiththembeinginjectedwithaserumthatslowsthe effects of decompression and purges toxins from thebody.Alotofvomitingandstaggeringaboutbeforetheypass out.Dr. Sorex hasa terriblebedsidemannerandwillrefertothecrewas‘Biologicals’or‘TheCondemned’.

Havethemdotheirmedicalsoneafter theother - so theycanseetheeffectsonthepreviousone.Youcaneventakeeachplayeroutoftheroomtoexplainwhathappensandthemgetthemtoexplaintotherestoftheteamthedreadfulreaction.IfthereareanyBrickShitHouses(aPsychotheatric)amongsttheparty,theywillnotfeelanyoftheeffects.

6.Transit

When they wake up from their unconsciousness, they willbeen-route.There isnoholoroomontheBotcheryclipper,soentertainmentwillneedtobefoundotherways.IssHornBarnarderwillstarttrainingtheminflyingtheOrbihaul,sothattheywon’thavetouseitontheratherpoorautopilot.

7.FirstMission-TheUngodlyAct

ThefirstmissionisatypicalScavengermissionandisincludedlater.

settang revasatedThereisalotmoretotheclusterofAnadarthanfirstmeetstheeye(orthatismarkedonthemap).Thissectionaimstogiveyou, theGM,adetailed look into theworkingsofAnadarandaddsystemstothemap.Allthisinformationcanbere-leased,butovertimeandeffortandperhapsbyrumour.

It iswrittenherewithoutbias, theway it is.However,everyNPCwillhaveabias.Donotbeafraidtoputaspinontheinformationeachtimeyoutellit.TheplayerswillsoonrealisethattheoracleofinformationthatistheGMmightnotbeallitiscrackeduptobe.

tCe botCCery ClapperTheBotcheryClipperisnotallitseemstobe.Thisissplitintosectionsofinterest,beginningwiththecurrentcrew.

CaptainStuo

The Captain is the most unscrupulous woman in knownspace.Shewillstopatnothingtogettosalvagefirstandwillsacrificeanything tomakeaprofit. She says very littlebe-causeshebelievesthatthefewerwordsyouuse,themoreimpressiveitis.Sheisoftencoldandheartless.Perhaps,deepdown,shedoeshaveafondnessforhercrewbutsheburiesitsofardownnosurgeoncouldeverfindit.

CaptainStuohasanalcoholproblembut isveryadeptatcoveringitup-preferringtosaynothing.TheChief(IssHornBarnarder)knowshersecretbutthinksitisbetterkeptquiet.

IssHornBarnarder

IncontrasttotheCaptain,IssHornisagenuinelyniceperson.HedoesnotcountertheCaptainbecauseheisscaredofherandbecauseofhisage,hewouldnotbeabletogetajobonanothership.HeyearnstogetbackontotheScavengerTeamsideofthings(goingtowrecks)andwilltryanythingtodoso.He’salsoterrifiedofretirementandifanyonementionsit,hewillgetangry.

CaptainStuowillnot let TheChiefoff thespacecraft,notonly isheavaluablewellofknowledgebuthealsohasahugearrayofcontactsthattheCaptainoftencallsupon.

Dr.Sorex

Dr.Sorex isanextremelyoldAutomaton.TheAI isover500years old and has been slowly acquiring knowledge. HeusedtoworkasanImperialMidwifebutafterseeinghis9thbaby incinerated forcarrying theGenus2virus,hebegangoingthroughascension.

He can perform just about any function on the ship, butwoulddo sowithmuchcomplainingand little flair.Hewillmake snide comments about theCaptain andabout hu-mans(hewillcallthembiologicals)ingeneral.Hisappallingbedsidemanner(andlackofrespectforhispatients)makeshim generally unemployable - except by Stuo. He usesBiologyasacurseandacuss.Anywordstodowithhumananatomy,suchasflesh,bone,bloodandmeatcanbesaidwithspite.

TheBotcheryClipperStructure

TheClipperismadefromthepartsofotherships.Aroundtheinsideof the cargobayandwithin access tubes the newteamwillnowandagaincatchthesightofdifferentpaintjobs,eventhenamesofthecraftthatitwastakenfrom.

Theforwardbayissealedup.Itwilllooklikeabulkheadandthecrewmaynevernoticeit.BehindthewallisaDroidMk3,painted yellow, without ammunition and chained to thefloor.Itwillpoweruponlyifthebayisopened-frominsideorout(cutinthroughthehull).Also,theshiphaslotsofareaswherethetechnologylooksabitDroid-like.This isbecauseit isDroid technology.Ofcourse, theuseofDroid technol-ogy is illegaland ifany Imperiumunitwas tocheck it, theshipwouldbeimpounded.CaptainStuokeepstheBotcheryClipperlookingenoughlikeawreckthatImperialcraftwouldnotpayitasecondglance.

AnyZeroGtechniciancharactertypes(whoshouldbefa-

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miliarwith spacecraft) shouldbegivenanuneasy feelingabouttheship.Theywillnotputtheirfingeronit,asmuchastheytrytosearch,scanandsoon.ThisisaresultofthehintsofDroidstyletechnology.

BotcheryClipperOrbihaul(missing)

Atthestart,TheBotcheryClipperdoesnothaveanOrbihaul.Itisaverynotablethingthatismissingaswithoutit,thereisnowayforthecrewtogetontoaplanetsurface.TheOrbihaulwascapturedbyarivalScavengercrewbeforetheplayercharacters join the Botchery Clipper. The first introductorymission(TheUngodlyAct)willseetheplayerteamreturningtotheUngodlyActtogettheOrbihaulback.

dodgy dehlangsBylaw,anyDroidequipmentfoundwhilescavengingmustnotbetouchedbutreportedoverGaia.Thisistestimonytodangerousnature.However,CaptainStuoseesthevalueofthis sortofcargoandwill trade itas if itwasnormal scav-engedequipment.Bydoingso,sheputseveryone’slivesindanger. There is someDroidcargo is specialcratesat thebackofthemainhold.ManyofthemissionshavesomesortofDroidelement - this isnoaccidentand the teammightstart to realise the importance of the Droid items to theCaptain.

phyIsminimal.Regardlessofwhattheyscavenge,theywillonlyreallyget200perjob.Theshipcostswillalwaysrisetoleave200foreachmember.

tCe lhst tehmThelastteamwerelessthanprofitable,makingmistakesandpoorjudgementsaboutwhattotake.Theteamleader,TomWrightwashavinganaffairwiththeCaptain.HewasstartingtorealisethattheCaptainwassendingthemonmissionstopickupDroidequipmentandheconfrontedher.Whileondockoneday,hetookanewgirlfriend.

TheCaptain tookher revengebysending the teamdownonto a Orbital wreck in a decaying orbit - where theScavengerCrew from TheUngodlyActwere Scavenging.The Ungodly Act Scavenger crew caused the BotcheryClipper team’sdeathsby stealing theirOrbihaulwhen thewreck (Aprose Orbital) was breaking up under gravity.CaptainStuodecidednottoattemptarescuebuttoleavethesystemandlayahoneytrap.

TheBotcheryClipperpretendedtobeacraftindistressandwhentheTheUngodlyActapproached(withsinister inten-tions),theBotcheryClipperopenedfire,knockingoutcom-municationsandmainpower.TheBotcheryClipperthenleft,hopingthatbythetimetheyreturned,theTheUngodlyActcrewwouldbedead.

Therearethreecrewmembersleftaliveonboard-oneonlife supportand theother two trying tofix thecraft. Sadly,neitherof themaretechnical -one isgoodwithgunsandtheotherisinHumanResources.

ThefirstmissionistoreturntoTheUngodlyAct.

lord e. thCquentTacquent is a 54 year oldpsychotic.Acutemegalomaniagrips his everydayworld and he has decided that hewilloverthrow the Imperium. He has little patience (he killedhis firstwife for taking too longgettingdressedonemorn-ing)andisashrewdbusinessman.HeplanstotakeovertheRemmarSectorbyusingasecretarmyofDrorgs(aBorgwithsomeDroidsystem installed)andafleetof ships (hisNavy,seebelow)thatisalmostfinished.His12childrensufferfroma similar psychosis and aremuchmore in the public eye.TheyappeartobedoingmostoftheworkfortheTacquentHouse,butreallytheyarepuppets,carryingoutordersfromtheirfather.

Tacquent is a technophile. He will try to get hold of anypieceoftechnology,nomatterhowdangerous.Hissecretpolicewill oftenbe theonesdealingwith Stuo’sacquiredDroidtechnology.Heseestechnologyasamethodofget-tingholdofhismajorgoal-Remmardomination.

thCquent vs grhngerTacquent hates the Granger family with a passion. Eventhoughaccepting theGranger fleet into Essofinwouldbebeneficial, Tacquent want to see the destruction of theGrangerFleetentirely.

TacquentiswagingasecretwaragainsttheGrangerfamily,usingacombinationofblackoperationstyleattacksusingtheMetropoldisguisedaspiratesandeconomicpower.ThewarisnotworkingasthesizeoftheGrangerFleetstillgrows.If theplayer teamdonotget involved, thentheTacquentNavywillbebroughtintodealwiththeproblem.

metropolThe Essofin police force is actually the front for his secretarmy. They are trained in police work, but mainly oper-ate through fearbybeingheavilyarmedandactingwithaheavyhandedapproach.There iscrimeonEssofinbut itisorganisedandprotectedby theMetropol. TheMetropolnumbersover250,000soldiers,mostofwhichhaveBorgandDroid technology installed into them.Foranypolice force,theplayerswill soonrealisethattheyareheavilyoverpow-ered (anexampleofaMetropolpoliceman is includedattheendofthissection).

AnalystshavenoticedandreportedmanytimesonthefactthattheMetropolappearstobeahugeforceandthattheImperiumshouldsitupandtakenote.Tacquent’sspindoc-tors generic report is that if any expansion toabandonedcolonieswasattemptedthenamobilesecurityforcelargeenoughtocopewithaninfluxofpeopleisrequired.Thisisareasonablereason,giventhatthescepticsdonotseethefullsizeoftheMetropol.

tCe metropol shvhntsA section of the Metropol which is somewhere betweenthesecretpoliceandtheintelligencegatheringcorpsandnumberapproximately200intotal.TheyuseGaiatofindin-formationandhaveasmallnumberofactiveagents(under50)thatmovearoundanysystemwithinAnadar.TheSavantsarenotwidelyknownbythepopulaceandthisaddsmys-terytotheiroperations.Their relationshipwiththeMetropolregularispatchyatbestastheyusetheMetropolforarrestsandassassinationswithout giving reasons or applying law.

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Theyareallfiercelyloyalandifcapturedbyanothersystem’scouncilwhileonanoperationareunlikelytogiveawayanyinformation(HardforInterrogaterolls).

thCquent’s nhvyThe Navy consists of approximately 100 combat cruis-ers (around the sizeofaGaterunnerbutnowherenearasquickorwellequipped),eachwithaminimumcrewof5or6. Tacquent has not invested inany fighter technologyashebelievesthatitistooexpensivetooperate.Thisisapoormoveandwilleventuallyleadtogreatercostsbothinmon-etaryandhumanterms.Theshipsaredesignedwithstand-ard light jumptechnologyand lowpowerpulse lasers (theammunitionischeap).ThefleetisusedtodestroypiratefleetthatmightthreatenTacquent’sinterestsandcanbeusedasataxiserviceforthegroundtroopsoftheMetropol,shouldtheyeverberequired.

TheTacquentFleet iscurrentlyspreadacrossAnadar, in lit-tlepocketsaroundabandoned systems. This sparsity helpsinkeepingthefleethidden.Theplayersmaymeetsomeofthesecraftwhile indeepspace,perhaps forStuototradeDroidparts.Suchawellarmedfleetisnotillegalbutitsexist-encemightleadtheImperiumtolookcloselyatTacquent’sDroidtechnologydealings.

tCe fleet of Couse grhngerTheGrangersareapowerfulforcethatwouldlikeoneoftheupper reaches of the family tobecomean Imperial Peer.Bytradingandbuildingsystemswithafriendlyhands-offap-proach, theymimic the Imperium’smethodology in hopethiswillbeenoughwhenDarkspaceistogetaImperialPeer.

HouseGranger is openly Humanist in philosophy. Theydis-trust any Automaton of intelligence higher than ArtificialIntelligencePower5(whichistheupperlimitofmostspacecraft). Like most Humanists, they believe that the humanracebelongsonplanetsthathavebreathableatmospheres.Theyholdgreatstorebythesesortsofplanetsandbelievetheyshouldbelookedafter.

StarCivandtheGrangers

TherumoursofTheImperium’sinvolvementinHouseGrangeris true.TwoStarCivilisationofficersareonboardthefleet-oneopenlyusingthefleetasawayofchartingAnadar.ThesecondofficerisquietlygroomingmembersoftheGrangerfamilyforImperialPeerage.

ScavengersandtheGrangerFleet

TheGrangerFleetareopenlyhostiletoScavengersandof-tenrefertothemascarrionastheypickoverthebonesofcivilisations. Also, the Grangers believe that they are littlebetterthanpirates.Althoughthismightappeartobealittleunfair,itisafairassessmentofmanyoftheScavengercrewsas they skirt the linebetween legaland illegal operations.TheGrangerFleetwilltradewithtradewithScavengercrewsbutitisalwaysatenseandunreliablerelationship.

panhCle trhde groupNotwidelyknowntobeownedbytheGrangerfamily,thePinacleTradeGroup(PTG)hasalotofpowerwithinAnadar.Anysystemisreliantonthetradevesselsthatmovetheprod-uctfromtheplanetsurfacetoothersystems.Thisishowmostsystemsmaketheirmoney.

The advantage of a TradeGroup is that if a space craftbreaksdownorhascrewproblems, thenanothercraftwillpickupthejobofmovingproductfromtheplanetsurface.Also,aregulartraderoutecancreatemassivediscountsintheferryingofgoods.This ishowsystemslikeKalecontinuetoexist. TheydonotproduceamassiveamountofgoodsoranythingthatisparticularlyspecialbuttheyhaveregularroutessetupwiththePTGandthusthecostoftransporta-tionisgreatlyreduced.Themoreshipsthatareinthegroup,themoreefficient it is-asbulkcostscanbespreadacrossallships.

Thenumberofvesselsinthetradegroupisacloselyguardedsecretasthenumberexceeds2000!Anoperationofthissizewouldbemoreclosely inspectedby the Imperium,duetotheincredibleeconomicpowerasinglecompanycanhaveovermanybillionsofpeople,but is yetundiscovered.PTGoperates craft ofmanydifferent sizes, from small and fastCruiserswithcouriersonboardthroughtomassiveFreightersover2000minlength.

The ability to choosewhat systems they visit give the PTGincredible power. By denyinga small system (with around90k inhabitants)a regular trade routemeans that theywillfinditdifficulttocompetewiththosesystemsthatareaboutthesamesizeandproductivity.This limitsgrowthaspeoplearemorelikelytosetupcroftsonthoseplacesthathaveasolidmethodoftransportinggoods.ThePTGalsohaveaStarDockoftheirowninCorisk,butitisheldunderthecorporatenameofHequarStarDocks.Thisallowsverycheaprepairsandupgrades.

Crews

It’s no secret that the crews within the PTG are very welllookedafterandthepay ishigh.Unlikemanyvessels trad-inginAnadar,thePTGcrewsareallpaidamonthlysalary,rather thanbasedonpercentageofprofits.Also, the PTGdoestripstooutsidethetwoclusters,sothewealthofothersystemscanbeshared.ThisextendedRemmarexperienceisveryimportantwhentryingtogetthebestpriceforsomegoods.HouseGrangeroftenuse theirextensiveeconomicknowledge toaid thesedecisionsand it’scommon thataemployeeofHouseGrangercanbefoundonsmallervesselsasaguideoraid.

HowtorepresentthePTGtotheplayers

TheplayersshouldseethePTGastheseveryintelligentandsmartlyturnedoutpeople.ThePTGcrewswillprettymuchig-noretheplayerteamasScavengercrewsarenotregardedwithanysocialstandingatall.Ifpressed,thePTGcrewsarelikelytobesnobbishandaloof,onlystartingfightsonocca-sion.Theyhavethebestequipment,thebestskills,thebestuniformsandbestlifestyle,theydonotneedtospeaktolikesoftheplayerteam!

tCe su CCaTheSuChiarebackingHouseGrangertobecomeImperialPeersofdark space.TheSuChi recruitHumanistExtremistsfrom thePinacle TradeGroupand theGranger Fleetandprovideblackoperations for theGrangersasawhole. FormoreinformationontheSuChi,seepageXXXXXXXXX.

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tCe mhCCaneTheMachinehavealwayshadapresence inAnadarandassuchhavealliedwiththeMetropolas theonlyotheral-ternativetoFleetGranger.Itisanallianceofacommonen-emy,ratherthanajoiningofideals.TheMachineandHouseTacquentmakeuneasybedfellowsbutbothbenefitfromtherelationship-fornowatleast.

TheMachine hope that Essofinmight becomea homeofopenrightsforAutomatonsandHouseTacquentmakeuseof intelligent Automatons from The Machine for buildingtechnology.FormoreinformationonTheMachineseepageXXXXXXXX.

tCe teCCnomhgesTheTechnomagesareeverywhereinAnadar.Theyhaveanumberofsecretinstallationswheretheyresearchavarietyofillegaltechnologies-Droidtechnologybeingoneofthem.

TheTechnomagesaremostusefultotheteamasitisawayofgettingholdofhightechnologyinreturnforfoundDroidtechnologyor raretechnical items.TheTechnomagespaywellandmakegoodcontacts for the team.CaptainStuowillunwittinglyhaveafewTechnomagecontactsfromsell-ingoffillegalDroidtechnology.FormoreinformationonTheTechnomagesseepageXXXXXXXX.

A n a d a r ’ s S y s t e m s

Thissectionincludessomeadditionalinformationonthesys-temswithinAnadar. Someof this informationcanbeusedasrumourorcanbeusedasdescriptionforwhentheplayerteamvisitthesystem.Notallofthedetailsprovidedneedbeusedallatonce,theycanbefedinpiecestotheplayers.It iswisenot tochange toomuchon these systems. Ifyoufeelcreative, then it’sbest tocreateanewsystem, ratherthanalter anexistingone. Thiswill help consistency in theTimelines.Also,ifyoudomakeachange,it’sbesttoaltertheinformationhere(usingafootnoteinpencil)sothatyoucanrememberwhatthechangeyoumadewas.Theinformationinitalicsiswhatisgivenearlierandallowsyoutoeasilyseewhattheplayershavealreadybeentold.

Anadar’sHistory

Anadaronce teemedwithextraordinarycolonies. Less fa-mous than other clusters in Remmar, it quietlymaintainedtheveryhigheststandardsofart,cultureandscience.Onethousandyearsago theDroids flushedouthumanity leav-ingmuchofthecoloniesintact.Onlythosecolonieswheretheinhabitantsclungtofirmamentweredestroyed,leavingapatchworkoftheremnantsofcivilisation.

Anadar’s low concentration of star systems and proximitytothecentreofthegalacticarmmeantthatmanysoughtrefuge there,assuming theDroidswouldconcentrateonlyon those clusterswith high star concentrations. Theywerewrong.AstheDroidssweptthrough,precisionattacksdisa-bledspacecraftandkilledcrewswithalarmingefficiency.

In92023,AnadarisatypicalRemmarcluster.Somesystemsareshiningbeaconsof Imperialexcellenceandothersarefledgeling settlements, growing around the edges of theDroidravagedcolonies.Thebroadareasofvoidinbetweencontain fleets of disabled space craft, abandoned orbit-

als,desertedcoloniesandruins.It isthisclutteruponwhichteamsofScavengerssearch.

essofanEssofin is controlled by a powerful self-proclaimed Lord E.TacquentitisprosperousbutunderthetightgripofitsLord.TheMetropol(localPoliceForce)useabsoluteforcetogoabouttheirworkandvisitorsareremindedabouttheexten-sivelawsonaregularbasis.Thesystemdoesprofitfromthissituationandhasreportedlylowlevelsofcrime.

