Terrorists, Aliens, Megacorps, Politicians - A New Campaign Of An Old Classic

[dulux-oz]

Attachment 18730

The treacherous double agent aimed his needler pistol at me as he prepared to escape. I didn’t think he could kill me with one shot from the small weapon, but I didn’t want to find out. Dalmor was working for the Sathar, that mysterious, evil race of intelligent worms who were trying to conquer and destroy peaceful worlds. I knew he was ruthless. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my Vrusk partner, Ch’ting. The eight-legged insect man had faster reflexes than I, and I knew he was calculating whether he could draw his blaster and fire before Dalmor could shoot.

The thought was still in my mind when one of Ch’ting’s arms flashed in a lightning-swift draw. I dived to the floor as Dalmor fired his pistol, but the needles whizzed harmlessly past Ch’ting and I. Ch’ting’s laser beam only grazed Dalmor as he dashed out the door. We charged after him, but my curse was echoed by Ch’ting as we watched Dalmor leap aboard the monorail.

We jumped into my waiting skimmer and manoeuvred into traffic, gliding smoothly above the road. “It is fortunate Bakchu the Yazirian is guarding the spaceport,” Ch’ting rasped.

“If that big monkey can’t handle Dalmor, no one can,” I replied. “That’s only if Dalmor’s going to the spaceport, though,” I added. “There are two other monorail terminals on the way. Maybe we can get to one of them before his car does.”

The skimmer was running at top speed, but I clenched the controls in frustration at every corner as the magnetic control fields slowed us to a safe speed. We arrived at the terminal just as Dalmor’s car was pulling in.

Leaping from the skimmer, we ran to the exit ramp. Both Ch’ting and I crouched behind the polycrete wall and aimed our weapons at a very surprised Dalmor as he stepped from the car barely 10 meters away. “You are under arrest, Dalmor. Do not move,” clicked Ch’ting.

With a desperate cry, Dalmor drew the needler from his coat. Ch’ting and I fired before he could aim. Both shots hit Dalmor and he sprawled across the platform, unconscious but still alive.

After filing our reports with our contact at the Star Law Rangers, Ch’ting, Bakchu and I drove to the Spacer’s Rest to celebrate over a few mugs of thick Yazirian ale. We were discussing what we would do with the 100 credits each of us had earned for the mission when all three of our communicators signalled incoming calls at once. Bakchu snarled in dismay when the face of Beren Tiu, our contact at Star Law, appeared on the tiny screens. “Ah, I’m glad I’ve got all of you together,” he smiled. “Nice job on Dalmor, though it’s a shame you had to shoot him in public. I called to tell you that while we were interrogating him we got a lead on a little job you might...”

“Hold it, Beren,” I growled. “You promised us we could take a week off after this mission and, by the stars, I’m going to take a week off!”

Ch’ting and Bakchu rumbled in agreement, and Tiu looked disappointed. “All right,” he said. “If you’re not interested in 200 credits I’m not going to force you to...”

Two hundred credits! The three of us looked at each other, and Bakchu curled his lips in a knowing smile. “What’s the job?” I asked.

***

Accompanied by a Stiletto class assault scout ship, the UPFS Frigate Z’Gata cruised toward the orbiting station Doliin Bay. The ship’s commander, Beril Gamache, was nervous. Doliin Bay and its mining colony on the planet Kenzah’ Kit was on the very edge of the Frontier. Reports of unfamiliar ships had been trickling in from this area for the past few months. Gamache hated to carry a valuable cargo into a border system without more information about possible dangers.

Suddenly, the frigate’s sensors lit up; long-range detectors reported two ships emerging from the Void inside the system. Immediately, the commander ordered all hands to their stations. There was no good reason to be suspicious, but he had an odd feeling.

As the intruders closed in, Gamache studied the computer’s report:

OBJECT ONE:
	STARSHIP	HEAVY CRUISER CLASS
	ORIGIN	        UNKNOWN
	BUILDERS	UNKNOWN
	COURSE	        DOLIIN BAY
OBJECT TWO:
	STARSHIP	DESTROYER CLASS
	ORIGIN	        UNKNOWN
	BUILDERS	UNKNOWN
	COURSE	        DOLIIN BAY
ADVISEMENT:
	INTERCEPT AND CONTACT INTRUDERS
	PROCEDURE YELLOW ALERT

The UPF ships swung into an intercept course. With weapon crews on alert, Z’Gata’s automatic beacons began radioing friendly messages in all known languages toward the unidentified ships. The intruder’s reply vaporised the Stiletto’s starboard thrusters in a blinding laser flash!

