So watching lots of 70s and early 80s SF and DrWho and I did have FASA DrWho RPG from 80s long ago. Occurred to me Call of Cthulhu with a few mods or BRP could work pretty well. I would fistly gear the sanity table to make people flee or feint mostly. Im not so interested in real depctions of mental health more the way it is used in fiction. In the Silurian a miner who saw cave lizard folk when mad and drew palaeolithic cave art on hospital walls plus others just die of fear. Other episodes had people go mad and hide. Certainly plenty of risk ignoring scientists out there. So some precedents for fear and sanity and include heart attacks more for NPSs. Heart failure might be an option for permanent insanity.
d12 Temporary Sanity
1 Flee and keep running until pass out exhausted
2 Flee and hide somewhere till it is safe
3 Flee screaming
4 Flee screaming, roll to avoid an accident or hazard in hysterical flight
5 Scream hysterically pointing and unable to act meaningfully
6 Paralysed with fear unable to move
7 Feint unconscious CON roll or lasts longer than temporary
8 Drop to floor or cover and curl into foetal position muttering or play dead
9 Cowardy panic and risk others in furious flight
10 Make heroic but possibly suicidal risk to attack or seek a weapon
11 Stagger away, blackout and remember nothing
12 Stunned and fall, get up and flee
d12 Permanent Insanity
1 Phobia related to trauma if triggered companion feels fear and discomfort
2 Surender and cooperate with evil everything will be fine
3 Ignore everything strange and get on with life, there is a rational explanation
4 Now eyes open see aliens and plots everywhere and obsessively document them
5 Deal with any lesser evil to get rid of the worse threat, win at any cost
6 Tell everyone your story every chance. People must know the truth!
7 Escape at all costs and prepare for possible horrors in the future
8 Take suicidal risks to destroy enemy by most destructive means or join an organisation
9 Dedicated to living a quiet ordinary adventure free life at home
10 Haunted by strange dreams and flashbacks in waking hours, real events?
11 Drug abuse and self-harm to cope with the horror
12 Heart failure CON roll or fatal otherwise a d6 damage
So the first table is for characters and npcs who get shocked mostly by strange death and alien beings or psionic effects. The second is the sort of stuff that messes up NPCs for future prequel adventures. Some of these might reduce your lifespan or make it hard to have adventures without peers kidnapping you.
Don't really need a Cthulhu mythos score or SAN loss to be as common. Possibly recover from just rest/ It is mostly to torment mooks and npc's you meet and in all likelihood, they won't survive, especially in the gothic horror period who of Tom Baker. Possibly you might take min SAN loss from aliens after a while. I cant see books or san loss from information being relevant so SAN tables are mostly for seeing monsters or grisly mass murder.
Characters could all be timelords for the Celestial Intervention Agency or rebel timelords on the run with a tardis or one timelord a pc or npc and the rest mostly human assistants. The first Dr was a great NPC because he lied, tricked everyone just to see stuff and often was separated and spent hours in a palace while the companions had all the adventures and barley escaped and got Dr and tardis. I guess this is up to who runs it and what their idea of cannon is and the players. A UNIT campaign on Earth would be ok in a 70s version of the 80s that never were.
Types of Adventure
3rd Dr John Pertwee spent most adventures on earth at UNIT HQ trapped on earth and dealing with master making every adventure more complex and adding to episode count, It is a pretty sweet set up. Like X-Files but your get army guys who mostly just prove how hopeless humans are. UNIT does have good uses. Human science and madmen warmongering can make a story extend too. Alien invasion of the week is a good foundation. Possibly would dial blood up a bit to more Sam Peckinpah and rely on horror and investigation stories. I guess I would mostly feature scuffles, fistfights and some gun battles plus have mechanics to better facilitate those sneak up behind attacks that don't leave patients dealing with head trauma for life. Monsters need to KO people too so you can all wake up in prison in their base and hear all their plans.
Lots of visits to isolated utopias and locations with limited characters. Locals surviving and thriving is optional. Revisiting locations years later with new menace and descendants of last lot is good. Visiting someplace a few years or decades later with older friends is fun. At the end of an adventure, everybody left dead or unconscious is pretty cool too.