Structure

Essofinisasystemwith10planets,ofwhichtwohaveI-classatmospheres (Terran). Italsohasahighnumberoforbitalswhichprovidethelargerawmaterialoutputthroughmining.Although thisholds the largest shareof the system’sprofits(32%),italsohasamassivemanufacturingcapability(hold-ing29%oftheprofits).Essofinisaverybusysystem,it’sprinci-pleplanet,Sword(Essofin6)beingthemostactiveandthehomeofTacquent.Ahugenumberofcraftenterandleavethesystemeachhour(9to10thousandperhour)andthusitisveryeasytocomeandgowithoutbeingnoticed.Essofiniseconomically, the strongestcolony inAnadaras isquiteself-sufficient.

Thearchitectureoftheplanetsandorbitalscanbedescribedasbeingdark.AstheMexbuildingsaremadefromlocalma-terials,thebuildsareofteneithergoldoronyxincolour.Thisgives the systeman evil andoppressive feeling. TacquentinvestinginthestyleoftheMexbuildingsandthustherewillbemanymorearches,alcoves,walkways,stainedglasswin-dowsandmonumentsthananywhereelseinAnadar.

InGaia, thedepictionofEssofin ispreciseandthereareahuge number of council owned automated Gaia entitiesthatscanpeople’sidentificationandshipinformationatran-dom.Thisbuildsupahugeinformationstoreof informationregardingpeoplecomingandgoing. Ifanyone isbannedfromcomingintothesystemandtheirshiporIsisisspotted,they will be immediately reported to the Metropol or theMetropolSavants.Ofcourse,theseautomatedsystemscanbefooledandhiddenfrom(pass inHacking roll),but theymustbeanticipatedandtherollshouldbemadeuponar-rivalinEssofin.

Essofin’sCriminalHulks

Essofinalsohasanumberofhulks inorbitaround the star.Thesevehiclesaremostlyunpowered(beyondminorcoursecorrections)andconsistofanumberofverylargefreightersthatarepermanentlyweldedtogether.Inthesecoloniesarethedregsofthesystemandthisiswheremuchofthecrimegoeson. Theyareconsideredprivatevesselsand thus theMetropolmaynotenter themunlessonunofficialbusinessorchasingdownacriminal fromanotherplacewithin thesystem.ThismakesthemanextremelyattractiveoptionforplayercharactersiftheygetintroublewithTacquent.

Themost famous (and largest) of these hulks is the EssofinFlyerwhichisrunbyafigureheadcouncilandactuallyrunbyaMafia-stylecrimefamily.Tacquentwouldverymuchliketobeshotofthisfamilybuttheyarea‘knownevil’andthuscanbewatched,attheveryleast.Ifcontactismadewiththem,theymayappeartobeinleaguewithTacquent,butthisisjustforappearancesandiftheplayersget‘in’withtheEssofinFlyerMafia,thentheywillsoonlearnthatthisisfarfromthecase!

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khleEssentiallyahumanistsystem,Kaleamountstoverylittlewithonlyasmallamountofagricultureandlittleornotradepro-duce.Hippy-likevaluesandacommunistviewofpossessionmakes this systemunable tocompete in thedifficult trademarketinRemmarasawhole.

Structure

Kaleisasystemwithonlyoneinhabited,I-classplanet,Liberty(Kale 3). Liberty is populatedwith 90% humanists that aretryingthebest toget ‘backtobasics’. Tothen, thismeansfarmingwithas littlemechanicalaidaspossible.Forsome,thismeansanautomatedharvester, forothers, they liketoekeouttheirexistencewithploughsmadefromsustainableforests.It’sasimplelifebutthepopulationishappyforit.Theother10%arethosepeoplethatrealisethatforthisdreamplanettowork,somepeoplewillhavetointeractandworkwiththerestoftheclusterandtheyliveintheonly,smallMexcity: Rhea. This includes thecouncil, starport support staffandHaulercrews. Thesepeople likeKale for thequietnessandrelaxedattitudeto trade.Peoplearehonestandwellmeaning.Although thearchitecture is simple (very typicalMexconstruction,with very little embellishment), it is func-tionalandthatisthesystemtoatee.

HouseGranger’sInfluence

Theonestrong factorofKale is that ithasacontractwiththePinacleTradeGroupandisoftenvisitedbytheFleetofHouseGranger.Thisallowsthecheaptransportationofthefoodoffplanet.ThereasonforthisisthatHouseGrangerarekeen to takecontrolofKaleand they see thisas thebestwayofdoingso.Pinaclearenottheonlytradegrouprun-ningtotheplanet,buttheyholdthelargestshare.Itcouldbearguedthatwithoutthis,Kalewouldnotbelistedasanestablishedsystem.

HouseTacquent’sMachinations

TheHouseofTacquentwouldalsoliketogettheirhandsonthesystemofKale.ThisisdefinitelyadesireofTacquentasheseestheresourcesthatKalehastoofferasagoodreasontotakeover.Also,hefindstheunderutilisationofthefoodout-putunderthesmallcroftonLibertysystemasridiculous.HisplansfordominationincludeKaleandhehasbegunbyof-feringthecouncilsecurityandresourceaidinreturnfortheirallegiance.Ofcourse,no-oneattacksKale(there’snothingtosteal!)andthePinaclecontractallowsthesystemafairamountofeconomicsecuritysotheyrefuseandkeeptheirideals.

pra-sot (tCe Cadden system)Little isknownaboutPri-Sotexceptthat it isverydifficult tolocate.Situatedinavolumetricgapwithina largenebula,Pri-Sotkeeps isanonymity. It isbelieved that it isahideoutforcriminalsandpirates,thenebulaprovidinganexcellenthidingplace.

PiratesandOutcasts

Pri-sot isasystemwhose legend is farmore impressivethatit’sactuality.A single, scorchedplanet (Imbroglio)orbitsareddwarf star. Imbroglio has a corrosiveatmosphereandmostofthepopulationofthissystemiseitherunderthesur-faceoftheplanet,inthemassiveminingcolonyofBroggorinoneofPri-Sot’s6orbitals!Primarily,Pri-sot is thehomeof

politicaloutcastsfromthetwogreathousesandthosewhoarehiding from the longarmof the Imperium,without thedangersofthelonesystemstocontendwith.Thisincludesalargenumberofspace-faringfolk(pirates)anditdoescaterforthemwithexcellenttechnologicaland0gstardocks.

Pri-sotiscompletelyself-sufficientbecauseanyregulartraderoutewouldmake it tooeasy to locate.Food isproducedinmassiveundergroundhydroponiclandscapesanditcanfeedmorethanthepopulationrequires.ThecouncilofPri-sotissurprisinglywellrun,thesometimesoverlyviolentpoliceforceenforcingacut-down versionof Imperial law. Pri-sotdoeshavethedeathpenalty.

OnGaia,Pri-sotisatourde-force.Normally,spacecraftuseGaiatolocateasystemwhenplanningalightjumpacrossspace. However, Pri-sot uses a huge number of Entities toconfuse theGaia presence. This can not be hacked andplaysupontheverynatureofGaia.YoucannotaccessPri-sotGaia information fromoutside the systembut youcanaccesselsewherefromPri-sot.Whensomeonetalkstoaper-son inanother system fromPri-sot, the location is givenas‘Unknown-DeadSpace?’.Thisishighlydesirableforthesortsofpeoplewhoarethere.Thelargestissuewiththissystemisthatmost security systemwillnotallowsomeoneof this lo-cationneartheirestablishments,thushackersoftenoperatefromtheirownspacecraft-givingthemalocation.

TheonlywaystofindPri-sot iseitheranextensivesearchofthenebula (takes10days)orbybeinggiven relative timeandspaceco-ordinates.Thismeansthatitisalocationatacertaintime.Duetothespace-timepropertiesofthenebula,apure locationisnotenoughto locatethesystem.Thus, iftheplayerteamaretoldwherePri-sotis,thisinformationwillonlybegoodforanhour,iftheygotooearlyortoolate,theywillnotfind the system. There isnomethodofworkingoutwhere the system is,givenanumberofprevious locationsand times. The system itselfdoesnotmove, just the spaceandtimearoundit.

rCot orbAthetalessuggest,RhotOrbispackedwithhiddentreasure.Treasure thatpredates theDroid invasion is inworksofartandotherantiquevaluablesthatfetchahighpricewiththeartdealersandwealthyofSayshell.SincetheDroidinvasionpirateshaveuseditasanidealplacetohidejustaboutany-thingfromwholespacecrafttovaluableminerals.

LikeallOrbs,RhotOrb ishuge.So largethattreasurehunt-erssearchingwithouttheco-ordinatesofknowntreasureareunlikelytofindanythingatall.

TheJungle

The innersphereofRhotOrbwasonceabeautifullymani-curedworldwitheverygeologicalfeatureyoucanimagine-fields,savanna,mountains,lakes,riversandahugeocean.However,jungleandswampshavetakenover,evenclimb-ingup the tallermountains. Theexclusivevillashavebeenconsumedbytheplantlifeandalthoughtheinsidesofthebuildingsremainintact,theyareverydifficulttofind.

TreasureHunters

Thepeoplewho live inside theOrb refer to themselvesastreasure hunters and there are families who stretch backmanygenerations living innomadicgroupswithin the skin.Onceinageneration,afamilywillhappenuponatrulyhuge

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findoftreasure,whichtheymustprotectuntilitcanbesoldtoasteadystreamoftraders.Mostofthehuntersarefriendlytooutsidersbutlesssotootherhunterfamilies.Iftheplayersownaspacecraftthenthetreasurehunterswillbetheirbestfriend.

dess-khy-dhrDess-Kay-Dar is amining systemwhose council rarely lastslongerthanafewmonthsatatime.Alargenumberofrichandminingcompaniesownthegasandmineralminingop-erationsthroughoutthesystemandallattempttoplaceapuppetgovernmentinpowerthatwillbeofbenefittothem.

Eachoftheminingcompanieshavetheirownsecurityforce,which theyuse toprotect their interests. Theemployeesofthese liveandbreathe themineswhere theyworkandassuchare fanaticalabout theircompanies. TheirprideandinterestinpoliticsisuniversalinDess-Kay-Darandthisiswhatfuelstherioting.Theupshotisthatnosingleminingcompanygetstheupperhand-evenwhentheylocalaseamofrichmineral.

Dess-Kay-Dar is a good place to sell any kind of techno-logicalsalvageandtheminingcompaniesdoofferworktoscavengervesselsforfindingveryparticulartechnicalgoods.

frhnesk (not mhrked)A system so small it is not listed on the Anadar StarMap,Franesk hasbeenquietly fundedby theGranger Fleet foroverayear.Thepopulation levelhasnot reachedapointwhereitislistedinanyofthesystemguidesheldattheStarCivilisationofficesonCoriska. Inclusion into theseguides isnormallyachievedbyrequestandapplicationorbyaStarCivilisationagentvisitingthesystem.Franeskwillsuddenlybe-comenoticedandshould‘appear’onthestarmap(drawiton).Thesystemisathrivingplaceandwillhaveamassivepopulationthatwillberapidlybeincreasing.Whenyouarereadytobringitintothefore,hereisadescription:

Althoughanewsystem,Franeskhasaverystrongeconomy.With the assistance of the Granger Fleet, this agriculturalcolonyalsohasanartisticsideandisproducingexcellentlydesignedbuildings,vehiclesandGaiaobjects.Franeskhasalsoestablished several Pinacle TradeGroup trade routes,allowingittoundercutmostofthesystemsinAnadarforfoodproduce.

thoTaoispurelysupportedbyaPinacleTradeGroupcontract,Taohasanumberof small industries thatgive it adiverseculture. The main colony is an I-class planet, the surfacecovered in richoceans teemingwith life.Erraticandoftenviolentweatherprohibitswidescalefarmingbutthefarmershaveadaptedandmanagetoturnasurplusfortrade.

TaohasasmallOrbitalwhosemainoutputsaremining,luxurygoodsandtechnology.Asmall,automatedmanufacturingoperationproducesgoodsmostlyfortrade.

Thepopulaceof Taomayseema littlevague,butarees-sentiallyahardypeople.Noscaredofthemostseverecon-ditions, they doggedly work to improve and expand theircolony.

TaoisthemostuncomplicatedsysteminDarkspace.Ithasasmallnumberofpeopledoingsomeveryspecialisttasksand

thatisprettymuchit.

Machinations

Tao isa favourite stop for theGrangerFleetas theyareaone-stoplocationforlotsofthethingsthattheFleetneeds:food,water,rawmaterialsandtechnology.

Tacquent’s familyarekeenonTaobecauseof theoppor-tunity itpresentsandTacquenthimselfwantsTaopurelytoreduce thenumberofplacewhere theGrangerFleetarewelcome.

C a m p a i g n S a n d b o x

relhtaonsCap dahgrhmTheRelationshipDiagramshows themain relationshipsbe-tween the key players in Anadar. On the left of the dia-gram is Tacquent and his link with the criminal SyndicateTheMachinethroughtheMetropol(andtheSavants).InthemiddleistheBotcheryClipper,whereCaptainStuoiswork-ingwiththeMetropol(seeIntroductoryMission2,theLethalRingsofObyrworld).TheBotcheryClipperisanaturalenemyoftheGrangerFleet.OntherighthandsideofthediagramaretheHumanistelementsofthecampaign-whichiscen-tred on theGranger Fleet. They control the Pinacle TradeGroup,whooftendealwiththeSuChicriminalsyndicate.

tamelaneTheexampleTimelinehasthreeplotlines:Tacquent,Grangerand ‘Other’, which includes the Imperium plots and theSyndicates.

The Timeline as a whole tells a story of a tussle betweenTacquentand theGranger Fleet,culminating inanalloutFleetvs Fleetwarat theend. TheSuChiarealwaysalliedwiththeGrangerFleetandtheMachinestartbeingalliedtoTacquent.ThisdoesnotlastandasecretwarragesonEssofinandKale.Althoughcontrolled(andfunded)byTheGrangerFleet,thePinacleTradeGroupactsinabusiness-likemanner.

Inthiscampaign,TacquentmakesuptheobviousvillainandtheGrangersarerepresentedasasinistergroup.Theirmo-tivationsarethesameasTacquent’s-tobecomeImperialPeersbuttheirmethodsarelessviolent.

plhyers vs wCo?ThemostobviousrouteforaGamesmastertotakeistomakeTacquent theobviousenemyand theneitherallywith theGrangers or attack Tacquent alone. If you have a playergroupnewtosandboxgaming,thisistheobviousroute.

Ifyourplayersarealittlemorefeisty,youmaywanttohavethemallywithTacquentandfightbackagainsttheGrangers.TheImperialinfluence,althoughbenevolent,canbemadetoappearmalignant.TheGrangersarehumanistandthatmeansthattheydonottreattechnologyandAutomatonswithproper respect. If theplayershavegainedasoft spotforDr Sorexafter the 100th timehehasglued thembacktogether,thatmightbeagoodwaytospinagainstthem.

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Control of systemsBeing‘incontrol’ofasystemmeansnothing ifyoucannotsupport itwithtradespacecraft.Everycolony is lacking insomethingand it is tradevessels thatbring it. This iswherethebalancebetween Tacquent,whocangaincontrol ofacolony’scouncilandtheGrangerFleet(andthusPinacleTradeGroup)whocontrolhowtheysell.

CooksBelowisalistofgenerichooks,anyofwhichcanbeusedtoputthecharactersintherightplaceattherighttime.

♦ Invitedtoaparty♦ Hired by Granger fleet as Mercenaries to disruptTacquentoperations.♦ HiredbyTacquenttoinfiltrateGrangerfleet.♦ TransportDroidcargofromEssofintoRhotOrb.♦ Rhot Orb treasure hunters contact characters to ar-rangetransportofgoods.♦ Tacquentfamilymembercharterscharacter’scraftforsometourism.♦ Crewonadisabledpiratecraftneedpassage toPriSot.Oneofthepiratesknowshowtogetthere.♦ The Great Anadar Fayre on Corisk. 4 days long, 10square miles of festival, music, dancing, art, markets,bars,dealsdoneandpeopledisappear.Everyonewillbethere.Eachcolonysetsupalarge‘tent’representingtheirhistoryandcustoms.♦ CharactersofferedacharterfromaBorgthatwantstogotoObyrworld.TheBorghasDroidtechnologyinstalledandgoesmadenroute.♦ Oneofthecharacterssleepswithahighrankingmem-beroftheTacquentFamily.Beinginbredandinsane,she/hebecomesobsessedbytheplayercharacter.Thisper-sonbecomeseitherallyorenemy.♦ A Dess-Kay-Dar corporation trying to gain power onDess-Kay-Darcontactteamtoturnascheduledpeacefuldemonstrationintoariot.♦ The Machine (Syndicate) need to evacuate tenAutomatonswhohavestartedascensiononTaobeforetheyaredestroyed.TheAutomatonswillneedtobesto-lenandcarriedsomewheresafe.♦ SuChi(Syndicate)aregatheringonEssofinandneedsafepassageforsomeoftheiroperatives.OnceonEssofin,theteammaygetembroiledinanumberofterroristac-tionsagainstHouseTacquent.♦ Technomages are looking for lost technology in theRings ofObyrworld, they can scan for it. The team findout it isapowerful light jumpengine. Ifpersuaded, theTechnomages will allow them to have it as long as aTechnomagecanstudyitworking.♦ Duringanattemptedmugging,theteamfindastolenwalletononeofthemuggers.Itcontainsadatacardwithco-ordinatesofvaluablesontheRhotOrb.♦ Insane Tacquent Family member requires a chartertotakehimonakillingspreeonanothersystem.Heandsome bodyguards will talk openly about the fact thattheyaregoingtohuntsomehumansonwhatevercolonythey’regoingto.

I n t r o d u c t o r y M i s s i o n s

TohelprunyourfirstIcarcampaign,threemissionsarein-cludedbelow.Theyhavebeencreatedtodemonstrate

afeelforIcar,ratherthansettingoutcanon.Feelfreetousethemissionsastheyappearormodifytosuityourgroup.

Ineachmissiondescription,youwill findexample text thatcanbereadouttotheplayers.Theseexamplenuggetsactas examples of the kinds of information that is told to theplayersbeforetheyhavethechancetoaskquestions.Theperson likely tobe saying the text is givenat the start, forexample:

TheAuthor:Examplespokentextlookslikethis.

EachmissionissplitintoScenes.Thesescenesaretohelpyouunderstandhow themissionsareput togetheranddonotneedtobetoldtotheplayers.

massaon outlanesMission One, “The Ungodly Act” is designed to introduceyour players to Icar gently with some exploration, tensionandafirefightattheend.TherulesusedforthismissionareSkillchecksandFireFightingcombat.

MissionTwo,“TheLethalRingsofObyrworld”beginswithne-gotiationswithundercoverTacquentMetropolonObyrworldthatgosourcausingaclosecombatfight.Theplayerchar-actersthenacquirethelocationofsomevaluablesalvageintheRings,whereintheyfightadamagedDroid.Thismissionusesclosecombatandvehiclecombat.

Mission Three, “Porcupine” is where the Botchery Clipperanswersadistress call to find twocraft disabled.One is aGrangerFleetXXXXXXXXXcraftandtheotherisapirate.TheGrangerCraftneedssalvagingbeforethepiratecraftisre-paired. Leaving in the nick of time, theyare thenchasedawaybythepirates.ThismissionfocusesonspacecombatandGaiaHacking.