The battle had begun!

---

The Frontier — a melting pot of alien races near the heart of a galaxy not that dissimilar from our own. A region of stars and planets, corporations and governments, allies and enemies. Here a man can be a REAL man, a woman can be a REAL woman and a small globular alien known as a Dralasite can be a REAL small globular alien known as a Dralasite.

In the Frontier a being can make its fortune as a trader, join the mighty Spacefleet, become a Star Law Ranger, explore the unexplored stars and planets, battle evil aliens, or do any other thing that its heart desires — within the law, of course. And no matter which path a citizen of the Frontier may take, it can rest assured that adventure and excitement are never far away.

[dulux-oz]

Are You The Best Of The Best Of The Best?

Attachment 18731

If so, then We Want You!

We’re looking for the best and the brightest that the Frontier has to offer - Beings with the skills and the courage to take on whatever the Frontier has to throw at them - and our clients are prepared to pay those Beings handsomely for their time and their efforts.

So if you’ve got the itch to try something new, the desire to be well rewarded for doing a job well done, and the expertise to take on the challenges of a lifetime, then come on in to the Galactic Task Force, Inc. We’ll match you up with the best employer for your unique personality and skill set, and at no cost to you.

Go on, do it today!

The Galactic Task Force, Inc.
“From Secretaries to Mercenaries, we’ve got a place for you!”

[dulux-oz]

Yes, I’m recruiting for a new Campaign, so if the proceeding posts have caught your eye and you’d like to join in on a long-run, fortnightly, gritty Space Opera then check out the following details and drop me an application email (as detailed below).

- Dulux-Oz

Attachment 18732

Campaign Name: Alpha Hawks

RPG System: Star Frontiers - my version thereof (known as Star Frontiers (Alpha Hawks)). Modified Cannon plus House Rules and Modified setting. A d10-System with Skills & Skill Points.

FG Ruleset: DORCore* - basically the CoreRPG with the DOEs built-in. This will be an advanced beta-test of the DORCore before the new Ruleset is released upon the greater FG Community, so there may be the occasional “glitch” that we’ll have to work around (maybe!). In addition, I’ll be adding Alpha Hawks-specific Effects, Modifiers, etc, as the Campaign progresses, with the aim of actually producing a Star Frontiers Ruleset (eventually).

*The DORCore is designed to be used by other CoreRPG-based Community Rulesets that wish to take advantage of the functionality of the DOEs - they can now base themselves off of the DORCore instead and enjoy all the benefits of the DOEs without extensive modifications or coding.

Campaign Genre: Gritty Space Opera - call it a mix between Star Wars, Serenity/Firefly, Dark Matter and Killjoys.

Campaign Style: I expect the Campaign Style to be about 45% Combat, 30% Role Playing and 25% Problem Solving.

Number Of Players: I’m looking for 5-8 players for this Campaign.

Logistics: This will be a Text and Voice game, facilitated by the FG-Community TeamSpeak Server. I’ll also be including (as we progress) more and more Syrinscape Sounds - you DO NOT need a copy of Syrinscape, nor anything but a Free FG License. There will also be some out-of-FG communication on a One-on-One and sub-Group basis, hence you will need to provide me with a valid, monitored email address.

Time & Day: This will be a 4-5 hour session played once a fortnight. While the actual day and time is open to a mutually agreeable decision of the final Group, my personal preference is Saturday or Sunday, 4:00-14:00 UTC. I can also do most weekdays between 09:00-14:00 UTC.

Gender, Age & Experience Preferences: I have no preference as to Gender and would welcome a mixed group or even a fully female group. I would prefer people at least in their mid-20s, but as long as you are (relatively) mature I don’t really mind. There is no upper-age-limit. While I can handle one or two RPG “newbies” I would prefer it if you had at least some RPG-experience and also some FG-experience. I don’t expect anyone to have any Star Frontiers-experience: if you do, be prepared to do things slightly differently (Modified Cannon & House Rules).