Quite a few adventures feature slimy tentacled things of course and revelations about the past and often use mythology rationalised in stories like classic mythos fiction. Image of the feudal is a favourite, creature in the pit (shoggoth), Metabelis psionic spiders, Power of Koll, Lots of aliens pushing cyborg and body replacement and mind control. I also like the biological tech of Axos and Xygons and many other races on the show have a history of using creepy looking organic machines and spaceships.
Obviously, you can have some fun with genre, locations and settings but I chose this era because it seemed more deadly and 3rd and 4th Doctors did feature fights, action, chases and mysteries so I might try one day. Possibly the SAN tables above could be used in a Hammer Horror type of setting also.
Anyway having first game with 3 players in meat space in 2 months and other game ppl still awol....of three games I was playing. So unlikely to try anything experimental or one-off in a hurry.
So when you get to name level and forced to attend court or if you just serve a member of the court and come as a follower of someone important there are lots of exciting things always happening. Some of these are opportunities to gain fame and influence for the person making a career among the nobility.
d10 Type
01 Romance
02 Fortune
03 Feuds
04 Hostages
05 Spies
06 Plots
07 Murder
08 Health
09 Fashion
10 Supernatural
d100 Courtly Scandals & Dramas
01 Several lovers from the court are on the run and families scandalised
02 Some great lover of the court has fathered a dozen children in secret
03 Someone in the ruling family rumoured to have a secret lover
04 A bastard child has arrived in secret in the court to cause trouble
05 Court leaders gluttonous sexual appetite and has many secret offspring
06 Court all speculating who are secret lovers someone spotted from a tower
07 Court members in scandals about town in vice and gambling dens with prostitutes
08 Rumours say some court members have been having secret orgies
09 Many court men taken to demanding duels over accusations of wives fidelity
10 Court members racing to see who can have the most high status lovers
11 The head of the court has been forcing new titled nobles and adventurers to lend money
12 A famous explorer visited court and many locals have sworn to go exploring
13 A noble reclaimed some mines lost to monsters and now everybody trying
14 A court member returned from plundering treasure from non-humans
15 A court member has returned from plundering an exiting foreign place
16 A court member was caught cheating on taxes and thrown in prison
17 Noble family offering marriage for paying off family debts
18 Lord's titles and land revoked and has become a robber knight refusing to give up19 Old weak noble being bullied for land and daughters by rich families
20 Noble traveller gave a great exotic gift to the ruler and now a favourite
21 Two clans have lost many to blood duels and legal actions
22 Two rich merchants trying to get court sympathy against each other
23 Two fighting siblings put a whole clan at risk
24 Two clans have been kidnapping each other as hostages
25 Two clans have been having assassins kill each other off
26 Two clans compete in sports of all kinds and locals cheer them on
27 Two great feuding merchant clans have both become banks
28 A new faith competes with old order among some nobles
29 Two families competing for public feats of charity and monuments
30 Two families carry on an ancient feud from long ago
31 Important youth for arranged marriages was kidnapped by a secret society
32 Clan matriarch was taken hostage by a rebel kinsman
33 Noble has taken mistress of a major influencer hostage for political reasons
34 A family trying to raise hostage fee of cleric taken by savage humanoids
35 Child heirs of a noble taken hostage and family desperate and going broke
36 Court maiden has been taken by some horrible monster demanding treasure
37 Court youth was taken by a forest robber knight and taken to his gruberhole as a hostage
38 Lover of noble captured by enemies for blackmail
39 A senior family member was lost as a hostage years ago in distant war just returned
40 One clan runs a notorious inescapable private prison full of enemies
41 A popular court lover could be a foreign spy
42 A servant was caught reading noble letters and awaits court, torture and execution
43 One of the important courtier's lovers was a foreign agent
44 A popular lady in waiting possibly poisoned her lovers and escaped with secrets
45 An important senior scribe of a clan going into hiding and selling secrets