M i s s i o n O n e : T h eU n g o d l y A c t

In thismission, the teamwill enter their first floatingwreck,survivenonlethalboobytrapsandfinallyfight for their livesagainsttwosurvivors.TheaimistointroduceyourplayerstoIcar’sfirefightingcombatsystem(which is theeasiestandmostcommonlyusedcombatsystem)andforthemtosur-vive, having had a tense exploration. The aim is not totalpartykill!

sCene 1: en route.Captain Stuo:We are en-route to awreckwe spottedcomingbackfromourlastsalvage.Itcouldnotbehailedand fromsensor readingswebelieve it tobeadrift.Weapproaching to performamedium range scan. Pleasefeelfreetorelaxuntilwehavedonethatbutnoalcoholorrecreationaldrugs.

TheUngodlyActwasluredintoahoneytrapbyTheBotcheryClipperandwasattacked, knockingout its light jumpen-ginesandcommunicationssystems.Italsokilled8ofthe11crew,criticallyinjuring1.Thetwocrewmembersalivearethe

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HumanResources(Abigail-apretty,petit,blondewomaninher20s,terrifiedandmadeparanoidbystress)andSecurity(Mary-atall,athleticwomaninher40swithshockingwhitehairandascarthatrunsfromeyetonavel).Theinjuredcrewmember is in a suspension tube - filledwith aqueous gooandkeptaliveonlifesupport.Thiswasthecraft’sfirstofficer,Barry.BothAbigailandMaryknowtheywereattackedbytheBotcheryClipperandassumethatanyonecomingbackontoTheUngodlyActarecomingtokillthem.

AllthreeareholdupintheOrbihaulthattheystolefromtheBotcheryClipper.TheOrbihaulisinthecargobayatthebackofthecraft.EverywhereonthecraftLifesupportisdeadandairistoxicasaresult.Thereisverylittledust,whichsuggeststhat it’sonlybeenoff foracoupleofweeks. Therearenodeadbodiesasthethreecrewincineratedthebodies.

sCene 2: medaum rhnge

Captain Stuo: We believe it is the cruiser ‘The UngodlyAct’,aregisteredScavengerVesselthatwaslastheardof20(XXXXXXXXX5daysbeforecreware joinedtogether)daysago. This Salvage is likely to haveexcellentcargoprospects. Life support isdamaged,asare theengines.ThereisnoreplyoverGaia,soanyGaiacommunicationsmustbedamaged. Theremightbebooby traps, sobewary.

sCene 3: hpprohCCTheteamaretoenterthecraftatthebridgeairlock.

♦ There is nopowerat theairlock,anyonewith SpaceCraftSystemsSkillmakeachecktoopenitmanually(andwithoutsettingoffalarms).♦ If failsorSpaceCraftSystemsthenMechasysSystemsSkillchecktocutusinganenergycutter.Thiswillbemessy(evenmessieriftheyfail).

NB:Don’tboobytraptheairlock,itwillmaketheplayerstoojumpy.Furthermore,theNPCs leftof thecraftdonothavethetechnicalknowledgetorigboobytrapsoutside.

sCene 4: explore tCe CrhftThe Ungodly Act has an ostentatious interior design. Thepewtermetalwallsaredulledtoshowoffetchingsofmysteri-ousplanetsthatglowasyoupass.Everycornerisdecoratedwithaclassiccolumntoppedwithscrolls.Theceilingofeventhemostmundanecorridorswillhaveintricatevaultingthatisdelicately lit. Itgivesoff the feelingofanopulent spacecruiseliner,possiblybecausetheinteriorwasrippedfromthewreckofacruiseliner.Moodlightingwillstillbeonbecauseeachfloatingorbthatproducesitwillhaveitsowngenera-tor.

GeneralDescription

The teamcan thenexplore thecraft, looking for personalaffectsworthcreditsaswellascargo.Personalaffectsarealwaysfirst.

BoobyTraps!

Throughout the craft will be a series of small booby trapsaimed to maim the team and let the two surviving crewmembersknowthatsomeoneelseisonboard.Boobytrapsshoulddostunonly-thisisonlythefirstgame!YoucanflingcharactersacrossroomsanddowncorridorsbutStunshouldbetheonlydamagetheytake.

TheBridge

The power on the bridge is out. Any Tech character canbring it back to life. The hard light bridge controls will behaphazardlyredirectedto/’somewhereinthecargobay’/.Controls to the spacecraft are actually redirected to theOrbihaul in the cargo bay. Skill checks Gaia Hacking orSpaceCraftsystemstofindthisout.Notalloftheitemshavebeen redirected: sensors and Communications have not.Communications isdamagedbutsensorswerenotmovedbecausethetworemainingcrewmembersarenottechni-callyproficientenoughtorealise.

LivingQuarters

Therearelotsofvaluablepersonalaffectsinthelivingquar-ters.AHumanResourcesCharactershouldrollStyleforeachroomtheyareinvestigating.TheCaptain’sroomwillneedtobecutintoasthedoorisjammedshut.

Galley

Thegalley is strewnwithdiscardedplatesandcutlery. TheBioreorganiser(which isusedtomakefood)unlockedandempty, suggesting someone has had the biomatter (fromwhichfoodismade)outofit.

SuitRoom

Thesuitroom(wheretheteamgetsreadytogotoawreck)isdepressurisedandthedoorwillnotopenunlessforced.Ifopened, then more bulkheads will automatically close tostopairleakingout.ThisiswherethescavengerteamwerewhentheBotcheryClipperattacked.

CargoBay

TheCargobayisahugecavernwithspacecratesgroupedtogetheronthewallsandceiling.TheOrbihaulisinthemid-dleononesidebytheairlock.Thereisnoartificialgravityinthecargobay(GravFieldGeneratoristurnedoff-whichcanbeturnedbackonusingHackingorSpaceCraftSystems).Thedoorsarewelded shut from the inside. Thecharacterscancuttheirwayin(MechasysSystems).Theairinthecargobayisstillbreathable(beingsomuchofit,ittakeslongertobeusedup).

sCene 5: hmbusC!When theplayersentered theUngodlyAct, the remainingtwocrewmemberswerealertedtothem.Whentheyfinallycuttheirwayintothecargobay,Marywillopenfire(seestatBoxXXXXXXXXX).ThefirstburstshouldfailasMaryscramblesforabettervantagepoint.

sCene 6: tCe orbaChulTheOrbihaul isapewtergunmetalcolour,any identifyinginsignia have beenscratched out. Unlike therest of the Ungodly Act,theOrbihaulhasnotbeentreated well. This is be-cause it’s the stolenOrbihaul from theBotchery Clipper. Themain cargo bay of theOrbihaulhaspower,grav-ity and life support func-tioning. Biomatter car-

Mary(Security)

Battle: 6, Meat: 5, Shift: 5,Soul:6,Wit:4

Body:H:10,LA:10,T:40,LL:15,RL:15

ArmouredEVSuit:H:100,LA:150,T:1000,RA:150,LL:200;RL:200

HeavyFiring:60%

Weapon:Arms5Rifle

Ammo:3magazines

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tridgesfrombioreorganisersacrosstheshiparepiledinonecornerand inanothercorner is thesuspensiontubewheretheFirstOfficerisonlifesupport.

AbigailishidinginthecockpitoftheOrbihaul,sheisterrifiedandwillcomeoutshootingwhentheteamenter.Abigailwillnotbereasonedwith,sheisinastateofpanicandwilljustfight.

sCene 7: wrhppang upOnceAbigailandMaryaredealtwith, thecrewwillgath-ersalvage.Ifunsurewhattodo,theycancontactIssHornBarnarder.IssHornwilltellthemtoloadtheOrbihaul,hewillconsult theCaptain.Theteamcandistributetheweaponsbetweenthem.Theywillneedthemforthenextmission.IssHornwillwaituntiltheteamhavefilledtheOrbihaulbeforereportingback.

IssHorn:TheCap’nsaystoleavetheFirstOfficeronboardtheUngodlyAct.

TaketheSecurityMemberoftheteamaside.

IssHorn:TheCap’nwantsyoutoputabulletinhisheadtomakesure.

Whateverhappens,theCaptainwillnotallowtheFirstOfficeronboard.

M i s s i o n T w o : T h e L e t h a lR i n g s o f O b y r w o r l d

Mission two is in two parts. It mission begins with theteamnegotiatingwithpoorlydisguisedMetropol.The

Metropolaren’tfriendlyatallandafightbreaksout.Asthefightstarts to look like itwillbegoingtheplayer’sway,theleadMetropolnegotiatorwillescapeinacar,leadingtoacarchase.OncetheycatchtheMetropolnegotiator,hewillrelease informationabout the valuablewreck in the rings.The secondpart of themissionwill be the investigationofawreckcalledtheToastRackinamongsttheRingsofOb-yrworld. The ToastRack isaMetropol trapandcontainsaheavilydamagedDroid.

ThemissionwillgivetheplayersachancetohaveafistfightusingtheCloseCombatrulesandavehicle-to-vehicledogfightusingtheVehicleCombatrules.ThesecondhalfpointsouthowlethaladamagedDroidactuallyis.

sCene 1: en route to obyrworld

CaptainStuo:Wearegoingtocall inadebtwithsomeinformation brokers on Obyrworld. Over the past twoyears,wehavebeendealingwithObyrworldInformationBrokerstosupplyuswithinformationonprofitablewrecks.Inreturn,wehavebeenfetchingthemcratesfromaban-donedstoresacrossthecluster.ThelasttwotripswedidontheprovisothattheywereonthebrinkofdiscoveringavaluablewreckknownasTheToastRackintheRings.Theynowknowthelocationofthewreckandwanttodiscussmattersfacetoface.GodowntoObyrworld’sstarport,Amo.MeettheinformationbrokersinTheAncientMarinerandpickuptheco-ordinates.Theymightwanttocounteroffer.Donoacceptit.Youarenottheretobargain,youaretheretopickupTheToastRack’sco-ordinates.MakesureyoulandtheOrbihaulfarfromtheportandusethe

BotcheryClipper’sKestreltogotoandfromit.Orbihaulsare far too valuable toObyrworld’s inhabitants as theyarethekeytogettingtotheRings.

sCene 2. anto hmo hnd tCe tCe hnCaent mhranerThesandysprawlingportofAmoisamuddledmixofCroftbuildings, an unfinishedMex City complex and ashantytownofspacecraftcarcasses and spacecrates converted intomake-shifthouses.Forallofitsroughedges,Amohasavibrantculture,drivenbyrichesserveddownfromthescav-engedremainsintheRings.ThosegettingrichfromtradingscavengedgoodsareknownasBrokersandtheyarebothbusinessandcriminalorganisation.Assuch,mostof the in-habitantseitherareoraspiretobeconnectedinsomewaytoaBroker.

People in Amo can be group easily between those thatspendalotoftimeintherings-whoarepaleandwelldressedandthosethatliveonlyonObyrworld,whoaretannedandscruffy.Thedarkeryourskin,thelesstimeyou’vespentintheRings.Apalepallorisseenasabadgetobeproudof.

TheAncientMariner

SituatedintheveryhubonAmoisabarcalledTheAncientMariner.FrequentedbyScavengersandBrokers,it iswherebusiness transactionsareproposed, shouted,wrestledandset on fire. TheAncientMariner has a no guns policy, en-forcedbyan8fttallBorgcalled.willstayoutoffightsthatdon’t involvegunsbutwhenagunisdrawn,hewilltanglewithwhomevergetsinhisway.AnydamagethatyoudototheAncientMarinerneedstobepaidfor.IfyourefusethendebtcollectionwillbehandedovertotheBrokersandAmowillbecomeano-gozone.

GM:AhugeBorg8feettallwelcomesyoutoTheAncientMarinerwithanod.You indicatesa sign toone sideofthedoorabove some lockers that says “CustomersarepolitelyrequestedtobringNoweaponsintothebar”.Thebarhasavaultedceilingfilledwithhangingexamplesof‘treasure’foundintherings.Eachpiecelookslikeatimecapsulefromatime1000yearsagowhentheDroidsfirststruck: adverts from longdefunct companies,memora-bilia fromdead sports starsand trinkets thatwereonceprized.The layoutofthebar isentirelysecludedbooths,eachwithitsownsoundfieldgeneratorthatensurespriva-cy.BetweentheboothswherericketyAutomatonsshuffleplaysalaidbackjazz.AnAutomatonshowsyoutoyourtable,AdamHarrodhasbeenexpectingyou./

sCene 3. tCe negotahtaon watC fastsCaptainAdamHarrodisaMetropolstarcraftCaptainwhohas been hiding in the Obyrworld rings for nearly a year.Acruel,violent,bloodthirstyman,he is tiredof thewaitinggamethatTacquenthascommandedhim.Hewantsactionandisatinderboxwaitingtoignite.HisbattlereadyCruiserTheVoidCutter is hidden insideaparticularly largechunkofdebris.Adamhasbeenposingasan informationbrokertoobtainMetropolsuppliesthathavebeenhiddenaroundtheClusterthattheBotcheryClipper(andotherspacecraft)

Ifyouwantaspacecrafttoreturnto,don’tleaveit

nearAmo.

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have been collecting for him. As the Brokers rarely leaveObyrworldandcertainlyhavenointerestintheMetropol,hehasthemallfooled.

Adam Harrod is bald, 70 (XXXXXXX in 21st Century years),withthicktattoosinsteadofeyebrows.Hespeaksslowly,withagrowltohisvoice.Hewon’tgiveovertheToastRackde-tailstotheteamwithoutmorebecauseheisaboredmega-lomaniacandwantstofeel importantwhile remaining lowkey.

Eventheslightestprovocationwillstartafightbetweentheplayers and him. Any provocation and he throw his drink,turnover the tableoryellabuse.Otherbar regularsmightsidewithhimwhen thefight starts.Use thebar regulars topadoutthefightifyouhavealotofplayers.

Ifthefightgoesbadly

Ifyoufindthattheplayersarelosing(duetopoorluck),youcanhaveoneofAdam’sHenchmendrawagun. The se-curityBorg,will step inanddisarmhim,knockhimoutandthrowhimonto thestreet.Otherbarfightersmight seethisanddecidetogiveup.

non plhyer CChrhCter sthtastaCsAdamHarrod

Battle:6,Meat:5,Shift:5,Soul:4,Wit:4,AR:1,H:10,LA:10,T:40,RA:10,LL:15,RL:15.Stun:100

Psychotheatric:SpatiallyAware.

Skills: PilotGrav: 65%,Combat PilotGrav: 50%, Light Firing:60%.

Droffilozi

AthuggishbrutethatactsasAdam’ssecuritywhenonthesurface.Small,beadyeyesdeepset intoachiselled face.Won’treallysayanything.

Battle:7,Meat:9,Shift:3,Soul:6,Wit:2,AR:1,H:10,LA:10,T:40,RA:10,LL:15,RL:15.Stun:140

Ambleowe

AslightbutferociousfighterwhoactsasAdam’segomas-sager.Aweaslyyesmanwhoishandyinafight.

Battle:6,Meat:3,Shift:7,Soul:3,Wit:4.

Body:AR:1,H:10,LA:10,T:40,RA:10,LL:15,RL:15.Stun:80

(BorgSecurity)

An8ftmetalskinnedBorg,willonlyjointhefightifweaponsaredrawn.Althoughhe/can/doMeatdamagewitheachhit,hewillnotkillanyone-onlyknockthemout.

Battle:8,Meat:24,Shift:14,Soul:3,Wit:4.

Body:AR:15,H:800,LA:900,T:2300,RA:900,LL:800,RL:800.Stun:400.

Atypicalbarregular

Battle:4,Meat:3,Shift:4,Soul:3,Wit:3.

Body:AR:1,H:10,LA:10,T:40,RA:10,LL:15,RL:15.Stun:80

sCene 4: tCe CChseAdamwillescapeoutthefrontofthebar(his)beforeherunsout of Stun. He drives a poorly dis-guised Metropol van. Only thosecharacters that haveabackgroundonEssofinhaveachanceofnoticingthat(WitrollwithTaxingdifficulty).Heis escaping to a shuttle hidden in agully6milesoutoftown.

TheMetropolvanhasadoor-mount-edgunbutitneedssomeonetofireitandAdamwillbeonhisown.Instead,he will be firing a Havan 11 from ahole in the windshield. As Harrod has the PsychotheatricSpatiallyAware,hecanfirehisweaponfromhismovingvanwhile firing at anothermoving car (the player characters)withoutattractingthe“targetmoving”modifier.Hewillkeeptryingtofighttheplayers-eventhoughhisvanisfasterthantheplayer’sKestrel.Runningwouldonlyshowwherehisshut-tleislocated.

IftheplayersarefindingitdifficulttoshootdowntheMetropolvan(becausetheyhavelefttheirweaponsattheweaponscheck) then you can suggest that boarding theMetropolvan is possible (and nonlethal). They need to win advan-tage,andboardthevaninsteadofshooting.IftheplayerscanthinkupanotherwaythenletthemdoitwhentheygaintheAdvantage.More informationonDogFightingcanbefoundonpage26.

Attheendofthechase,theplayersshouldhaveaplasticdatacard thatwillhaveco-ordinatesof theToastRack inthe rings. If you have a character with Hacking, then saytheyneedtohackthecardtogettheinformationoff.IftheysearchthevanthentheywillfindsomeArm5rifleswitham-munitionandLVGs.

sCene 5: anto tCe rangs

GM: The Rings of Obyrworld consist the debris of threehugeOrbspacestationsthatweredestroyedbythe in-habitantswhenthesystemwasabouttofalltotheDroids.Theringsteemwithvaluabledebrisandevencompletespacecraft.Mostof thedebris ismore than1000 yearsold,datingfromwhentheDroidsattacked. IssHorntellsyoutogetsuitedup.

TheToastRackisamodelofspacecraftonly150yearsold-whichisconsideredtobenewin Icar.ConsidertheRingsof Obyrworld as an asteroid field where the asteroids areremnantsofhumanengineering.Assuch,theToastRackhastakenalotofsurfacedamage(shieldswillprotectmostcraftwithoutaproblembuttheToastRackhasshieldsdown)andlooksbatteredandold.AnyZeroG technicians shoulddoaSpaceCraftknowcheck.ApasswillshowthattheToastRackisnew,apassbymorethan40willturnmore.

TheToastRack

The Toast Rack was a space craft stolen from the HouseGranger Fleet by Metropol Savants. The Savants took theToast Rack (with the families and crew on board) to theRingsofObyrworldanddroppedadamagedMk1(human-oidskeleton)Droid intothecraft.TheDroidkilledeveryoneonboard.TheSavantsthenwantedtomovetheToastRackintothepathoftheGrangerFleet-hopingtheywouldtake

MetrpolVan

AR:10

HP:3000

Speed:200

Acceleration:20

Mano:20

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itontooneofthehugeGrangerhulkStarDocs,wheretheDroid could wreak havoc. In a large fight that destroyedmuchoftheinternalsystems,theDroidtookouttheSavantstoo. Since then, the Savants have treated the craft as aplace to sendpeople theywant todoublecross andnotcomeback.

TheToastRackhasnopower,noatmosphereandnograv-ity.

sCene 6: onto tCe tohst rhCkTheToastRackshouldbeseenasatypicalmission.Theinsideof the toast rack arestrewnwithbodiesof twokinds. The majority arescavengersinEVsuits,senttherebyMetropolSavantsto ‘disappear’. There willalsobethebodiesoffam-ilies, frozen in time. TheDroidwillwaita fewmin-utestoappraisethenewcomersbeforeattacking.TheDroiddoes not have any weapons but does blunt damage inclosecombat.TheDroidwillusehit-and-runguerillatactics.