Language: English - actually Australian, which is basically English Pro

RPG Rules & Campaign Background: The full Star Frontiers (Alpha Hawks) Rules System is detailed on my website. Unfortunately it is password protected due to copyright issues. The password will be provided to those who are interested (see below).

Expected Commencement Date: Depending upon responses I expect to start sometime around mid- to late-May, but I am prepared to take as long as it does to find the right people. This is one reason for the website mentioned above and also for the extended recruitment process. I’m told I run a very good game, and part of that is making sure that I’ve got the right Players - with over 35 years of GM-experience I should know what I’m doing by now.

Expectations: I expect this Campaign to run for 12 months or more (perhaps even for a few years). I have all twelve of the original Star Frontiers Adventure Modules and expect to play them all in a single extended Campaign Story-Arc, so if you’re looking for a one-off or a short series of games then this is NOT the game for you. I expect the Players to commit to the possibility of a multi-year Campaign, hence the detailed recruitment and the fully detailed Rules-website I’m making available - I expect the Players to (eventually) make themselves thoroughly familiar with the Rules & the Campaign Setting. Now, life changes and things happen, so while I expect you to commit to the Campaign I also realise that sometimes unforeseen events occur, so if you need to miss a session or two then we’ll accommodate you by rearranging the schedule or postponing the session, but only when you give some notice or in the case of an emergency. I don’t even mind if you feel the need to drop-out, as long as you let me know in advance and, at the very least, genuinely start the Campaign with the intention to “see it through.” In exchange for all this you can expect a committed GM who will do his very best to provide you with a great Campaign full of intrigue, mystery, heroics and danger. You can also expect a regular game with as few interruptions to the gaming schedule and Group as possible. If you have played the Star Frontiers adventures before then you may not enjoy this Campaign as much as if you have never done so; however, you are still welcome to game provided you do not give away the plot. Similarly, all the adventures are available on the Internet: resist the temptation to “look ahead;” you’ll only spoil things for yourself and your fellow gamers.

How To Apply: Email me at [email protected] listing your relevant details (from the above) and I will reply with the Website password. Once you’ve had a read of the basics email me a Character Concept and confirmation that you’d like to game (don’t do up a full character just yet). From the list of these 2nd emails I’ll select a suitable group of people. From there we’ll negotiate (as a group) a mutually appropriate time and day and also suitable character races, skills, etc. I won’t necessarily work on a “first come, first served” basis, but the sooner you get in contact and submit your character concept the better the chance you’ll have of securing your slot in this exciting Campaign.

Note: The Star Frontiers (Alpha Hawks) website is in the process of being revamped (including being relocated to a new server), so it may contain spelling, formatting and other errors. If you come across such an error please let me know so I can fix it - thankyou.

[LordEntrails]

Exciting news. I know a few people (including myself) have mentioned Star Frontiers a few times on the forums. Best of luck with this and I sent you the initial email.

[goodmanje]

Yes! I still have my Alpha Dawn and Knight Hawks boxed sets. I'll send an application!

[bigboom]

This was the very first RPG I was exposed to. Ironically, I never had a chance to play. I'll be sending an email as well!

[jboyd4650]

never played this, but looks very interesting.
sent an e-mail.

James

[dulux-oz]

Just a small update - people are already starting to provide some interesting Character Concepts so if people are even "sitting on the fence" about joining in on this my advice is start the ball rolling and get in touch - its starting to shape up as a very interesting group of characters.

And no, its not too late

Cheers

[LordEntrails]

I wanna play now! </whine>

Actually couldn't start yet anyway. But still wanna play!

[dulux-oz]

I wanna play now! </whine>

Actually couldn't start yet anyway. But still wanna play!

All good things come to those who wait - and considering how good this is shaping up to be, I can wait a little longer

And I know I said in Post #3 I prefer players with some gaming experienced, but the quality of the crop of applicants so far means that we can afford a few "newbies" in the group - so if anyone hasn't applied yet because they feel they might be "too new", go ahead and get in touch - you'll be glad you did