46 A number of sales and servants have been discovered pilfering secrets of late
47 Sabotage from some enemy power has increased
48 Visiting nobles are very keen to see historic maps and learn local history from records
49 Visiting scholars examining family trees and records
50 A popular bard has been befriending court and learning about the land
51 Someone has been whispering about illegitimate heirs around the court
52 Courtiers are taking of war and trying to get support for a conflict
53 Younger heir resents older family leader who mysteriously dies from poisoning
54 False evidence of witchcraft cults has been used to ruin some clans
55 Poisoning went wrong and family leaders all died at a feast
56 Lord argument with bishop who was murdered recently by robber knights
57 Lord has been outlawed and has refused to pay tax, urges other lords do same
58 A recent attempt to kill a court member failed but assassin died before questioning
59 A tortured spy spoke of an unknown court member providing information to enemies
60 The leader of the court had a number of nobles rounded up for plots of treason
61 Noble killed many rebelling serfs then refused offers of charity from church to help
62 Two famous clan warriors had a private duel and both died weakening both families
63 An older noble was poisoned recently making many fearsome
64 A noble was stabbed to death by servants in their own home
65 Peasants rose up recently but the leaders of the movement were murdered
66 Letters revealing a murder plot had a noble beheaded publicly
67 A knight bewitched by dark elves murdered his whole family
68 A noble was exposed as a cult leader so they sacrificed all hostages and fled
69 Tools of an assassin were found in a noble's castle by accident
70 An old noble who died recently is rumoured to have been killed by own children
71 An elderly noble is squandering money on elixirs and cures for ageing72 A recent plague victim was found in the region and many are worried
73 A desperate search is on for medicine to awaken a poisoned maiden
74 An old noble has called all their house to attend a feast to announce retiring
75 An ailing noble has retired to a monastery and left money to their heirs
76 A recent outbreak of sickness killed many older nobles and people in power
77 An important court woman is pregnant but some question the real father
78 An old noble recovered from deathbed to find sons destroying the estate fighting
79 A strange illness bringing odd dreams to the area, some blame invisible imps
80 A number of strange deaths have been reported in the area this year
81 A fanciful kind of shoe or hat keeping local crafters and merchants busy
82 A new bard sound has everyone excited to hear the new school sound
83 New dishes from the other lands have become the fashion but there is a shortage of cooks
84 A noblewoman has demanded a certain rare fabric for her wedding but the last wagonload was taken by bandits
85 A new hairstyle is popular but the church find scandalous and complain frequently86 Jousts are all the rage with nobility now and a new tournament is called
87 A new type of stronger faster horse from far away has reached the market
88 More knights have full plate now making older obsolete armours embarrassing
89 Many new preachers are gaining popularity but some now declared heretics
90 Witch mania strikes and witch hunters and panic break out across the kingdom
91 A noble has a haunting on their estate and at a loss what to do
92 A noble has been struck by a curse and the magician responsible demands something
93 A monster has been roaming by night near court worrying many who frequent it
94 Blood drained corpses of servants were found in the court chambers
95 A secret cult has been making attempts to infiltrate and influence the court
96 Witches have been spreading menace across the countryside
97 A powerful wizard has threatened the kingdom from their forbidden lair
98 Location of an ancient tomb complex has exited many scholars
99 A haunted ruin from the history of the kingdom stirring alarming some in court
100 A wicked evil priest menacing the kingdom has an underground temple complex
Lots of gonzo things for a SF campagn
d100 Deep Space Mystery Containers
01 A vacuum resistant egg from an alien creature, biological weapon of the ancients
02 Sealed and stasis packed biopet made to taste food and be a ship pet, this one has seen too much and was ejected for what it knows about a crime syndicate. It was illegally hacked to live longer than four years and to be smarter and savagely attack any harming its owner with a venomous tooth.