Thecrafthasbeenstrippedofanyworthysalvagebuttherearepersonalitemsthecharacters

M i s s i o n T h r e e : P o r c u p i n e

Thismissionisintwopartsandshouldbecompletedinoneplay sessionatconsiderable speed. The first part is thear-rivalatafreshwreckthathastobestrippedatspeed.Thesecondpartisescapefromthewreckandspacecombat.Bytheendofthiscombat,youhavetheoptionofkillingIssHornBarnarderandCaptainStuoandgivingtheteamtheBotcheryClipperastheirownfirstspacecraft.

sCene 1: en route

Wehavereceivedadistresscallfromacraftjustonehouraway.Theyarebeingattackedbypiratesandarelosingspacecraftsystemshandoverfoot.Eitherwewillbeearlyenough to help or late enough to salvage. Either way,we’regoingin.Suitupandarmup.

sCene 2: hpprohCC

WehavefinishedourLightJumpandtherearetwocrafthere.One(calledthePorcupine)iscompletelydisabled,webelievethatitwastheoneputtingoutthedistresscall.Thereisalsoanarmedpiratevessel(calledTheUnbrokenArrow),which isalsoheavilydamaged. Icanseecrewsontheoutsideofthepiratevesselperformingrepairs,sowemayhave limitedtime.Theplan is topickupcargoofanyworthandleavebeforethepiratesarerepaired.Whileyou’reonboardseeifyoucanascertaintheoriginofthecraft.Timeisshort,sosuitup./

IssHornBarnarderwillbeinthesuitingroomforthismission,helpingeveryonegetready.Hewillbegeneratinga lotofnervousenergy. It isnotablebecauseit isthefirsttimethatanyonewouldhaveseenIssHornnervous.RatherthanusetheOrbihaul,theBotcheryClipperwilldockontothesideofthePorcupine.

sCene 3: tCe porCupaneThe Porcupine is a very well looked after Granger FleetXXXXXX[PROPERNAME]spacecraft,amediumsizedfreight-er(largerthantheBotcherClipper),itsjobwasparthabita-tionandpartcargo.Morethan500peoplelivedonboard.Everyoneisnowdead,throughdepressurisationandlifesup-portfailure.Thesalvageherewillbeforexpensivepersonalitems,trinkets,jewelleryandotheritemsthatcanbecarriedoffeasily.IssHornwilladvisethemtogetintothelivingquar-ters, which will be filled with floating corpses, and searchfor expensive items. As the Porcupine is a modern craft,all thecharacterswillbeabletospotexpensive items.TheCaptain’squartershasasafethatincludesthedocumentsforthecraftandacardwith110,000creditsonit.

DuringthesearchofthePorcupine,theteamwillbehurriedby IssHorn,whowillbewatching the repairson thePiratecraft very carefully. The Botchery Clipper will be dockedontothePorcupineinsuchawaythatthePiratecraftcan-notgetalockon.

sCene 4: bhCk to tCe botCCThefirstsetofsystemsthatthePiratecraftwillgetbackonlinewillbeitspulselaster.ThePiratewillstartopeningfireonthePorcupine,attemptingtokillofftheScavengerteam.Insideof the Porcupine, therewill be flying debris, energy shockwavesandplentyofgascloudscausedbybasemetalsturn-ingtosteam.This translatestotheplayercharactersbeingthrownaround,pickingupalotofstunandneedingtohelpeachothergetoffthepiratecraft.After20turnsoffiring,thePorcupinewillstarttobreakupandtheBotcheryClipperwillneedtoundockandmoveclear.

NotethatthePorcupineisentirelysilentasitbreaksup.Onlywhendebrisorshockwaveshitthecharacterwill therebeanysound.AscommunicationsareGaiabased,theywillnotbeaffectedbyanyenergyshockwaves.

sCene 5: esChpe!Onceonto theBotcheryClipper, the technicalpeoplewillbeordered to theEngineeringbayandeveryoneelsewillneedtogotothebridge.SpaceCombatwillthenbegin.TheCaptainwillmakethedecisionsonwhatneedstobedoneat each step.At first, theaimwill be todisable the PirateCraftand thenescape. If this does notworkout then theCaptainwilljustescape.AtnotimewilltheCaptainentertaintheoptionofboardingTheUnbrokenArrow.Ifbadgeredbytheplayerstoattack,CaptainStuowillsay:

CaptainStuo:Neverjudgethecrewbythecraft

MakesurethatduringSpaceCombateveryoneiskeptbusy.

TheUnbrokenArrow

TheUnbrokenArrowisatypicalpiratecraftthatbristleswithgunsandspeedbutlacksdefenceandcargocapacity.TheUnbrokenArrowwasdamagedheavily in its fightwith thePorcupineandalthoughthecrewhaveworkedhardtogetitbackonline,itisashadowofitsformerpower.Assuch,itisnowslightlyweakerthantheBotcheryClipper.TheBrokenArrowwillgivechaseforafewturnsbutwilleventuallygiveupwhentheyrealisethattheBotcherClipperhasexcellentshielding.

DamagedDroidMK1

Battle:20,Meat:30,Shift:15,Soul:0,Wit:2

Body: AR: 20. H: 1000, LA:1500, T: 4000, RA: 1500, LL:2000,RL:1000

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(optaonhl) sCene 6: anterloperOneofpiratesfromTheUnbrokenArrowwerehidingonThePorcupinewhentheBotcheryClipperdocked.AstheteamsearchedthePorcupine,thepiratecreptontotheBotcheryClipperandhid.After theyescape,hewillbreakonto thebridgeandkill theCaptainand IssHornBarnarder ina su-icide run.As the team shouldbe in their EV suits still, theyshouldbeprotected.Theattackeronlyneedsapistoltokillthemboth.

massaon adehsIfattheendofthe3missions,yourteamarestillfindingtheirfeet,thenIcanrecommendusingtheBotcheryClipperun-derthecommandofCaptainStuoalittlemore.Eitherway,these are ideas for furthermissions. Thismissions, althoughtouchingonthemaincampaignelementsinthesettingarenot events in thecampaign itself andare thereforegoodprecursormissions.

ReturntoObyrworld

TheteamweredoublecrossedbyAdamHarrod, return toObyrworld to demand compensation. This would lead tomaking Tacquent an enemy, which would in turn createplentyofplothooks.

TheAstroGraveyard

The Graveyard is located on the edge of a nebula andcontainsthousandsofwrecks.AstheDroidsweresweepingthrough thecluster,manycraftbanded togetherandhid,hopingtobeignored.Thisfleetconsistedlargelyofunarmedrefugeecraft.Now,theyfloatontheedgeofaspectacularnebula. The self-proclaimedownersof the salvagewill notlikeotherspickingoffchoicespacecraftwithouttheirper-mission(andtribute).Thereisnothingillegalabouttheplayercharacters scavenging in the Fleet but the owners mightdisagree.

BotcheryClipper’sLowerBay

ThelowerbayontheBotcheryClippercontainsadamagedDroidMk3.SomedamagetotheBotcheryClipperhasal-lowedittobecomeunleashedandhasfinallyworkeditswaythroughintothemaincargobay.Itmustbedestroyed.

CarlTacquent’sGambit

LesserfamilymemberCarlTacquentistryingtogetanameforhimself.HechallengesScavenger Teams tobringbacka statue created by Bellerwick. There are four statues inAnadarandhegivesthelocationofoneonObyrworld.Therewardis2millionforthefirstteamtoreturnoneintact.Thestatuesare100m tallandmadeoutofgranite. The teamscan either go to Obyrworld and fight for that one or usetheUndergaia/GaiaResearchtofindanothernearby.Thenthere is theproblemofmoving it safely intoorbit.CaptainStuowillusethemoneyon improvingtheBotcheryClipperandequipmentfortheteam.Thesubsidiaryaimforthismis-sionisfortheteamtomeetotherScavengerteamsanddealwiththemeitherwithrespect-among-thievesorafight.

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T h e T i m e l i n e

DatesEpoch Description

From To1947 1987 TheSpaceAge HumansbeginfirststepsintoSpaceinaColdWarfuelledrace.1988 2099 AgeofPostApocalypse AstheremainingpopulationofthePostNuclearHolocaustdies

onearth,thefewontheorbitalspacestationwatchinhorror.2099 2199 ExpeditionAge Researchintoscavengingresourcesfromthatwhichhasbeen

leftinEarth’sOrbit.2199 2999 AgeofEnlightenment Newtechnologygivesnewhopetoademoralisedrace.

2999 3233 TheGenusPlague APlagueofunknowngeneticoriginkillsthousandsleavingonlyafewonthestation.

3233 3499 RepopulationAge Safefromthevirus,remainingpopulationbeginrepopulatingthebase.Scientificadvancementsareslow.

3499 3823 FasterthanLightAge Firstfewvehiclestocrossthespeedoflightarecreated.

3823 3999 FirstExodus 90%ofEarthOrbitpopulationleaveinmassivecolonialships.

3999 5003 SilentNightAge Slowbuildingandexpandingofcolonies,manydieout.Technologicalleveldropsdramatically.Nocommunicationbetweencolonies.

5003 5499 SpocefaringAge Rebirthofspacefaringbyanomadiccolonywhichbeginsmap-pinghumansystemswithspacecraftconstructedinSol.

5500 5733 TheFirstEmpire Agroupcreatedbycoloniestohelpfledglingcoloniesalong.Jointscientificandpolicinggroupscreated.Violentexpansionpreceedsdecandenceandeventualfall.

5733 5799 DarkAge TheEmpirefallsleavingthegalaxywithoutrule,manywarsbe-ginandsmallercoloniesdieoutduetolackofaid.

5800 11495 TheImperiumAge AfewpowerfulcoloniesallyandcreatethefirstStarIndustries.Soon,manyindependentcoloniesjoin.

11495 25210 TheGoldernStabilityAge Thehumanracegrowsandspreadsrapidlyundertheguid-anceoftheImperium.Someanti-ImperiumphilosophersbandtogetherunderarighteousidealistcalledAranColmay.

25210 36778 PhilosophicalDivision SlowlysystemsoptforImperiumorAransystems.ImperiumtreatsArancolonieswithcautiousrespect.

36779 71065 TheAranWar Smallmilitaryactionsturnintoahugewarthatengulfsthehu-manracefor34,000years.

71065 73100 SecondDarkAge Althoughthewarhasended,manysystemsdieoutduetolackofsupportortrade.Communicationisremovedandthegalaxybeginstosplitintosmallerkingdoms.

73100 74002 RebuildAge TheImperiumrebuildsmanyoftheoldcoloniesandsetsaboutimprovingmanyfacetsoflife,includingartandculture.

76110 83481 TheAstra-Renaissance AnewageoflearningandculturehitstheImperium,oldtech-nologiesarerediscoveredandnewartiscreated.

83481 89987 TheMutogenPlague Thenextstepintheevolutionarychain,calledGenus2,out-breaksonCalliosandspreadsrapidly.Soon,hundredsofsystemsandclustersareinfected.

89987 90233 TheClensingAge ThespreadoftheoutbreakishaltedandthesystemsarecleanedbytheFleet.Bettercontrolsareputintoplace.

90233 91001 TheCalmAge Thehumanracegrowscautiouslyandalmostwithoutincident.

91001 91622 TheDroidWar ImperiumcreatedcombatAIrobotsreplicatedthemselvesandstartdestroyingthehumanrace.

91622 PresentDay TheRetalliationAge AfterloosingmuchofthegalaxytoDroidcontrol,theImperiummanagestosecureasmallsectorofitwithoutDroids.Thedroidsarenotdefeatedbutwaitontheedgesofhumanspace.

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Chemical Explosives

Botanical

Physical

Biological

Macromechanics

Astromechanics

Macroecology

Genetics

FoodScience

Ecopolitical

Thespian Impersonation

Socioeconomics

Architecture

ForgeryGraphics

Law Oration

History Antiquities

JournalismLanguage

ColonyKnow

Persuade

Stealth

Empathy

Style

Counsel

Interrogate

Seduce

PickPocket

SilentShadow

AkarakArt

ScaleWall

RailFighting

Blend

Scam

CommoditiesStreetTrading

StreetDeal

StreetWise

StreetFighting

Language

Acrobatics

SleightofHand

Intimidate

BionicsKnow BionicsSystems

DiagnosisMedicalBasic

Biological

BionicsDesign

Surgery

Bioweave

SystemsKnowColony

SpaceCraft

Vehicle

Gaia

Energy

Weapon

Automaton

Mechasys

SystemsKnow

SystemsKnow

SystemsKnow

SystemsKnow

Design

Design

Design

Design

Design

SystemsKnow Design

Research

Hacking

AI

SystemsKnow Design

SystemsKnow Design

GunFu

CruiserCombat

HeavyGravCombat

GravCombat

BikeCombatBikePilot

GravPilot

HeavyGravPilot

CruiserPilot

LightFiring

StreetFighting

HeavyFiring

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Skill Chart Start Epoch Training NeedsAcrobatics Street ShiftShiftShift 1 SelfTaught NothingAkarakArt Life 2 Instructor StreetFighting,AcrobaticsAI Tech 3 Instructor GaiaSystems,AutomatonSystems

(seerules)Antiquities Academia 2 Instructor HistoryArchitecture Academia 2 Instructor Graphics,ColonyKnow

Astromechanics Academia 2 Instructor PhysicalAutomatonKnow Tech WitWitSoul 1 Instructor NothingAutomatonSystems Tech 2 Instructor AutomatonKnowAutomatonDesign Tech 3 Instructor AutomatonSystemsBikePilot Task WitWitShift 1 SelfTaught NothingBikeCombat Task 2 Instructor BikePilotBiological Academia WitWitSoul 1 Instructor NothingBionicsKnow Medical WitWitSoul 1 Instructor NothingBionicsSystems Medical 4 Instructor BionicsKnow,SurgeryBionicsDesign Medical 5 Instructor BionicsSystemsBioweave Medical 5 Instructor BionicsSystemsBlend Life 2 SelfTaught StreetwiseBotanical Academia WitWitSoul 1 Instructor NothingChemical Academia WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingColonyKnow Technical WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingColonySystems Technical 2 Instructor ColonyKnowColonyDesign Technical 3 Instructor ColonySystemsCommodities Life 2 Instructor TradingCounsel Life 2 Instructor EmpathyCruiserPilot Task WitWitShift 1 SeltTaught NothingCruiserCombat Task 2 Instructor CruiserPilotDeal(Street) Life WitWitShift 1 SelfTaught NothingDiagnosis(Medical) Medical 2 Instructor MedicalBasicEcopolitical Academia WitWitWit 1 SelfTaught NothingEmpathy Life WitSoulSoul 1 SelfTaught NothingEnergyKnow Technical WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingEnergySystems Technical 2 Instructor EnergyKnowEnergyDesign Technical 3 Instructor EnergySystemsExplosives Academia 2 Instructor ChemicalFighting(Street) Life BattleShift 1 SelfTaught NothingFoodScience Academia 2 Instructor Botanical,Biological

Forgery Life 2 Instructor Graphics

GaiaKnow Technical WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingGaiaSystems Technical 2 Instructor ComputerKnowGaiaDesign Technical 3 Instructor ComputerSystemsGaiaHacking Technical 3 Instructor ComputerDesign

Graphics Academia WitSoulSoul 1 SelfTaught NothingGravPilot Task WitWitShift 1 Instructor NothingGravCombat Task 2 Instructor GravPilotGunFu Task 2 Instructor LightFiring,StreetFightingHeavyFiring Task WitShiftShift 1 SelfTauht NothingHeavyGravPilot Task WitWitShift 1 SelfTaught Nothing

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HeavyGravCombat Task 2 Instructor HeavyGravPilotHistory Academia WitWitWit 1 SelfTaught NothingMedicalBasic Medical WitWitSoul 1 Instructor NothingMedicalDiagnosis Medical 2 Instructor MedicalBasicMedicalSurgery Medical 3 Instructor MedicalDiagnosisImpersonation Academia 2 SelfTaught ThespianInterrogate Life 2 Instructor Persuade,EmpathyIntimidate Life 2 SelfTaught PersuadeJournalism Academia 2 SelfTaught HistoryLanguage Academia WitWitSoul 1 SelfTaughtLaw Academia WitWitSoul 1 SelfTaught Nothing

LightFiring Task WitShiftShift 1 SelfTaught NothingMacroecology Academia 2 Instructor Biological,BotanicalMacromechanics Academia 2 Instructor PhysicalMechasysKnow Technical WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingMechasysSystems Technical 2 Instructor MechasysKnowMechasysDesign Technical 3 Instructor MechasysSystemsOration Academia 2 SelfTaught Language

Persuade Life WitWitSoul 1 SelfTaught NothingPhysical Academia WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingPickPocket Life 2 SelfTaught SleightofHandPoweredArmour(PA)User

Task SoulShiftShift 1 Instructor Nothing

PoweredArmour(PA)Combat

Task 2 Instructor PoweredArmour(PA)UseStreetFighting

RailFighting Life 2 Instructor StreetFightingResearch Tech 2 Instructor GaiaKnowScaleWall Life 2 SelfTaught AcrobaticsScam Life 2 SelfTaught Deal,Streetwise,LanguageSeduce Life 2 SelfTaught Style,EmpathySilentShadow Life 2 SelfTaught StealthSleightofhand Life WitShiftShift 1 SelfTaught NothingSocioeconomics Academia 2 Instructor EcopoliticalSpaceCraftKnow Technical WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingSpaceCraftSystems Technical 2 Instructor SpaceCraftKnowSpaceCraftDesign Technical 3 Instructor SpaceCraftSystemsStealth Life WitShiftShift 1 SelfTaught NothingStreetFighting Life BattleBattleShift 1 SelfTaught NothingStreetwise Life WitSoulSoul 1 SelfTaught NothingStyle Life WitSoulSoul 1 SelfTaught NothingSurgery Medical 3 Instructor Diagnosis(Medical)Thespian Academia WitSoulSoul 1 Instructor NothingTrading(Street) Life WitWitSoul 1 SelfTaught NothingVehicleKnow Technical WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingVehicleSystems Technical 2 Instructor VehicleKnowVehicleDesign Technical 3 Instructor VehicleSystemsWeaponKnow Technical WitWitWit 1 Instructor NothingWeaponSystems Technical 2 Instructor WeaponKnowWeaponDesign Technical 3 Instructor WeaponSystems

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A c a d e m i a S k i l l L i s t

lhnguhgeWit Wit Soul. Wit > 2. Self Taught.

Language is the Skill of good communication. Languagecoversbothwrittenandspoken Imperial.AcharacterwithahighlevelofLanguagewillfinditeasiertoexplainideasorinterpretother ideas.Languagealsocovers ‘howconvinc-ingyousound’andsoshouldbeusedwhenthecharacteristryingtoliewithoutbeingdetected.ThisisdifferentfromtheSkillPersuade,whichisspecificallyaboutgettingsomeonetodowhatyouwant.

Easy:Stallingfortimebywafflingonaboutnothing.Difficult: Trying to convince someone the opposite ofsomethingtheyhavebelievedtheirwholelife.

JournhlasmLanguage. Self Taught.

Theability towrite factualor fictional reportsconvincingly,usingappropriatesources.IncludesGaiapresentationtech-niquesandknowledgeofthemediabusiness.GoodreportscanbesoldtotheGaianNewssystem.

Easy:CreatingafullyimmersiveGaiasimulationaboutanewsitemforGaianNews.Difficult:CreatingafullimmersiveGaiasimulationthroughsomeoneelse’seyesandcreatingareportintheirstyle.Aformofjournalisticforgery.

lhwWit Wit Soul. Wit > 5. Self Taught.

ThestudyoftheprinciplesandpracticesofImperiallawandlocallaws.Thisincludesthegreyareawherethesetwolawsmeet.

Easy:Avoidingarrestandincarcerationbyunderstandingwhatevidenceisrequiredforanygivencrime.Difficult:Presentevidenceinsuchawaythatthemannerinwhichthelawwillbeappliedismovedinfavourofthecharacter.

orhtaonSoul > 4. Language. Self Taught.

Orationistheabilitytospeakinpublic,eitherinapreparedmannerorbysurprise.Agoodorator is someonewhocancaptivate the audience while putting their point across.This Skill extends theabilities in the Language Skill toallowthecharacterto literallycaptivateanyonewhois listening.OrationisnormallyusedtobolsteranyotherSkillwheretalk-ingisimportant,suchasusingPersuadetogetlargegroupsofpeopletodowhatthecharacterwants.

Easy: Rouse a rabble to encite violence towards thecauseoftheirbeliefs.Difficult: Stopa violent rabblebyconvincing them theirbeliefsareflawed.

CastoryWit Wit Wit. Self Taught.

Thestudyofwhathasgonebefore.Usedtohelpunderstandtheactionsofothers.Includesthestudyofcurrentaffairsandcomparison with history. Combined with Research, history

canhelpgiveaninsightintoanygivensituation.Easy:Drawingconnectionsbetweencurrenteventsandactionsofpeople.Difficult:Drawingconnectionsbetweenpast eventandcurrentevents.

hntaquataesHistory. Instructor.

The studyof artifacts, antiquesand thecultures that usedthem.This includesattachingvalue toobjectsandputtingthemintocontext.Antiquesisusedforsettingagoodpriceinalegalenvironment,unlikeStreetDeal,whichdealswithhagglingagoodpriceoutsideoftheestablishment.

Easy: Able to date, findmanufacturer, origin and priceandpiecefromthepast50000years.Difficult:Date, findmanufacturer, originandprice forapiecefrombeforetheAranwarsorfromanobscureman-ufacturer.

grhpCaCsWit Soul Soul. Soul > 4. Self Taught.

ThisSkillenablesthecharactertoproducevisuallyeffectiveGaiaartandtocopyandalterexistingart.Alsoincludesanappreciationandthedetectionoffakes.Gaiaartisbroadlyanythingthatisin3D,fromattractiveGaiaEntitiesthroughtoitemsofhardlightfurniture.

Easy:3DGaiaart,Gaiaenvironments,logosandsymbolde-sign.

Difficult:Forgery,3Dcreationofbelievablepeople.

forgeryGraphics. Instructor.

Forgery is the art of copying or falsifying. This includes allformsofart,fromsculptureandpaintingthroughtotheGaiabasedarts.Motionforgery(animation)isincludedinthisSkill.FordetectionthebrowsermostrollovertheForgerySkillrat-ing.Iftherollis0-19over,thebrowseriscurious.Iftherollis20+overthenthebrowserissuretheobjectisfake.

Optional Rule:TheGMrollsthisSkillcheckinsecretandde-claresthattheForgeryisgood.Thisway,theplayersdonotknowhowgoodtheforgeryisandhavetoassumeitisok.

hrCCateCtureGraphics and Colony Know (Tech Skill Tree). Instructor.

Theappreciationanddesignofbuildings,howformfollowsfunctionandthehistorybehindhowdifferentstylesevolved.Architecturealsoincludesindepthknowledgeofconstruc-tion and the layout of buildings. A character can obtainquitealotofinformationaboutthebuildingwithasuccess-fulroll.

Easy:Workingoutthestructuralpointsofabuilding.Difficult:Workingoutthelayoutoftheinsidefromthede-signoftheoutside.

tCespahnWit Soul Soul. Instructor.

Theabilitytoactagivenpartorunderstandapartthroughwords.Actorsplayabigpartinentertainment,althoughtheydonotwritethewordsandneedtimetorehearse.Cando

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Impersonationwithoutamodifier if the subject is verywellknown.ThisSkillismoreusefultoindicateaprofession,ratherthanbeusedasaSkillthatisrolledregularly.

ampersonhtaonThespian. Self Taught.

Thisiscopyingtheactions,mannerismsandvoiceofachosensubject.Thecharactermustspendatleast5hoursstudyingthesubjecttodoagoodimpersonation.Afterthat,eachex-trahouradds1%.Forexample,after25hours,acharacter’sdifferencereducesby20%,greatlyimprovingthechanceofagoodmatch.Withtheadditionofintelligentprosthetics,apersoncouldfoolanyonewithoutDNAtesting.

Easy:Impersonatesomeonewellknownorawellknownprofession.Difficult: Impersonate someone so that it isHard to stopusingaWitroll.

eCopolataChlWit Wit Wit. Self Taught.

ThestudyofGovernments,Industriesandhowtheyinteract.Includingterminology,structures,positionsofpower,powerbases,supplyanddemand,tradeanddiplomacy.Thechar-actercananalyseandpredictfromlearntcasestudiesandwatchingcurrentaffairs.Thecharacterisalsoabletounder-standpoliticalintrigueandcan,toacertainextentpredictfuturepoliticalclimate.

Easy: Given a small amount of colony information, thecharactercanworkoutwhoistherealpowerthere.Difficult:Predictingthefuturepoliticalclimateinthelongterm.

soCaoeConomaCsEcopolitical. Instructor.

Thestudyofcoloniesandsocieties.ThisSkillallowsthechar-actertounderstandthefactorsinvolvedinrunningasystemandan empire, theaffects onpopulationand the use oftradeandtechnologytoboostthewealthofasystem.

Easy:Givenasmallamountof informationonacolony,canderivethemaineconomicaldriversbehindit.Difficult: Long term prediction of the effects of smallchangesintheeconomy.

bothnaChlWit Wit Soul. Instructor.

The studyofplantsand simpleplantecologies. Theplayerhas an in depth knowledge of Horticulture and farming.Classificationofplantscanbedonebysightbutmoreinfor-mationisrequiredforadetailedanalysis.

Easy: Identification of crops, understanding of theirstrengthsandweaknessesandpredictionofhowclimatechangemighteffectthem.Difficult: Identification of the properties of new speciesgivenverylittleinformation.

food sCaenCeBotanical and Biological. Instructor.

Thestudyoffood,anditseffects.ThisSkillallowsthecharac-tertoanalysecreaturesandplants(fortheuseoffood)fortheircontent.Thisalsoincludestheanalysisofdietsandbe-

ingabletotellhowaparticulardietmighteffectsomeone.Easy:Givenaplantandsomeinformation,cantellwheth-eritisedibleornot.Difficult:Createabalanceddietforagroupofmercenar-iesonanalienworld.

baologaChlWit Wit Soul. Instructor.

The study of organisms and their habitats. Also includes aminorknowledgeofplantsandanimalbehaviour.Fromthesmallestcelltothelargestbeast,Biologycoversitall.

Easy:Analyseandpredictthemotivationofanunknowncreature.Difficult:Tameapreviouslyunknowncreature.

genetaCsBiological and Botanical. Instructor.

ThestudyofDNA,GeneticResolutionandEnergyGenetics.ThecharacterwillbeabletostudytheDNApatterns(withtheaidofMedicalEquipment)andworkoutifthereareanydefects,viralproblemsor iftwodifferentpatternsmatchinany way. Information on origin can also be gained. Also,geneticmatchesareunderstood,sothecharactercantellrelations.

Easy:AnalyseaDNAprintforknowndefects.Difficult:Givenanewgenetic virus, calculatewhat theeffectsmightbeifpassedon.

mhCroeCologyBiological and Botanical. Instructor.

What makes planets tick? This is the answer. Everythingthat happens on a planet is covered by this. It includesMeteorologyandEcology,predictionscanbemadeaboutfutureplanetary statesandweatherchanges (and theaf-fectsontheweatheroftheplanet).Thisalsocoversthetech-nologyofTerraforming, theability toalteraplanet in suchawaythattheatmospherebecomebreathable.

Easy: Predict the future ecology of the planet givenpresentinformation.Difficult:Givenachangeintheplanet’ssetup,calculatewhatwillhappentotheplanetasawhole.

pCysaChlWit Wit Wit. Instructor.

Physics and basic astronomy. This Skill is more of a springboard into more complicated and useful topics. This Skillholdsall theconcepts thatmanyotherscientificareasarebasedon.Ifanycharacterwishestodesignandbuildany-thingradicalatall,thisSkill isamust.IncludesallabouttheMediumconceptandgives thecharacterabetterunder-standingofhowthingswork.

mhCromeCChnaCsPhysical. Instructor.

Macromechanicsisthestudyofhowplanetswork,howtheirorbitsareformedandwhataffectstheirparameters.Includedisplatetectonics, compositionandgeology,Terraforming,theconceptsandthepractices.MacromechanicsincludesalotGeology,thestudyofrocksandsothisSkill isusedbyanyonewhowouldanalyseaplanet forpossibledesirable

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mineraldeposits.InconjunctionwithMacroecology,thisSkillisusedbyanyonewhodecideswhetheraplanet isworthcolonisingornot.

Easy:Decidewhetheragivenastronomicalfeaturecon-tainsmineralsofanyworth.Difficult:Calculateamethodofblowingaplanetupandmakingitlooknatural.

hstromeCChnaCsPhysical. Instructor.

Astromech. Is the study of space, it’s features andpitfalls.This includesgreater knowledgeof theMediumconcepts,spacetravel,orbits, star formation,astral formations (aster-oidfields,nebulae)andthecomplexitiesofgravity.ThisisthecoreSkillforanynewdesignsoffaster-than-lightenginestheCharactermightwanttobuild.

Easy:Predicttheeffectsofapreviouslyuncharteredfea-tureinspace.Difficult:CreatethetheoryforanewformofFasterThanLightengine.

CCemaChlWit Wit Wit. Instructor.

Thestudyofchemicalsandtheirreactions.Includesall‘nor-mal’, ‘partial’and ‘flux’materials. Thecharactercancon-struct,analyseandunderstandthepropertiesofanymateri-al.Alsoincludesunderstandingofchemicalenergypatterns.

Easy:Predicttheeffectsoftwochemicalstogether.Difficult: Creation of new chemicals for a specific andcomplexpurpose.

explosavesChemical. Instructor.

This ismoreanacademicapplication thanascience in it-self. Thecharactercandesignandmakeanyvolatilesub-stancestosuittheuseandwillknowthebestwaysinwhichtosetthemup.DefusingandtheanalysisofotherexplosivesisHardandthereisariskofprematuredetonationonfailure.

Easy:Createsomethingexplosivefromhouseholdproducts.

Difficult:Anythingtodowithenergyexplosives.

L i f e S k i l l L i s t

street trhdangWit Wit Soul. Self Taught.

This is the technique of buying, moving and then sellinggoods for a profit. Trading gives the character the knowl-edgetospotagoodbuyandtoknowwheretogetridofit.Alsoincludesknowledgeofgoodandbadpricesforcom-moditiesandafewtradingrunsintheirhomeareaaswell.

Easy: Spot an as yet unused trade route between twocolonies.Difficult:Makeprofitfromanartificiallyforgedtraderoute.

CommodataesTrading. Instructor.

This allows the character to useGMbased knowledge tospotwhatcommoditiesaresuitablewhere.Thisalsogivesaknowledgeabout limitsand legalitiesof commoditiesandplaceswhere they are especially cheap (in good supply)orexpensive(poorsupply).IfEcopolitical(InAcademiaList)is alsoowned, then theplayer hasan immediate 15% Skillbonus.ThisSkillisdifficulttoroleplayandshouldbeusedforinformationgatheringpurposes.

street dehlWit Wit Shift. Self Taught.

This is theartofgettingabargainandbeingable to spotwhereyoumightgetone.ThisSkillallowstheplayertobar-termoreeffectivelyandalsotofindandbuymoreobscureitemsthattheownermaynotwishtosell.Asuccessfulrollisnotanautomaticpassbutanaidtotheroleplayingthatitaccompanies.

StreetDealisalsousedforfindingtheBlackMarket.Thisexistsoneverysystem.ApasswithadifficultyofHardisrequiredtofindtheBlackMarket.MoreinformationcanbefoundintheEquipmentIndex.

Easy:Hagglingdownapriceonastreetcorner.Hard:FindtheBlackMarketonanygivensystem.Difficult:Givenanunknownitem,workouthowmuchyoumightgetforit.

sChmStreet Deal, Streetwise and Language. Self Taught.

Thisallowstheplayertopullacontrickortomakesomeonebelievesomethingthatisnotentirelytrue.Thescamneedstobeexplainedandrolledforbeforeundertaken.Scamscanrange fromplanningandplayingelaborate tricks to smalldeceptions.Mostscamsshouldinvolvemoneyandmustin-cludesomesortofbenefitforaSkill increase.Inventivenessiskeyhere!

Easy:Extortmoneyfromanelderlypersonbysellingthemaservicetheydonotneed.Difficult:Obtainaccesstoaspacecraftbypretendingtobeastarportofficial.

streetwaseWit Soul Soul. Self Taught.

This provides theplayerwith theability towalk the streetsofanycitywithacertainairofconfidenceandknowledgeofhersurroundings.Theabilitytofindthebaseofpowerortofindouthow.Includesspottingbadsituationsandunder-standingotherpeople’spredicaments.ToaidtheuseoftheSkillitisrecommendedthattheplayerbuildsupcontactstouseasinformationsources.SuccessfulStreetwiserollsshouldyieldanewcontact. Thebigger thedifference, thebetterthecontact.

Easy:Inanunknowncity,findafacilityorpersonwithverylittleinformation.Difficult:Predictthecriminalactivitiesgivenonlycommer-cialinformation.

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blendStreetwise. Self Taught.

Thisistheartofnotbeingnoticed.Thecharacterknowshowtoact incertainplacesandunderstandsalletiquettewellenoughtolookinconspicuous.Thehigherthedifference,thelesssuspicionisdirectedtowardthecharacter.

Easy:Escapenoticeofapoliceforcewheninacrowdifwearingsimilarclothestothecrowd.Difficult:Losepursuersinasparselypopulatedareawhenwearingconspicuousclothing.

street fagCtangBattle Battle Shift. Self Taught.

Thisistheabilitytousethesurroundingenvironmentandoth-erpeopletowinafight.Normallylearntbypracticebutcanbe taught. As the Skill percentage increases, new movesandabilitiesbecomeavailable.

10:Canhavemorethan3movesinaCombo.20:Canputtwoormore‘2’pointCombomovesinarow.30:Canuseweapons.NewCloseCombatComboMove:FloorKicking(Offensive).Ifuserisproneandtheyhavea‘kick’move,theymayuseitasiftheywerestanding.40:Cansplitattacksbetweenenemies.50: New Close Combat Combo Move: Hold Reverse(Offensive).Ifinahold,anyattackcanbechangedintoaHoldReverse.Ratherthanbreakingfree,thesituationisreversedandtheuserhastheopponentinaHold.60:Precisionhitting:Whenusingaclosecombatweapon,allowsusertochoosethelocationtohitforeachsuccess-fulattack.70: Rolling when prone.When prone (on the floor), at-tackscanbedodgedwithasuccessfulBattlerollfromthepronedefender.Thisreplacesanymovesleftinacomboandisnotautomatic.80:NewCloseCombatComboMove:Rearm(Defensive.Cost:1).Mustfollowadisarm.Onlyworksforclosecom-batweaponswhen theuser isemptyhanded. Theusertakestheweaponfromtheiropponentandmayusenextturn.90:NewCloseCombatComboMoves: SpinningPunchandSpinningKicks(Offensive).Likenormalkicks,excepttheycannotbeblocked.Punchandkicksareautomati-callycountedasspinning.

rhal fagCtangStreet Fighting. Instructor.

RailFightingisasportwheretwoormorecombatantsfighteither to the death or unconsciousness. It has spawnedafightingstyleofitsownwhichisconsideredasbeing‘dirty’.LikeStreetFighting,asthepercentageincreases,newmovesandabilitiesbecomeavailable.

30:IntimidatingStyle.Beingabletofightlikearailfighterisintimidating.Whenrollinginitiative,theopponenttotherailfightermustsubtracttherailfighter’sSoul.40:GlancingBlocks.Ifblockingaweapon,nodamageistaken(onlystun).50:Improvise1/3ofBattle,insteadof1/4.60:Springboard.CharacterdoesnotneedtorollShifttostandupattheendofaturn.

70:Floorfighting.Canstillpunchandkickwhileprone.80:FlyingStart. If starting a fight,thefirstmoveinthecom-bobecomesa‘flying’manoeuvre(e.g.FlyingKickinsteadofkick).Thisdoesdoublestun.85:CatchPunch.Ifthefoeispunchingandthecharacterisdoinganoffensivemoveandwins,thepunchcanbecaughtandthefoecanbe inaholdnext turn(ifneedbe).90:PressurePoints.Ifthefoeisunarmoured,normalPunchandKickmanoeuvresdothesameamountofdamageasstun.ThedamageisappliedtotheTorsoonly.UsedbyacharacterwithAugmentation,thiscanbedeadly.

hkhrhk hrtAcrobatics and Street Fighting. Instructor.

ThenearesttothisisamaritalArt,AkarakArtisafightingstylewhichcombinespower,speedandflair,nottomentionbi-onics.ThisSkillallowsacharactertohave6movesinacom-bination,regardlessofBATTLE.AcharactermustbetrainedtoperformthisSkillandthistrainingmustbeperformedbyanAkarakElder.HavingthisSkillat70doesnotallowtheownertoteachit.

30:6movesinacomboallowed.40:SwordFastDraw.Drawswordanduseit inthesameturn.50:DualCombos. If fighting2combatants,onecombocan be assigned to each opponent. Different Comboscanbeperformedsimultaneouslyondifferentfoes.60: During a fight, one move in the combo may bechangedforanother.Dothisonlyonceinacombo.70:Newclosecombatmove:BreathofWind(Offensive).Isperformedonlyinacomboasthefirstpartofaimprovi-sation.Characterpushesfoeawayandontotheground,doingthemnodamagebutallowingthecharactertoei-therleavethefightordodamagenextturn.Requiressuc-cessfulBattleroll.Iffails,thenthecharactermaycontinuetoimprovise.75:Malleable.MaystillattackwheninaHoldbutcannotbreakfreewhileattacking.80:FiveFoeCombo.Mayfightfiveseparatepeoplewith5 separatecombos inone turn.Dealwitheachcomboseparately.85:ComplexImprovise.Mayimproviseupto5moves.90:TwoSwords.Mayusetwohardlightswordsanddealtwiceasmuchdamagetofoes.Veryrare.

hCrobhtaCsShift Shift Shift. Self Taught.

ThisSkillallowsthecharactertoperformacrobaticfeats.Atdifferent levelsofSkillpercentage,thecharactermayper-formdifferentmanoeuvres,asgivenbelow.Insomecases,thesemanoeuvresallowthecharacter tosurviveperil thattheywouldotherwisebeinjuredfrom.

20:Canperformforwardrolls,flipsandsomersaults.30: Can perform a composite manoeuvre, made frommanyotherflips,rolls,etc.40:CanmovethroughTheMeshatnormalspeed.50:Canperformanyacrobaticmanoeuvrewithout roll-ing.

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60:Canfall10mwithoutinjuringthemselves.70:Ifbeingshotatwhileperformingachainedmanoeu-vre,thefirer’sshotbecomesTaxing.80:Canfallfromamovingvehicledoing100mphat5maltitudeandsurvive.90:Charactertakesonlyhalfthestunfromimpactdam-age.

sChle whllAcrobatics. Self Taught.

ASkillwhichencompassesallsortsofclimbing,ScaleWallal-lowsthecharactertoclimbwalls,eventhosewithverylittlefootholdsattheirShift inmetresperturn.Asuccessful roll isrequired.

Easy:ClimbtheoutsideofaMexbuilding.Difficult:Climbaglasssurface.

stehltCWit Shift Shift. Self Taught.

Theabilitytomovearoundwithoutbeingseenorheard.Thisalsoincludesbasicconcealment.ThisisnotaBlendSkill,thecharacterwill not be seen at all instead of not being no-ticed.Therearesomesituationswhereacharactercannotgocompletelyunnoticed.ThisisnormallyincaseswhereanAIisconnectedtobuildingsensors.

Easy: Move through a building avoiding contact withpeople.Difficult:Movethroughabuildingavoidingcontactwithpeople,automatonsorsensors.

salent sChdowStealth. Self Taught.

ThisisanAkarakianartoffollowingpeoplewithoutbeingno-ticed.Thecharacterwillhave theconcentration towatchforas longas required.Asuccesswillmeanthat thechar-acterwillfollowthetargetwithoutbeingnoticedandafailwillmeaneitherthetargetislost,orintheworsecaserealisestheyarebeingfollowed.