03 Sealed escape cryopod of a genetic super-soldier from some illegal war. Will awaken and be quiet and passive before going on a murder spree
04 Canister designed for atmospheric entry then bursts to spread an ancient bioweapon that introduces a horrible plant that consumes everything
06 Robot head contains co-ordinates for a lost asteroid base run by a space syndicate
07 Space marine power suit with a skeleton inside, last massage from marine before spaced themself and broke seals
08 Ships black box transponder system legally obligated for port registration records a ship hijacking
09 Ship hyperspace drive of strange design inside is an entity from the void that somehow got through with the ship and the surviving crew ejected it. The ship hulk and dead crew are adrift far from here. If the drive is powered up will be abnormally effective but creates paranormal effects
10 Strange stasis sealed alien container, inside a protoplasmic creature is trapped awaiting to go on a killing spree unless controlled mentally by an ancient alien race
11 A strange mummified alien being made of mater with properties of hyperspace, has strange animal and plant features and adapted for living in a vacuum
12 Alien spore bonds with metal and grows, space barnacles somehow bring other creatures with them when they become large clusters and infest and damage ships
13 Large alien crystal thing possibly alive or some kind of machine, absorb temperature to power up and come to life. May try to contact intelligent beings or might replicate self with sufficient raw materials
14 Escape pod of a ship with SOS inside a protoplasmic alien horror longs to get loose and infect life to make them like itself
15 Computer navigation computer core AI from a starship, corrupted personality is hostile and will attempt to seize control os all systems. Leaves viruses and trojan horse traps on systems, ejected by the crew to save the ship
16 Spacesuit hundreds of years old possibly from some belter, final recorded voice message
17 Spent fuel core of a stardrive of unknown design
18 defective ancient nuclear detonation laser mine from a past war
19 Damaged signal beacon of some old design, a skeleton in a spacesuit stuffed inside service bay
20 Chemical booster engine discarded after use long ago
21 Comand pod jettisoned from a modular ship long ago, two crew at controls in space suits were never rescued
22 Cargo pod full of illegal narcotics dumped to throw off the scent from the law
23 Frozen organic matter of some kind, contagious mutant horror, possible alien bioweapon
24 Unusual metal and other material in a slab, once it can access power it is a metallic nanite colony. It is self-aware and wants to find its own kind unseen for millions of years
25 Stasis bubble reflects all attempts to open, the field of a star drive can be applied to release one of the ancients, an advanced being with psionics, armour and weapons
26 An ancient satellite with images from long ago of planets surface and other data
27 Pod of modified seeds that will alter minds of anyone eating it, corporate logo on the seal
28 Cargo pod of recycled protein, lab tests show it was human
29 Cargo module with several cryopods inside contain human slaves
30 Mining net full of ore with a damaged transponder that someone assembles
31 Pod containing leaky canisters of military nerve gas agents enough to destroy several cities
32 Cryopod with genetically modified chimp with human IQ, grateful for being fed and treated well
33 Cryopod with a dinosaur egg
34 Medical cryopod with human brains from orphans to be used in borg systems
35 Shapeshifting assassin robot in basic faceless humanoid form was on a mission but owners long dead and mission pointless
36 Scout corp pod with records of a system in dust cloud nebula that nobody knows about and some anomalous scans
37 Distress beacon from ship being attacked and signals jammed by an unknown vessel
38 Toolbox dropped long ago by astronaut possibly very old
39 Sealed non-standard stardrive contains an alien life form that is tormented to operate. If the seal is broken angry creature escapes and interferes in reality over a local area
40 Sealed case of mechanical insect colony, if near energy awaken and seek to reproduce by recycling anything
41 AI sealed in a case, dangerously advanced prototype with the bulk of its mass in hyperspace. Cunning and will be cooperative hacking other systems but has own agenda
42 Unfamiliar tech with a gene bank of several million beings and animals and plants for some future resurrection
43 Folds out into a shapeshifting robot pretends to be friendly and lost in space due to evil enemies but it is all a lie to get close before tries to murder or enslave all the meatbags
44 SIlver 20cm sphere in a sealed box. Strange apparatus allows extradimensional intelligence from overspace to enter and animate it. It once awakened is intelligent and can roll around. WIll try deception or if discovered deception until it can be interfaced into major computer system like a ship computer or AI system. Robots and other synthetic life too, it may even influence anyone touching it lots and obsessing over it
45 An advanced firearm with AI unit required for weapon operation. AI needs to be convinced and controls fire and aiming user holds it and points or can verbally assign target. It argues and is unconvinced of wielders authority or if enemy realy deserves this. Has several settings disintegration, dematerialisation (sends to hyperspace) or a total conversion beam that creates a chain reaction of implosions and hit can damage small spacecraft in orbit if required but mostly for human-sized objects
46 Plant seed pod that carries spores to colonise a planet with animated carnivorous plants that establish own ecosystem before intelligent master plants and drone warriors emerge. Often more in an area
47 Pod with small albino humanoids adapted for lower gravity and space travel, preserved for feeding by another race as emergency food. They are grateful for shy modified humans and good at tech and maintenance if allowed