Easy:Followahumanwhoisnotparanoid.Difficult:Followaparanoidhumanoranaugmentedonewithadditionalsensors.

sleagCt of ChndWit Shift Shift. Self Taught.

Thisistheabilitytoconcealanitemormovetheitemaroundone’sbodywithoutanywatchersbeingable to followtheobject.Theitemmustbenolargerthanthatofthecharacterorthecharacter’shanddependingontheuse.

Easy:Palmingansmallobjectsothatitisinhandbuthid-denfromview.Difficult: Moving an object from hand to hand withoutanyonedetectingit.

paCk poCketSleight of Hand. Self Taught.

Removing items from other people’s person without theirknowledge.Anythingfrommoneycardstoweaponscanberemoved.Ifanitemisnotremovable,thentheSkillwilldeter-minethisanddoesnotmeanautomaticfailure.

Easy:Pickingpocketsinacrowd.Difficult:Pickingsomeone’spocketwhiletalkingtothem.

styleWit Soul Soul. Self Taught.

The character knows how to look good and impress.Although the character may not be attractive, they cancertainly seem so. Style includes everything from personalgroomingtomake-up.Apasswouldallowthecharactertocuthairperfectlywhereafailwouldmakeacompletehashofit.

Easy:Pickinganoutfitonanunfamiliarplanetthatallowsthewearertofitinwiththepopulace.Difficult: Impressingan unknowngroupof peopleof anknownculture.

seduCeStyle and Empathy. Self Taught.

Theabilitytomakesomeonefallinlovewithyouorjustcon-troltheirlustofyou.Onceen-captured,canmakethembe-lievealmostanythingyoulike.Theycanbemadetomakemistakesormakedecisionstheywouldotherwiseneverhadconsidered.Seductioncanalsoleadtounwantedobsessionanddepression.

Easy:Seducingsomeonewhoisquitepliantordesperateforattention.Difficult:Seducingsomonefromavastlydifferentculturewhoisreallynotinterestedinthecharacter.

emphtCyWit Soul Soul. Self Taught.

Thisisallowsthecharactertounderstandthefeelingsofoth-ers.Althoughthismustberoleplayed,thisSkillallowstheGMtoaidtheplayerswhenasuccessfulrollismade.Thechar-acterwithEmpathymayknowwhetheratargetislyingwheneveryoneelseseesthetarget’sdemeanourascharming.

Easy:Understandingaemotionalcharacter’sfeelings.Difficult:Detectingthefeelingsofastoneyfacedperson.

CounselEmpathy. Instructor.

Theabilitytodiscussandsuggestconstructivecriticismevenwhere thecharacter isnotanexpert in the subject.Moralandethical advice canalsobeoffered, giving the coun-selledadifferentviewonevents.Thismustberoleplayedbutcanbestrengthenedwithasuccessfulroll.

Easy:Helpingsomeonedealwiththedeathofafriendorteam-mate.Difficult: Helping someone deal with the destruction oftheirplanet,everyoneonittheyknewbeingdead.

persuhdeWit Wit Soul. Self Taught.

Debatingandarguing.Thecharactercanseethetarget’spointofviewandunderminetheargument.Asuccessfulrollwillweakenthetarget’sabilitytodisagreeandmayalsoal-lowtheGMtoofferinformationtoaidtheargument.

Easy:Persuadingabouncertolettheteamintoaclub.Difficult:PersuadingaStarEnforcerthatwhattheywere

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doinglookedlikeacrimebustwasn’treally.

anterroghtePersuade. Instructor.

Interrogationistheactofforcinginformationfromatargetusing physical and mental force to break the will power.ThisismoreaknowledgeSkill.AsuccesswillallowtheGMtosuggestawayofverbalorphysicalinterrogationwhichtheplayerwillthenhavetoroleplay.ThisSkillismoreanaidforthelessimaginativeplayer.

Easy:Findingoutsomeone’snameorhome.Difficult:Findingouteverydarksecretaboutaperson.

antamadhtePersuade. Self Taught.

Intimidationistheactofscaringsomeonesothatthechar-actercangainsomesortofadvantage.Intimidationisnor-mally used for gaining informationbut is equally useful forforcingpeopletodoasyouwant.ThisSkillisonlyrolledinsup-portofroleplaying.IftheplayerwishestouseanyotheritemstosupporttheSkill,theGMmayaddmodifiersasnecessary.Forexample,ifthecharacterisholdingaguntotheheadofthevictim,theyapositivebonusshouldbeadded.

Easy:Intimidatesomeoneyoungerandsmallerwithagun.Difficult:HumancharacterintimidatesafullBorg.

M e d i c a l S k i l l L i s t

medaChl bhsaCWit Wit Soul. Instructor.

TheSkillofpreservinglife.Basicincludesthemostusefulfieldand household medical Skills. Dealing with bone breaks,bleeding, cuts, shock, unconsciousness and typical virusesareincluded.InstructorstendtocomeprettycheapforthisSkill.

Easy:Treatavictimwhohasbrokentheirlegsafterbeingpushedfromamovingvehicles.Difficult: Dealingwith internal bleedingor anything thatmightinvolvesurgery.

baonaCs knowledgeWit Wit Soul. Instructor.

Thisallows thecharacter to know theprinciplesbehindallformsofBionics.Fromneurallinkstoactuators,theworkingsofthestructureisincludedhere.Alsothiscontainstheabilitytospotwellknowntypesofaugmentation.

Easy:Workout the strengthsandweaknessesofaaug-mentedhumanonsight.Difficult: Diagnosis of the cause behind an augmenta-tion’sfailure.

dahgnosasWit > 5. Medical Basic. Instructor.

Diagnosis is the art of figuring out what is wrong with thepersonandthenadministeringthecorrectdrugstostabilizeor remove theproblem.Diagnosis allows thecharacter tomakeaquickdecisiononwhattodo.TheSkillmustbehigherthan60%tobeeffective.Thiscanbedonethroughstudying

(RoleplayingPointsorRP)orbyusingpeopleastestsubjects.Easy:Administeringthecorrectdrugforawell-knowndis-ease.Difficult: Administering a replacement drug when thecharacterdoesnothaveanyofthefacilitiesprovidedbyamedicalkit.

surgeryWit > 5. Diagnosis. Instructor.

Surgeryisatechnicalartofmanuallyfixingpeople.Surgeryincludeshowtomakeincisions,wheretomakethem,whateachpiecelookslikeandhowtoclosethewound.Allsurgerythatisdoneisscarlessifthesurgeryisdonecorrectly.Theuseofthesurgicaltoolsiscoveredingreatdepth.TheSkillmustbehigher than60% tobeeffective. Thiscanbe raisedbystudyingorbyusingtestsubjects(RoleplayingPointsorRP).

baonaCs systemsWit > 5. Surgery. Instructor.

Thisisastudyofthedifferentsystemsthatanybionicpersonwouldhave. This Skillallows thediagnosisofproblemsandtheirsolutionsaswellastheabilitytoupgradeoldhardware(withtheproperdocumentation).ThisalsocoversthementaleffectsduetoAugmentation.

Easy:Fixingawellknownaugmentationwithafullrangeofmedicalandtechnicaltools.Difficult: Fixing a rare augmentationwithout any of theproperequipment

baonaCs desagnBionics Systems. Instructor.

ThisSkillallowsthecharactertodesignnewbionicsystems,either from scratch (Difficult) or by updating other system(Easy).Iftheplayercannotdesignthesystemsolely,theGMcanhelp.Useotherbionic systemsasa template for newones.

baowehveBionics Systems. Instructor.

ThisSkillallowsthecharactertooperateBioweavemachin-ery.Bioweavecangrownewlimbsororgansforpeopleandisaverytechnicaloperation.Themorethatneedsreplacing,themoredifficultitistoreplace.

Easy:Replacealegorarm.Difficult:Replacebothlegs,botharms, liver,partsofthespine,intestines,eyesandfaceallinonego.

T e c h n i c a l S k i l l L i s t

ColonyThisisthetechSkillwhichcoversthecolonieswhichpeoplelivein.Theseincludestandardsurfacecolonies(likethecit-iesofthe20thCentury),SubterraneanandSubaquaticcolo-nies.

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Colony knowWit Wit Wit.

Thiscovers thegeneral layoutof thecolonies,whatall themajorpartsofthecolonyareandhowtheyinteract.Allcolo-niesarecreatedonthesameprinciplesandthisSkillallowstheplayertounderstandandusetheseprinciples.

Colony systemsThis isthe in-depthknowledgeofhowthedifferentsystemsworktogether.Thisincludesthedesignandfunctionofsepa-ratebuildingsandthecomponentswhichmakethebuild-ingswork.

Colony desagnThisallowstheplayertodesignbuildingsandtheircompo-nents.Allmannerofdwellingscanbeconstructedandtheknowledgeofhowtousethetoolsisknown.

wCen to use?♦ Whentheplayerswanttoadjusttheirhomebasetosuittheirneeds.(Design)♦ Whentheplayerswanttoknowwheretoshutthepow-eroffinthebuilding.(Know)♦ When there is something odd about a building andtheyneedtoknowwhatthedifferenceis.(Know)♦ WhenaMeshrunnerneedstogetintotheMesh.(Know)♦ WhenaMeshrunner,frominsidetheMesh,needstoaf-fectsomethingoutside.(Systems)

ghahGaia (the net) runs the universe. Rayengines (Computers)arepartofeverydaylifeandwithoutthem,thehumanracewouldbebackintheindustrialage.Rayenginesallowbettercommunicationandtheabilitytoautomatemanytasks.ThissetofSkillsallowsthecharacter touse,programandbuildsystemsoftheirownwhetherforcarorbuilding.

ghah knowWit Wit Wit.

ThisisbasicRayengineuse,howtouseGAIAoperatingsys-tem to perform certain tasks. Although using entities (soft-ware)andbeingabletoinstallnewonesiscontainedhere,thewritingofnewsoftwareisnot.

ghah systemsThisSkillallowstherepairandupgradeofRayenginesystemsaswellasprogramming.TheusercannowprograminGaiaII(Theuniversalprogramminglanguage).However,theusercannotbuildtheirownRayengine(computer)systemsfromscratch.Assemblingfrompre-madepartsispossiblebutnottheconstructionof the laserchips. Thisalsocontains infor-mationabout the useof Rayengine systems in other Techcategories.Forexample,thecharacterwouldknowwhatavehicularRayenginedidandhow it functionedandcouldrepairit.

ghah desagnThis is the fulldesignofRayengines. Frommaking the laserchipstoconnectingthem,thisSkillallowstheusertomaketechnicalwizardryfromthetoolsprovided.

wCen to use?♦ Whentheplayertriestobuildacomputerforaweap-on.(Design)♦ When theplayerneeds toquicklyobtain some infor-mation.(Know)♦ When riggingabomb intoaperson’sGAIA terminal.(Systems)♦ When the player wishes to repair a damagedRayengine.(Systems)

ghah ChCkangGaia Systems.

This is a very special use of Rayengines when the playerslooks forabackdooror tries tohackthroughthemainen-trance looking for information. The hackermoves throughanetwork,gainingcontrolofentities andcapturingdata.Hackingiscoveredlaterinthecombatsection.

ghah resehrCCGaia Know.

Theabilitytofindreliable,conciseanddetailedinformationquickly.AlthoughmostpeoplewhocanuseGaiacanper-form some sort of research by utilising information librariesand searchentities, finding the right informationwhen it isnotimmediatelyaccessibleisahonedSkill.

Easy:Findingdifferentinformationbiasesonpublicknowl-edge.Difficult:Findingreferencestoobscurehistoryorlongfor-gottentechnology.

hratafaCahl antellagenCeGaia Systems and Automaton Systems *.

ThisistheSkillthatcoversthedesign,creationandnurturingofArtificialIntelligences(AIs).ThisincludesbothAIsasdisem-bodiedintelligencesinGaiaandfullyembodiedAIsasyouwouldfindinAutomatons.Thisalsoincludesthecounsellingoftroubledintelligencesandunderstandofhowtheymightmalfunction.

*ThisSkillcanbepurchasedwithoutAutomatonSystemsbutthentheAIofAutomatonswillnotbeincluded.IfAutomatonSystemsisgainedatalaterdate,thisSkillthenautomaticallyincludesthenewfield.

Easy:CreateanewAItoperformsearchesonGaia.Difficult:Counsela‘broken’AIbackintogoodhealth.

hutomhtonAutomatons (Autos)are thehuman-friendly roboticorgan-isms in the Icar world and this set of Skills allows for theirunderstand, repair, upgradeanddesign.Dealingwithau-tomatons is often amore human empathy task thanwithothermachinesbecauseoftheirform.Lowgrade,industrialAutomatonsarequite simple indesignbutoften intimidat-ingintheirsize.CommercialanddomesticAutomatonsarefrighteninglyclosetotheirhumancreators.

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huto knowWit Wit Soul.

This is knowledge of all Automaton types. The higher theSkills,themoreisknownaboutthedifferenttypes.Easytaskswouldinvolveanalysingagivenautomatonforitsintendeduseand identificationof itscreator.Difficult taskswould in-volverememberingtheAttributesofandoldmodelwithoutreference.

huto systemsSystem covers the repair of the overall mechanics of theAutomaton.Thesortsofsystemsinclude:locomotion(legs),sensors, nervous systems, reflexes,balance,energyand soon.Thisdoesnotincludeanyknowledgeoftheartificialintel-ligenceoftheAutomatonbutthebasicsofitsprogrammingandthephysicalsystems.

huto desagnDesigncoversthecreationofnewAutomatonsfromscratch.Designalsoallowsanappreciationofotherpeople’swork.ThisSkilldoesnotcoverAutomatonAI,thatisgivenintheAISkill.However,theAutomatoncanbesetwithsomesimpleoperationswithoutusingAI.

wCen to use?♦ WhentheyaretryingtoworkoutifanAutomatonhasAscended(Know).♦ WhentheirAutomatonneedsrepair(Systems).

veCaCleThissetofSkillscoversallthethingsyouneedtoknowaboutGravvehicles.Vehiclesareanythingthatdoesnotlightjump.

veCaCle knowWit Wit Wit.

ThisistheknowledgeofwhatdifferentvehiclesthereareandtheirAttributes.Thisisabitlikea‘trainspotter’Skill.Thechar-acterwouldalsoknowthebasicsofvehicledesign.Thisonlycontains theknowledgeabout thevehicles,not theabilitytooperatethem.

veCaCle systemsThisistheindepthknowledgeofhowdifferentvehiclesaremade.Any repair or installationof newequipment is cov-eredasistheuseofanytoolrequiredforthejob.

veCaCle desagnThisisusedforthedesignofadditionalsystemsordesignofnew vehicles. Designalsoallowsanappreciation of otherpeople’swork.

wCen to use?♦ Whentheteamneedtoguessthetopspeedofacartheyarechasing.(Know)♦ Whentheteamtomakealterationstoacartogetthemostoutofit.(Systems)♦ When the teamwant to smuggle illegalammunition.(Systems)♦ Whenthecharacterhasmoremoneythansenseand

wantsaveryfastGravBikeindeed.(Design)

sphCe CrhftAllvehiclesthatcanJumporventureintospace.Anyfreight-er,cruiserorhulkcanbecovered.Althoughmanyofthesys-temsincludedonshipscomeunderdifferentsubjects,theirspecificoperationisknownasamoduleontheship.

sphCe Crhft knowWit Wit Wit.

ThisisaknowledgeSkillabouthowthecraftworks,italsoin-cludeswhatsortofcraftthereareandwhattheircapabilitiesarelikelytobe.

sphCe Crhft systemsThisSkillallowrepairandupgradeofsystemsonboardship.Thesystemsareeverythingfromairconditioningtoshieldsys-tems. The interactionbetween these systems isalso impor-tant.Thisalsoincludesallthetoolsrequiredtofixcraft.Dueto thecomplexityof spacecraft, thisSkill requires twiceasmanyRPtoincreasethannormal.

sphCe Crhft desagnThisallowsthecharactertoredesignexistingpartsoftheshipor todesignacompletelynewcraft.Designsofnewcrafttendtobevery laboriousandoftentakemuchmoretimethattheconstruction.Designalsogivesanappreciationofnewdesigntechniques

wCen to use?♦ Whentheteamareassessingthechanceofvictoryinabattle.(Know)♦ Whentheteamshipisheavilydamagedandrequiresrepair.(Systems)♦ Whentheteamshiprequiresweaponsfitting.(Systems)♦ Whentheteamwantanewshipandarewillingtowaitforanoptimaldesign.(Design)

energyEnergyisthestudyofrawenergyanditsapplications.ThisSkillcoversgenerators,Gravengines,Gravplates,shields,JumpEngines,Beamingandsomeinsightintoenergyweapons.

energy knowWit Wit Wit.

This covers all the basic principles of energy systems andwhateachpiecedoes.Basicideasofwhatisgoodandbadandwhat systemsworkbest.New technology is alsocov-eredbutisHardtounderstand.

energy systemsThiscoverstherepairandtheupgradeofallenergybasedsystems.Thisalsoincludesthetoolrequiredtodothejobandknowledgeoftheanalyticalequipmentrequired.

energy desagnThisallowsthecharactertodesignnewenergysystemsus-ing thebasicprinciplesabove. Tocreatecompletely newenergysystems,thedifficultyisHard.

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wCen to use?♦ When the team’s ship requires some shields bought.(Know)♦ When the team’s ship needs the shields installed.(Systems)♦ Whentheprevioustwohavefailedandtheydecidetodesigntheirown.(Design)

wehponThis Skill allows the players to recognise, repair and buildweapons .Weapons rangefromhandheldpistols to largevehiclemountedweaponsastheprinciplesareallessentiallyidentical.Energyweaponsandprojectileweaponsarecov-eredbutonlyideasaboutammoaregiven.

wehpon knowWit Wit Wit.

This isweapon spotting. Knowing thedamagecapabilitiesandoperatingrangesofaweaponisimportant.Thisalsoin-cludeswhatsortofammotheweaponcanfireandtheabil-itytodrawsimilaritiesbetweenknownandunknownweap-onstoprovideanalysis

wehpon systemsThisistheabilitytorepairandupgradeweapons.Upgradestend tocomeaseasy to fitmodifications.Detailedknowl-edgeoftheweaponisknownandgivenplans,acopycanbeconstructedfromscratch.

wehpon desagnThisallowstheplayerstodesignweapons.Itshouldbenotedthatthisisnormallyunnecessaryaseveryweaponiscateredforandthechanceofmakingsomethingmoreefficientthansomethingonthemarketisveryunlikely.

wCen to use?♦ Whenaweaponisfoundandsomeinformation is re-quired.(Know)♦ When a weapon is damaged and it requires repair.(Systems)♦ When the teamare stuck somewhere that they cannot get to any powerful weapons and need to designtheirown.(Design)

meCChsysThis covers all theMechatronic systems that are not cov-eredbyany of theabove subjects. This includes Exo-suits,PoweredArmour,Environmentsuitsandmachinery.Thisalsoincludes general mechanics, electronics and the interac-tionsbetweenthem. It’ssortofacatch-all forall theotherSkills.Noself-respectingtechwillbewithoutthissetofSkills.

If thetaskrequired isageneraleno-mechanicalone,thenthisSkillwillbesufficient,butifitiscoveredintheabovesec-tionsthenthecross-technologymodifiermustbeadded.

meCChsys knowWit Wit Wit.

ThiscoversallthebasicsofMechatronicsystemsandhowtoconstructthemfromscratch.ThisSkillalsoallowstheanalysis

ofothersystems.

meCChsys systemsThisSkillallowstherepairandupgradeofMechatronicsys-tems. A characterwith this Skill can attempt the repair ofanythingwithamodifierofHardorhigher.Thisincludestheknowledgeanduseofthetoolsrequired.

meCChsys desagnThisallowsacharacter todesignanyMechatronic systemwhichisnotalreadyspecifiedinanothersubject.Thechar-actercanattempttherepairofanythingwithamodifierofHardofhigher.

wCen to use?♦ When thecharacter tries toguess the functionofanunknownmachine.(Know)♦ When the character is repairing a automated ma-chine.(Systems)

T a s k S k i l l L i s t

palotWit Wit Shift. Self Taught.

PilotSkillsallowacharactertodrive,flyorrideanyvehicles.Most everyday driving does not require a roll. If the pilotneeds todealwithheavyweatherorheavy traffic thethisisconsideredHARD.Eachvehicle isclassedapproximatelybelow,however,tooperateallthefunctionsofsomevehi-cles,itmaybenecessarytohavemorethanoneSkill.

Example: The Zyntek Eagle isaGravcar. Socomesun-dertheheadingofGRAV.Ifthepilotwishestotakeitintospace,whichisoneofitscapabilities,thenthepilotmustalsohaveCruiserPilot.

VehicleClassificationsBike.AvehiclethattheriderstraddlesGrav.Asmallcarorvan.HeavyGrav.Heaviergravvehicles suchasHaulersandGravFighters.Cruiser.Anyspacecapablecraft.

Combht palotPilot. Instructor.

Thecombatpilot Skills (shortened toCombat in the table)areforusewhenthevehicleperformsanycombat-stylema-noeuvres (beyondday todayflying). Theuseof this Skill isfullycoveredinthevehiclecombatsection.

powered hrmour (ph) useSoul Shift Shift. Instructor.

ThisSkilldealswiththeuseofPoweredArmoursuits.Acharac-terinapoweredarmoursuitgetsa-40%modifieragainstanykindofphysical Skill (suchas Street FightingorAcrobatics)whilewearingthearmour.Astheusergetsbetteratusingthearmour,thismodifierisreducedorremoved.LightandHeavyfiringarenotaffectedbywearingpoweredarmour.Whenusingthearmournormally,theusermustrollunderthisSkill.Asuccesswillleadtotheactionthattheplayerdesiredanda

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failuremeansthattheactionisnotperformed,with(normallyhumourous)consequences.

10. Simple actions. Does not need to roll for walking,standingupandsimplemanualtasks.20.IntermediateActions.Running,climbingjumpingandsoonareincluded.30:CanuseZeroGOpswithoutmodifier40:CanuseStealthwithoutmodifier50:CanuseSleightofHandwithoutmodifier60:CanusePickPocketwithoutmodifier70:CanuseAcrobaticswithoutmodifier80:CanuseScaleWallwithoutmodifier90:CanuseSilentShadowwithoutmodifier

powered hrmour (ph) CombhtPA Use and Street Fighting. Instructor.

This Skill covers various types of combat while in PA. Notjust close combat but other Skills such as “gun fu”. Light/Heavyfiringdoesnotgetamodifierwhenthecharacter isinPoweredArmour.

30:CanuseStreetFightingwithout-40%modifier.40:Extensionof form.ThePAusernowusestheMeatofthesuittogivestundamage.50:Blunt.ThePAisnowusedasablunt.Theusermaydothesameamountofdamageasstun.60:CanuseGunFuwithout-40%modifier.70:CanuseRailFightingwithout-40%modifier.80:CanuseAkarakArtwithout-40%modifier.90:SteadyHand.UsingtheinnateabilityforPAtoremainstill,LightandHeavyFiringget+10%.

lagCt farangWit Shift Shift. Self Taught.

ThisSkill is theSkillofmarksmanshipwithsmallarmssuchaspistolsandsubmachineguns.ThevalueofthisSkillisaddedto theaccuracyof theweaponwhenfiring. SeeCOMBATrulesformoreinformation.

gun fuLight Firing, Street Fighting (Life Skill Chat). Instructor.

GunFuisthenamegiventotheartoffightingwithpistolsatclose range.When fighting inclosequarters,awellmadepistol if used properly can be both firearmand blunt. ThisSkillstraddlestheboundarybetweenclosecombatandfirefighting.

30.QuickDraw.Maydrawandpistolandfireinsameturn.40. New Close Combat Combo Move: Redirect Shot(Defence).Ifinclosecombat(pointblank)withsomeonewhoisabouttoopenfire,youcanmovetheweaponsotheyshootsomeoneelse.Thisshouldnotbeactuallyputintoacombo,insteaditautomaticallyreplacesaBlock.50.NewCloseCombatComboMove:Reversal(Defence.Cost:2).Goes inacombo.Must followasuccessfuldis-arm.UserofReversalmustnotbeholdingagun.Mustendacombo.Attheendofthiscombotheuserisholdingtheweaponattheenemyatpointblank.60.NewCloseCombatComboMove:FireKick(Offence).Mayfireaheldweapon insteadofkick.Onlyonce ina

turn.Resolvehitting in the samewayyouwould resolveakick.70.Canfire2pistolsatonce.MustusethisSkillforthefiring.75.Canreloadandfireapistolinthesameturn.New Close Combat Combo Move: Dodge Reload(Defence). While doing a dodge manoeuvre (in closecombat),theymayreloadasinglepistol.80. New Close Combat Combo Move: Dismantle(Defence).Ifinclosecombatwithsomeonewhoishold-ing a gun (when you’re not). You can dismantle it. AWeaponSystemsRoll isalso required.Doesnotneed tofollowanymove.85.Canreload2pistolsinaturn.90.PerpetualPistols:Whenusing2pistols.Whilefiringone,theothercanbereloaded.

Cehvy farangWit Shift Shift. Self Taught.

ThisSkillistheSkillofmarksmanshipwithpower-armssuchasmissile launchersandchainweapons.ThevalueofthisSkillisadded to theaccuracyof theweaponwhenfiring.SeeCOMBATrulesformoreinformation.

P s y c h o t h e a t r i c s L i s t

1. unControlled psyonaCsFiery = 5

You have fiery outbursts and can not explain why su-pernatural things happen to them. You cannot buy thisPyschotheatricoff.SeethesectiononEvolution.

2. psyCCophtC Fiery = 5, Fearful = 5, Foolhardy = 5, Soul -2, Wit -2

Yourejoiceinkilling.Youflyoffthehandleoftenandwithanextremerage.Also,yourpersonalityisinflux:exceptforthethreeDeviantwheelassets(left),changetheDeviantwheelbyfivepointseachtimethecharacterisplayed.Whenyouareputunderastressfulsituation,makeaSoulcheck.Ifyoupass,youremainincontrol.Ifyoufailthenyoubecomeun-stable and begin lashing out. You tend not to do sowithfriends(otherPCs)butwillcertainlyattackthosenotfamiliarwithyou(NPCs).

3. drhaned Choose three Attributes to become same value as lowest Attributes.

Youspendyourtimewithpeoplemoreintelligence,attrac-tiveandmoreacceptedthanyou.You’remoroseaboutitandmakelifedifficult.Youdon’tseethepointinlifeandwillalwaysfindthepessimisticsidetoeverything.Therearetimeswhenyoufeelgoodandbrightbutit’snormallywhenotherpeoplearesufferingandyouarenot.Afterall,thereisnoth-ingmoredeliciousthanotherpeople’smisery.

4. phtCetaC Courageous = 1, Meat = 2, Battle = 2, Shift = 2

You’reagenetic throwback toa timewhenpeopleweresmall, skinny, weak, slow and pathetic. It’s the hand youweredealtanditdefineswhoyouare.You’regoingtohave

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to work very hard to pull yourself out of the genetic holeyou’velandedin.You’vebeenbulliedallyour life,orevenworse,ignored.

5. bapolhr personhlaty dasorderCreate 2 Deviant Wheels.

Youhaveasplitpersonality.Decideonwhatitisthatmakesyouflipbetweenthetwoformsofyou.EnsurethatthetwoDeviantwheelsareverydifferent.Theycanhavesomesimi-larfeaturesbutitshouldbeobviouswhichpersonalityisbe-ingplayed.Closefriendswillknowyou’reBipolarandwillun-derstand,otherswillfinditmoredifficulttounderstand.

6. phrhnoad watC good rehsonSoul -2, Wit -1.

Youare convinced someone is out to get you. That’s be-causetheyare.Notonlyareyouparanoidabouteveryoneyoumeetbutyoudoactuallyhaveapastenemy.TheGMdecideswhatthisenemyisfromyourpast.Youcanonlybuythisoffonceyouhavedealtwiththemysteryenemy.

7. hmnesahC Wit -3

Every so often (at the endof the session), your short termmemory resets and you forget what’s just happened.Medium rangememory (5 sessionsago)arequiteeasy torememberandlongtermmemoryisfine.Thememoriesarethere,youjustcan’tgetatthem.

8. baonaCs reChb reJeCtaonAll Attributes - 2, Poor Borg suit

YouwereborgedbyanamateurandyourejectedthesuitduringinsufficientRehab.Youareinarecoverysuit-whereyouwill remain for6months.During this time,allAttributeswillbe2lessthanyournaturallevelsandyouwilldevelopaphobia(GMchooses).

9. unknown phstYouhavenomemorybefore2daysago.Youknowwhoyouareandyouknowwhatyoucandobutbeyondthat,it’samystery.TheGMgetstodecideonyourpast,butitwillnotbebeneficialtoyou.

10. soCaophtCSoul - 3, Suspicious = 5

Youdonotlikesocialisingandhatelargegroupsofpeople(requireSoulcheckoryouwillfreakout!).Youarefinewiththoseinyourtrustedcircleoffriends(thecharactersinyourteam)butyouaresuspiciousofanyoneelseyoumeet.Smalltalkispainfulforyouandyouoftenfindyourselfbunglingso-cialsituationsthatotherswouldhavenoproblemwith.

11. CuntedChange Deviant Wheel to reflect the associated paranoia.

Someoneisouttokillyou.Flipacoinandcall.Ifyoucallcor-rectly,youcandecide ifyouknowyou’rebeinghunted. Ifyoucallincorrectly,theGMdecides.Thekillermaystrikeatanytimeduringthecampaign.

12. CowhrdSoul - 3, Fearful = 5

Youwillnotputyourself intodangerandyouprefer to runthanfight.Thisisdifferentfrompassifism,whichisachoice.Ifyouarecorneredinaterrifyingpredicament,youaremorelikelytofreezetothespotthantoactcorrectly.

13. slow to rehCtAlways lose the initiative. Shift -2.

Everyoneelseisalwaysfirsttogetthejoke,respondtoafightorplayanygamethatinvolvesbeingfirsttodosomething.Yourreactionsareslowandyoucan’tunderstandwhy.

14. feeble mandedWit = 2

You have real trouble understanding concepts and youknow you’re not thebrightest person there. Theworld justwashesaroundyou.Youdonotnoticedetailverywellandhaverealdifficultyunderstandingthingsotherpeopletakeforgranted.ThisPsychotheatricmaynotbeboughtoff.

15. very wehkMeat -4, Battle -2

Youarephysicallyunderdevelopedandsmallinstature.Itisgoingtotakealotofweightsandfightingtrainingtobuildyoubackuptonormal.

16. Cramanhl / enforCer phrentsYouparentsareeitherCriminalsontherunorareEnforcers(whichever isworst for thesetting).Eitherway,youarenotallowedtoturntoyourfamilyforanyassistance.YoucannotbuythisPsychotheatricoffasmuchasyoucannotchangewhoyourparentsare.

17. teCCnopCobeYouareterrifiedbymachinesandanykindoftechnology.Whenitcomestodealingwithmachinery(Cars,Bikes,SpaceCraft,etc),takea-30%totheSkill.YoumightbeverySkilledatsomething,youjustlackthenaturalaptitudefordealingwithit.TheonlywayofbuyingtheSkilloffistohave6SkillsontheTechtreeabove60%beforebuyingitoff.

18. bhd reputhtaonPeopleknowyouand it isn’tgood.You’vealready livedalotoflifeandmostofithasbeenattheexpenseofothers.YouhaveD10enemies,2ofwhichareobsessiveandwillbeactivelylookingforyou.IfyouenterabarinyourlocalareathenrollSoultoseeiftheyrecogniseyou.Apassandtheydo.

19. ChlluCanhtaonsSoul -2, Fearful = 4

Youhonestlybelievethethingsyousee.Youalsodon’tsleepwell.You’renotsureaboutthedifferencebetweendreamsandreality.Thecharactermusthavetwohallucinationspersession.TheplayermayspecifyhullucinationsbutiftheideajarisemptythentheGMwillspecifyforthem.Hallucinationsmaybepleasantthingsbuttheymayworrytheteam.

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20. lahrHonest = 1, Proud = 5

Lieswhendiscussingdeedsordescribingstories.Willembel-lishandthenlietosupporttheembellishments.Fartooproudtobackdownandwillonlygiveupwhenevidenceisshowntoprovethecontrary-atwhichpointtheoriginalliewillbeblamedonsomeoneelse.

21. low phan tCresColdMeat -1. Take twice as much stun.

There’s somethingabout you that just hurtsmore. Itmightbeyourwayoflife,dietorupbringingthathasmadeyousosusceptible tobeingknockedout.ThisPsychotheatricmaynotbeboughtoff.

22. selfasCSoul -1, Selfish = 5

Youwon’tshareanything,evenwithclosefriends.You liketohoardanythingyoucancarryandwillhideusefulthingsin places others cannot find. If a situation looks like it canworkoutwellfortheteamandyouthenthat’sgreatbutyouwon’tseekoutthosesituations.BecarefultonotlettherestoftheteamseetheresultsoftheseSelfishtendancies,elseyoumightbecastfromthegroup.

23. CehdChseSerious = 1, Firery = 4, Foolhardy = 5

Youarehookedonadrenalineandtrouble.Youlovecaus-ingproblems,gettingintotightsituationsandbeingtroubletoeverythingandeveryone.Ifsomethinglookssimple,com-plicateit.Ifitlookssafe,endangereveryone.

24. hverhge2 lowest and 2 highest Attributes become 3.

Youarepainfullynormalandaverage.Thishasthesmallbo-nusofoftengoingun-noticed.Youareplain looking,havelived a standard and outright boring life. Youwill have toinventa reasonwhyyouhavemanaged tomixwith suchinterestingpeople.

25. sCort ConCentrhtaon sphnWit - 2, Serious = 2

Youarescatterbrainedandhavetroubleconcentratingonmany tasks. Especiallyboringones.A taskanything longerthan 15 seconds. Every 4 combat rounds, make a Soulcheck. Ifyoufail, thenyou lose3secondswhileyourmindiselsewhere.

26. ClumsyShift -2, Battle -2

Youdon’thavemuchspatialawareness,youknockthingsoveralotandhavelittleco-ordination.

27. nhrColeptaCYou have no idea but you randomly fall asleep. Onceasleep,youwakeupafterashorttimeandarewideawakeinstantly. It’s not triggeredby stress, tiredness or alcohol. ItlastsforD10minutesandoccurstwiceeverysession.

28. bullaedHumble = 4, Courageous =2, Battle=3

Youwerealwaysbulliedandyourcharacterishumbledbyit.Withoutprideorself-confidence,youfinditdifficulttoassertyourself.

29. bhbblang foolWit -1, Soul -2

When in stressful situations, you sometimes start talking in-cessently.Youcan’tstopyourself.Youmightgiveawayvitalinformation.Whenunderany stress, roll Souland if you failthenyoustartbabblinginanely.

30. sCort fuseFirery=5

You are easilymadeangry, anyone in disagreementwithyouormockingyouwillfeelyourwrath.Youdocalmdownjustasquicklybutforashorttime,youareimpossibletodealwith.Whensomethingannoysyou,rollSoulwithaHarddif-ficulty to loseyour temper.When the situationaroundyoumellows,rollSoulagaintoregaincontrol.

31. kleptomhnahCYoucannotstopstealingthings.Theydonothavetobeofuse,butifyouthinkyoucangetawaywithliftingsomething,youwill.Youdon’ liketosellthethingson,youjust likecol-lectingthem.

32. meghlomhnahCWit -1, Soul -1

Youwanttohavepoweroverpeople.youwanttofeelthembegatyourknees.Youwantcontrollinginfluenceovertheirlives.Thisisintoxicating.Youwillalwayswanttopushyourselfintotheleadandwanttomakedecisionsforthteamasawhole.Whentheydonotallow it,youwillwork tomake ityourgoaltobeincontrol.

33. vertagoaC hgorhpCobaCAlsoknowasGroundhogdisease,itisafearofbeingoutsideSpaceCraftorSpaceStations.Someonesufferingfromthiswill not likebeingonaplanet’s surfacewithoutbeing sur-roundedbya spacecraftandwouldnotwant todoanyzero-gspacewalking.Thisisamodernconditionthataffectsmanypeople.

34. pag uglySoul -1

You are unattractive in the extreme. There is no galacticsubculturethatwouldthinkyouwereattractive.Yourslooksareneverback in fashion.Your face is lopsidedandheadmishapen. You are just really very ugly. Peoplemight feelsorryforyou,somemightbeoutrightdisgusted.Youget-20%modifieronanySkillthatinvolveshumanrelations.YoucanbuythisPsychotheatricoffwithcosmeticsurgery.

35. bhd Chbats Soul -1

Youhavetwohabitsthatotherpeoplemightfindannoying.Whenunderstress,oneofthesehabitsshouldmanifestitself.

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36. atCCy tragger fangerFoolhardy = 4, Firery = 4, Wit -1

Youlikeshootingthings.Youarelikelytobethefirsttoopenfire,evenwhenitisnotappropriate.You’reforeverdrawingand loadingyourgunandthatoftenmakespeopleedgy.Edgypeopleoftenmakemistakes,which iswhyyouneedtoopenfire.

37. susCeptable to ammersave ComhSoul -1

YourminddoesnotdifferentiatebetweentherealworldandGaia.Althoughyoucannotbeharmed inGaia, there isachancethatwhensomethingtrulyincrediblehappens,yoursenses become overloaded and you pass out.Wheneverthesituationislookingintense,passaSoulchecktoremainconscious. You are only unconscious for 5minutes or untilsomeonewakesyou.

38. unforgavangSoul + 1, Merciless = 5, Vengeful=5

Youenjoyapplyingpain topeopleandseeingpeoplegothroughhorrors.Youarethearchetypalsadistwhowillhuntpeopledowntoapplyyourownparticularbrandofcrueltytothem.

39. Cramanhl ConneCtaonsYouhavefriendsintheunderworld.Thiscanbebothadvan-tageousanddisadvantageous.Pickuptwogoodcontactsyoucanrelyonand2enemiesthatarelookingforyou.Youdoknowwhothesepeopleareandcanavoidthemifneed-ed.Whenyouneedanewcriminalcontact,rollStreetwiseonHard.IfyoubuythisPsychotheatricoff,youloseboththecontactsandtheenemies.

40. nagCtmhresSoul -1

Youdon’tsleepwellandgethorriblenightmares.Oftenthismighthaverepercussionsonyourbehaviourwhenawake.Sometimes,youhavenightmaresthatcometrue, theyareonlybadones.TheGMwilltellyouwhenabadsituationwasanightmareyouhad.ThenrollSoul.Onapass,theGMcangiveyouahinttohelpyouout.Onafail,youarefrozentothespotforasmanyturnsasyourSoul.

41. slow lehrner Wit - 1

Youneed2RPtoraiseaSkillby3%,ratherthan1RP.Youmaynotjustifyanytenuousraises.YoubuythisPsychotheatricoff,youmustgettwoSkillsto90%(maximum).

42. borgedAttributes (AR/HS): H: 5/100, LA: 5/100, RA: 5/100, T:5/200, LL:5/100, RL:5/100. Stun: 200.

Youhavebeenborged.Thereasonshouldnotbeagoodone.YouareclearofRehabbutyoursuit isnotverygood.People treat youbadlybecauseof your lackof humanityand

43. strang of fhaled relhtaonsCaps Soul +1, Virtuous=2, Loving=4

Youlovepeoplejustalittletoomuch.Somuch,infact,thatyou have had so many relationships in the past that youhavea stringof failedones. Infidelity is thenormal reasonfor the break ups. You keep stumbling on different socialgroupsthathaveheardofyouforallthewrongreasons.ThisPsychotheatriccannotbeboughtoff.