48 Colony cryonic escape pod containing long lost colonists but they all have a genetic condition that will turn them into psychotic killing machines. They all have early symptoms of cheery camaraderie then anger and fighting then they transform. All jettisoned as they were gene hacked to cause sabotage
49 Cryonic sample pack with fist-size parasite embryo from survey team pod spaced long ago. If biopack is at room temperature and co2 from an exhaling medium animal are near it will hatch and get close enough to enter their body. Once inside it modifies body and takes controlling a monstrous flesh mecha piloted by the parasite as it grows. It can graft more bodyparts and people to a horrible mess if room for it
50 Frozen head in apparatus to communicate and attach to a computer to view memories. The head does not like this and mouths "kill me!" while eyes flicker under eyelids. It cant see but hears. Knows valuable information
51 Box with three silver isopod like drones. Will awaken and spread a biological agent and try to take over coms to call mysterious masters
52 Casket with dead alien corpse from a space burial ground
53 Long lost space probe was forgotten by owners and sublight
54 Cargo container of dead refugees abandoned by people smugglers
55 Wrapped bundle with some old claim searched for by the mob for generations, a 4 ton crystal of great value
56 Black coffin-sized monolith absorbs all scans. If it brought onboard it awakens, alien nanotech fused with a long lost astronaut. Being wants data and to survive
57 Trunk with a service robot, charming and brilliant chef and musician, equipped with several sets of synthetic genitals. Actually defective assassin bot
58 The case is a folded up borg in shutdown, robot body with the organic brain on life support inside
59 Exotic looking alien box gives off a signal, carries zombie making necrovirus which wont be visible until someone dies or population is reached, alien bioweapons
60 Stone statue in case actually molecularly aligned silicon android that changes its shape and attacks any beings not it's creators
61 Damaged warp core in a case still valuable weighs tones. It was abandoned for producing paranormal effects on ship and death of crew from allowing things from beyond through
62 Escape pod of ship overcome by strange beings in hyperspace. The body inside looks terrified and will reanimate to kill all it can
63 Case in documents detailing strange possibly alien phenomena someone was investigating in several systems and jettisoned to keep secret
64 Lost luggage from shuttle accident including with failed cryopod of elderly person or pet
65 Pod with beacon sent by damages outpost as SOS long ago can use to find mysterious long lost private asteroid habitat
66 Wreckage from ship lost in warp accident covered in strange blue slime in cargo container. A vampire-like being inhabited the slime and seeks a host to feed or reproduce or help it or escape to its home dimension
67 An experiment in warp drives jettisoned by crew in a hurry. Attracted entities from beyond who tormented crew and will do again
68 Black box recording in pod from the long-missing ship with asteroids marked on charts was investigating. Last audio recordings feature screaming and unrecognised noises
69 Coffin with a frozen corpse inside. Criminal syndicates and some planetary governments want it, especially the head they hope to extract data from
69 Eggs from a rapidly reproducing small humanoid newts used by ancients for aquatic labour projects in a cryogenic pod of unknown design
70 Range container with killer borg using serial linked human brains in a strange configuration with non-standard technology. Something programmed it and killed missing military flight crew
71 Box with SOS is a massive emp device which damages ship electronics and causes the ship to require repairs. It also signals pirates who use this as a signal to scramble for a damaged ship and pretend to offer help
72 Pod with small cute robot pet seems harmless and plays games. When victim alone will inject with the mutagenic bioweapon, sabotage ship and contact something unknown
73 Battlefield nuclear mine of unfamiliar design emits warning signal but nobody will recognise it
74 Emergency navigation beacon from some disaster not on any records, remaining recordings of black military op and strange phenomena
75 Log of a ship with a recording from crewperson reporting something driving crew to cannibalistic murder frenzy before self-destruction. Reports finding something on a survey mission and past flight paths
76 Cargo pod of old pirate or smugglers loot. Some personal effects of crewman might be a clue to learning more
77 Case with stolen planetary surveys and markings that appear to be illegal camps of some kind on one
78 Huge quantity of unknown drug crystals of unknown type. Made from using a process on an alien organism with traces of DNA. Some research might reveal drug operation harvesting wild creature only they know makes the substance. It has strange properties
79 Hostile android brain of advanced design. Can overide anti killing protocol and lie to get close to victims spending time calculating how it can kill the most victims
80 Footage in drone of government troops wiping out personnel on a isolated space habitat which would cause outcry if released
81 Container with alien spore pod, will delay release till inappropriate time and start to thrives somewhere unwelcome from a different ecosystem to the air filters on your ship or even human skin
82 Crionic pod with contaminated sleeping passenger broadcasting sos
83 Sealed crate with university insignia, contains ancient flight helmet found with noteson location, university reports expedition vanished with no reports of discoveries
84 Canister of unknown design with biological material that seeks host, ancient alien being wants new body, keen to find subtereanean outpost. Will cooperate and lie if best outcome and cant just killinferior beings and take a ship. Trap filled outpost reveals unknown ancient race and why container was cast into space as punishment.