44. CChos lustWit +1, Soul -1

Normality scares you.Orderandconformity set your teethonedge.Wheneverthepaceoflifeslowsoryou’resetintoasituationwhereeveryoneistowingthepartyline,you’llseektoliventhingsup.Thiscouldbeaslittleasbreakingaglass‘accidentally’ at a dinner party to blowing up someone’sprizedcar.AfailedSoulrollwillstartthelustforchaos.

45. notoraous Althoughyouarenotdirectlywantedforsomething,peoplewillknowyouforsomethingyouhavedone.It isn’tagoodthingand somepeoplewillautomaticallybe suspiciousofyou.YoucanonlybuythisPsychotheatricoffwhenyoube-comefamousforsomethingelse.

46. unforgavang Merciless =4, Vengeful = 5, Soul +1

You hold grudges easily. If someone wrongs you in someway,thenyouwillgooutofyourwaytorepayit!Youhavean encyclopaedic knowledge of everyone that you owesomekindof repayment.Vengencedoesnot have tobephysical,aslongasthetarget’slifeismadeworse.

47. pessamast Soul - 1

Youbelievethattheworstwillalwayshappeninanygivensituation.Ononehand,youarealwayspleasantlysurprisedwhen things do gowell but youwill often push the teamtowardsthesaferoute,eventhoughthatprobablywillnotwork.

48. hdrenhlane JunkaeSoul +1, Wit -1, Foolhardy = 5

Excitementmakesyoufeellikeyou’realiveandnothingcanreplaceit.Youcravedangerandalthoughyoucanbepar-alisedbyfearjustlikeanyoneelse,youlovetherushthatitgivesyou.

49. fadgetyShift +1, Soul -2

Youcan’t sit still for longperiods of time. If youare sittinginasingleplaceformorethanafewminutes,youwillstartrearrangingthings,walkingaboutorrepetitivelyfiddlingwithanythingnearyou.PassaSoulrolltostop.

50. httrhCtaveSoul +1

Regardlessof local fashions,peoplewillfindyouclassicallyattractive.Thehaloeffectoperatesonanyonearoundyou,regardlessoftheirgenderorsexualorientation.Receive+5%

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wheneverdealingwithpeoplefacetoface,suchasStreetDealorPersuade.YoucanonlybuythisPsychotheatricoffifyouhavereconstructivesurgery.

51. Copeless romhntaCWorld = 2, Wit -1, Soul +2

Youareobssesedwitha romanticisedviewof thegalaxy.TheImperiumarewisebenefactors,corporationsonlyworkforthebenefitofthehumanraceandspacetravelisexcit-ingandquick.YoucanonlybuythisPsychotheatricoffafterhavingexperiencedlifeforawhile.

52. watty Wit + 2, Serious = 2

You’requickwittedandthethingsyousay,peoplefindfun-nyor interesting.Peoplewill often listen towhat youhavetosay,evenifyourpointisrubbish-youjustputitinsuchafantasticway.+20%toLanguageSkill.

53. optamast Soul + 2, Foolhardy must be 3 or more

Youalwaysseethegoodsideofsituationsandtrytomakeapositivemovebecauseofthis.Sometimesthisputsyouandtheteamintodanger

54. fat Shift +2, Meat +1

Youhavealwaysmanagedtokeepinshape-eatinghealth-ilyandworkinginGaiasimulationsthatkeepyoutrim.Ifyougetbionics,youautomaticallyforfeitthisPsychotheatricandhavetorollforanother.

55. mhrksmhn+10% to all Skills using firearms

Wheneveryouholdaweapon,itbecomesanextensionofyou. Thismakes you an excellentmarksman and you findthatshootingissecondnature.

56. phssaonhteSoul + 2, Wit + 1

Youget excited about things andbelieve very strongly inwhatyoudo.Peoplefindyousupportiveandgoodtohavearound.

57. fhst ChndsShift +2, Any action involving your hands does not take a com-bat round

You have lightning manual dexterity. You can move youhandsandfingersaroundyouquicklyandaccuratelywith-out thinking.Anyaction that requires your hands (suchasreloadingagun)duringcombatcanbedone instantlyatthestartorendofaround.

58. phtaentSoul + 2, Calm = 4

Youdon’tmindwaiting, youbelieve that if youwait thenyouwillberewarded.Youhaveacalmingaffectonothers.Onceeachgamesession,youcancallforcalmandalltheothercharactersmustmakeaSoulcheck.Onapass,theywillcalmdown.

59. teCCnaChlly manded +10% for starting tech Skills

Youhaveagift for technical things.AnySkillwhich is techrelated(fromthetechtree)willbeginwithextrapoints.YoucannotbuythisPsychotheatricoff.

60. nhturhl palot +10% for starting pilot Skills

You get behind the controls of any vehicle and you’rethere.Also,anynegativebonuses for flyingwithdefaultorsomeone else’s controls are ignored! You cannot buy thisPsychotheatricoff.

61. feroCaous fagCterFirery = 4, Battle + 2, Any close combat related Skill starts with +10%

Acombinationofmindandbodyactingtogether,youhavealwayshadsomethingofatalentforfighting.Battlemaynotgoabove10.

62. Cehvaly bualtMeat = 10, Intimidate +10%, Height at human maximum

Youhavealwaysbeena largeperson.Youare tall, strongandrightatthelimitsofhumanity.Setyourheightandweighttobehumanmaximum.YoucanonlybuythisPsychotheatricoffwithbionics.

63. quaCk lehrner Wit +1

You have a talent for picking up new Skills withoutmuchproblem.Youdonotneedtoworkashardtogetasgoodasotherpeople.Add1%ontopofanySkillraises,eitherfromspendingRoleplayingPointsorbyinstantaneousGMraises.

64. Chwk eyeWit+1, Always pass Wit checks for noticing things.

Youhaveanattentiontodetailandarereallygoodatspot-tinganythingthatmightbeoutofplaceorseeinganimpor-tantdetail.

65. ammersaon JoCkey+10% on any roll in Gaia

YoufeelmostathomewhenimmersedinthevirtualworldofGaia.Likeeveryoneelse,youfeelthedisconnectbetweentherealworldandGaiabutforyou,it’sastrengthandyoufeedonit.

66. nhturhl lehderSoul + 3, Wit +1, Calm = 4

Youfinditeasytotakeresponsibilityandchargeofevents.People listentoyouandyoufindthatmanywillbehappythatyouhavetakenchargeandaremakingdecisions.YougettheLanguageSkillatSoul*8.

67. hChdemaC+15% to all Academia Skills

You have a flair for learning academically. Raise allAcademia Skills by 15% automatically. This inludes newAcademicSkillstoo.

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68. determanedSoul +2, Wit +1

Youhaveatenaciousattitudethatmeansyoufinditeasytogetthingsdone.Youarenotphasedbydifficultiesandwillbeadrivingfourceofanygroup.

69. good reputhtaon+D10 contacts

Youhavegrownagoodreputationthroughyourdeedsandfrom that,youhave farmeda lotofclosecontacts. Thesecontactscanbecalledupon.TobuyoffthisPsychotheatric,allthecontactsmusteitherbeestrangedordead.

70. tCaCk skanned Triple Stun

Whateveryournaturalstunis,tripleit.Youarereallydifficulttoknockout.

71. JhCk of hll trhdesPick 6 Epoch 1 Skills, starting at 30 + 3D10

You’vemanagedtosqueezealotoflifeintoaveryshorttimeanditshows.Youknowaboutalotofthings.YouwillhavetojustifyhowyougottoknowallofthesethingsandwhyyouaresoverySkillful.YoucannotbuythisPsychotheatricoff.

72. energetaCShift + 2, Soul +2, Battle + 1

You have always been incredibly energetic about every-thing.Youseemtohaveandendlesssupplyofenergy.Youspringoutofbedinthemorningandfromthatpointon,youareawakeandunstoppableuntilyouliedowntosleep.

73. trustwortCy fhCePersuade=80%,Soulcheckforlying.

Theshapeofyourface,thetimbreofyourvoice,thegleamofyoursmilegivesyoutheappearanceofatrustworthyin-dividual.Sotrustworthy,thatyouhavetheabilitytoweaveutter lies in the faceof insurmountableevidence.Notonlydoes thismake you excellent at Persuasion butwheneveryouaretryingtogetsomeonetobelieveanutterlie,performaSoulcheckandonapass,thelieisbelieved.Itmaynotbebelievedforlong,somakegooduseofit!

74. multa-thlented Wit=+2

Youhavemanagedtopickupmuchmoreinlifethanothershave. Take the Skills from two Skeletons. Each session, youmayswaponeexistingSkillforanothernewSkill(atstartinglevel)forfree.

75. amporthnt phrentsYourparents hold importantpositionswithin the Imperium.Choose a Star Industry (Star Fleet, Star Scientifica, StarEnforcersor StarCivilisation)and theGMwill selectan im-portantposition for them to hold. Youwill haveaccess toinformation,moneyandpowerthroughyourfamily-aslongasyoukeepthemhappyanddonoabuseit.

76. braCk sCat CouseMeat = 10, Battle + 2, Soul +1

Youareahugehuman!Abovewhatmostwouldthinkwasthelimitofhumansize.YourencumbranceisnowtwiceyourMeat(20).

77. stress sankSoul + 2, Loving + 1

You have a knack of dealing with stressful situations.Whenever things look bad, you manage to say the rightthings tocalmpeopledown. Ifyou remaincalm(bypass-ingaSoulroll),everyonearoundyougainsaSoul+2forthatround.GainEmpathyatSoul*10.

78. rhpad CehlangHeal three times as fast

Sinceyouwereachildbruisesandscrapeswouldfadefarquickerthanforyourfriends.Youareanexampleofafastregenerator,araregiftthatoneinamillionmodernhumansposses.Youhealat3timestherateofeveryoneelse-evenwhenbeinghealedwithaMedic’shelp.ThisPsychotheatricbecomeslessusefulwithbionics.

79. luCkyYouarealuckyperson.Ifsomeillisabouttobefallthechar-acter,flipacoinandcall. Ifyouarecorrect thenthebadeventwillnothappen.Canbeusedonlyoncepersession.

80. wehltCyYouhaveafundthatwillpayout500creditsadayforthenext50years.Theplayermustbuildthiswageintotheirback-ground.

81. entrepreneur+10% to any Skill roll involving bartering or dealing actions.

Youhaveaknackformakingmoneyfromoutofnowhereand as such find any negotiations involvingmoney or re-sourceseasy.

82. quaCk rehCtaonsShift = 10

Youareveryquicktoreact,asifyoucanfeelthesituationbeforeitactuallyoccurs.Also,youneverlooseaninitiativeinCloseCombatorinSpaceCombat.

83. pCotogrhpCaC memoryYourgiftisoneofpreciseanddetailledrecallfrommemory.Thetinydetails thatothersmightmissallget stored inyourmemoryandyouhavetheability to readthemout. IfyoufindthattherewasapieceofinformationyouwishyouhadcollectedfromapreviousscenethenyoucanretrievethisinformationwithasuccessfulWitroll.

Unlike others, you can enquire about things that the GMwasnotquestionedabout.Detailssuchasweaponscarried,clothesworn,anaccent,distinguishingmark,damagetakentoavehicle,numberof spacecraftdockedonacityaregoodexamples.

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84. multathskerThecharactercandomorethanonetaskatthesametime.The tasksmust bedifferentandnomodifier is required fortheactions.Forexample,thCharactercandrivewhileusingGaia,orDrivewhileshootingbutcannotshoottwodifferentweaponsatdifferentpeople.

85. foCused2 points in pool

You have the ability to focus your abilities at any points.Duringthegame,youmainpumpupanyAttributeordevi-antbytwo.Thislastsuntiltheendofthesession,thestartofthenextsession,anewsetoftwopointsisavailable.

86. fehrlessSoul = 10

Whatever biological facet thatmakes people afraid, yousimplydonotpossesit.OnlyrollforSoulchecksthatdonotincludefear.

87. mr. faxatCharacter may roll more than once to fix something.

Youhaveatalentforfixingthings.Justaboutanythingthatis broken, youcan fix.Whereasmost technical charactersgetonerolltotryandfixsomething,thischaractercanrollonceper turnuntil it iscomplete. Thecharactermustowntherelevantskill(forexample,SpaceCraftSystemforfixingSpaceCraft).

88. Chlo effeCtSoul +1, +10% to any Skill roll involving human interaction. +20 to Seduce Skill and free if not yet owned.

Youarebeautiful. Your genesare verymuch theproductofmillionsofyearsoffinetuningtowhatisnowconsideredbeautiful.Assuch,peoplereactdifferentlyaroundyou,youfindthatyouarenormallybetteroffwhendealingwithhu-mansthaneverbefore.

89. sphtahlly hwhreDoes not take detrimental firing modifiers

Your character can judge distances so well that you nolongerhavetroubleshootingmovingtargets.Itisonlythosemodifiers thatmakehittingmoredifficult thatare ignored.Thosemodifiersthatarebeneficialarestillcounted.

90. phrent as amperahl peerSoul + 2

OneofyourparentsisanImperialLord/Lady.Theyhaveagreatamountofresourcesandcontactstocalluponif re-quired.Youmayverywellwanttokeepthisfactsecretasitmightbeusedagainstyou.

91. genaus Wit = 10

Whocan saywhatbeingagenius is? Youcan see thingsmuchquickerthananyoneelseandcanpickupjustaboutanythingmuchquickerthananyoneelse.Add2%ontopofanyadditiontoaSkilladvanceeitherbyRoleplayingPointsorbyinstantaneousGMincrease.

92. lagCtenang speedShift = 10, Battle + 2, always wins the initiative

You have incredible natural speed, almost bionic! You al-wayswinthe initiativeandalsocannotbecaughtbysur-prisebyanyoneinafight.

93. expert lastenerYouareexceptionalathearingwhatpeoplesayandthenunderstandingthehiddenundertones.WhentalkingtoNPCs,ifyoufeelthattheGamesmasterisnotgivingthefullstory,doaSoulcheckandonapass,theGamesmastermustgivethesubtextorstateifthereisasubtextornot.SometimesNPCsdotellthetruth!CanbeusedonceaSession.

94. born whrraorShift = 10, Battle = 10

You are the best at hand to hand combat there is. Youcanhavecombosup to7, improviseup to4andarenotrestrainedbyanyproblemssuchasno2-combos inarow.HaveRailFightingat30%.

95. xxxxxxxxxxx96. overlordYouhavesomeonewatchingthatwillnotallowyoutocometoanyharm.You’renotsuretheyexistbutwillhelpyouattimes of need. TheGamesmasterwill createanNPC theycanuseintimesofneed.It’snotsomethingyoucancontrol.

97. xxxxxxxxx98. a’ve done tCas on ghahYourcharacterhasspentalotoftimeinveryaccurateGaiasimulationsandalotofithasrubbedoff.Notonlyhaveyoupickeduplotsofpartsofskillsbutyouareabletorecallthemonawhimwhenintightsituations.Whenyouarefacedwithanactionanddonothaveaskill for it,makeSoulandWitchecks, if bothpass then youcanperform theaction justonce.Ifpresentedwiththesameproblemagain,youhavetorollagain.

99. tCht bhsthrd everyone Chtes to loveBattle = 10, Shift = 10, Meat = 10, Wit = 10, Soul = 3

You’reexceptionallytalented.Intelligent,attractive,strong,fastandgoodinafight.Youarethepinacleofhumanevo-lution.Youarethatwhicheveryoneaspirestobe.TheonlycaveatisthatyoumaynotraiseyourAttributesthroughRP,onlywithbionics.

100. genus 3 Psyonics

Youhavepsyonicsandyoucancontrol themonasimplelevel.Bypractisingyoucanimproveyourpsyonics.SeethepsyonicsChapterXXXXXXXXX.

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exhmple baonaC systemsEndobioreorganiserName Manufacturer Cost Rarity

(%)Type Timings(hours) Install Aug

PointsBody

Install Rehab Interval TAeroDigestionEX1 Morgan 8000 22 Both 20 80 160 CRC/NBG -1 20Features Poisonresistance.Augcansurvive3dayswithoutfoodorwater(normalhuman)

OrganengineName Manufacturer Cost Rarity

(%)Type Timings(hours) Install Aug

PtsPower Body

Install Rehab Interval T StunSurebeatEX1 Morgan 12000 25 Both 26 90 280 CRC/NBG -1 0 10 10

Features ResistanttodiseaseFrame

Name Manuf. Cost Rarity(%)

Type Timings(hours) Install AugPtsInstall Rehab Interval

PowerlineEX1 Morgan 40000 20 Both 80 60 160 CRC 6

Statistics Meat -1 Shift -3 Soul -1

BodyAR H LA T RA LL RL Stun5 50 50 50 150 70 70 100

GeneratorsName Manuf. Cost Rarity

(%)Type Timings(hours) Install AugPoints Power Stats

Install Rehab Interval Shift

PoraqEX1 Poraq 7000 10 Both 20 60 200 CRC -3 10 -1

RinkName Manufacturer Cost Rarity

(%)Type Timings(hours) Install

Install Rehab Interval

StandardRink Kryotek 8000 15 Both 5 20 200 CRC/NBG

MotorName Manuf. Cost Rarity

(%)Type Timings(hours) Install Aug

PtsPower Statistics Body

Install Rehab Interval Meat Shift Soul Stun

TorquedriveEX4

Morgan 8000 20 Both 60 240 240 CRC/NBG

-2 -8 7 9 -1 0

HeavyArmourName Manuf. Cost Rarity

(%)Type Timings(hours) Install Aug

PtsInstall Rehab IntervalForceguardEX22 Morgan 22000 30 Both 40 40 200 CRC/NBG -5

Statistics Meat -3 Shift -4

BodyAR H LA T RA LL RL Stun25 1500 1000 2500 1000 1100 1100 100

SensoriumName Manuf. Cost Rarity

(%)Type Timings(hours) Install Additional

SensesInstall Rehab IntervalSenseboostEX20 Morgan 10000 20 Both 8 70 100 CRC/NBG EM

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gene

rous

virtuous

serious

loving

prudent

merciful

calm courageous

reliant

forgiving

humbleho

nest

selfish

worldly

jovial

cold

foolhardy

merciless fie

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suspiciou

svengeful

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remmhr mhpThismapshowstheclustersofRemmarSector.Toquicklycal-culatedistancebetweentwoclusters,assumeeachclusteris20LightJumpunitswide.

DensityKey

100+ColoniesinCluster

50+ColoniesinCluster

20-50ColoniesinCluster

Lessthan20ColoniesinCluster

1or2Colonies(FringeandLoneSystems)

25 30 35 40

AnadarJuno

ImperialCrescent

Tef

0

5

10

5

10

HubbHH

RimRimmR

45 50 55 60

Turus

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Niopak

Romar

Naggachef

HubbHH

RimRimmR

0

5

10

5

10

shysCell seCtor mhpThismapshowstheclustersofSayshellSector.Toquicklycal-culatedistancebetweentwoclusters,assumeeachclusteris20LightJumpunitswide.

DensityKey

100+ColoniesinCluster

50+ColoniesinCluster

20-50ColoniesinCluster

Lessthan20ColoniesinCluster

1or2Colonies(FringeandLoneSystems)

8065 70 75

Akar

Baeleris

0

5

10

5

10

HubbHH

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dorahn seCtor mhpThismapshowstheclustersofDorianSector.Toquicklycal-culatedistancebetweentwoclusters,assumeeachclusteris20LightJumpunitswide.

DensityKey

100+ColoniesinCluster

50+ColoniesinCluster

20-50ColoniesinCluster

Lessthan20ColoniesinCluster

1or2Colonies(FringeandLoneSystems)

notes

HuB / Rim SPin

A n a d a r C l u s t e r

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