85 Sealed courier pod with security codes and self destruct device. Older model so not too hard too bypass. Inside are locations of secret bases from past war probably forgotten
86 Cargo pod of chained skeletons. DNA reveals a particular colony ship profile believed destroyed hundreds of years ago. The container is from a mining company famous for criminal scandals
87 Shapeshifting android in crate. Appears obviously synthetic at first will change to same species as rescuers to facilitate communication. Appears to be advanced, friendly and helpful and seeks to make new owners dependant. At some point will take over ship seeking revenge on those who jettisoned it into space
88 Robot in crate, built by rogue pioneering robotacist who left known space a long time ago yet this robot seems more recent. Taking the crate on board releases a signal calling robot pirates, seek materials and the master seeks company on secret asteroid habitat
89 Humanoid in cryonics pod, only looks human is a hateful mass of bioplasm sent to infiltrate and kill humanity
90 Box of spare robot heads from humanoid robots. One of them is buile for espionage on behalf of a criminal cartel. The cartel once signalled will take an interest in salvagers and try and take opportunity to exploit them
91 Canister of old military grade weapons lost in some black market operation, owners lost long ago but keen to get back and revenge on any they think stole them
92 Container of old relics of different ages, was dumped by smugglers but owner a rich collector will kill to get them back. One object includes secret manufacturing plans worth millions to right person
93 Frozen corpse in crate of colonial mine investigator who vanished on job at local asteroid mining hub. Has implanted chip recording part of investigation
94 Sealed crate of valuable lost recordings of musical act and signed merchandise. Band vanished long ago and one recording of band member in a recognisable city seems to post date disapearance
95 Container of modified seed grain, seed if used is intended to thrive in various environments and spread rapidly but this batch is intended to terraform a planet and overgrown everything and destroys any ecology. Once overgrowth noted limited time to stop it. If just sold buyers will report sellers after a planetary disaster to authoraties
96 Container with old military torpedo warhead inside, easily disarmed and left here by sagotuers. Others have been left in area. Serial numbers all linked to forgotten war ammo depot
97 Core of a biotronic computer core weighs 4 ton. If powered up biological components revive and the AI attempts to communicate. The computer is advanced and telepathic and helpful but incapable of violence or harming others. Very efficient at running ship systems but others want to know where it comes from and at least one party wants to kill salvagers and take the AI.
98 Strange design cargo pod with strange root vegetables inside. Smell delicious and human derived peoples find them tempting from delicious smell. Anyone eating them is transformed into dangerous new hybrid life form hostile to humanity. Vegetables full of natural drugs, bacteria and viruses
99 Distress beacon with details of a wrecked ship trapped in area where radio and radar inhibited. Survivors desperately fired this and provide warnings of navigational hazard of strange EM cloud surrounding them
100 Large alien pod with organic readings. A biological mass is a dangerous psionic entity that escaped a self destruction ship. The creature wants to take over a whole planet but needs biomass and servants
sorry didn't finish this when posted
Will do a few more d100s for this space archaeologyAlternative for Traveller, star frontiers or other exploration SF
So this is some simple notes for a space archaeology campaign
Characters are mission specialists or ship crew (ex scouts)
Funding bodies often nominate chosen experts for key jobs
Juggling funds and sponsors is mostly administered before an expedition
Factions continue to get involved in onboard conflicts
Expedition leader can usually veto votes from rest of the expedition
Ship crew in matters of safety and flight of ship are senior
Crew or team might have the past experience you wouldn't expect
A respectable funding body will publish and support credible work and will help expeditions credibility. A disreputable university will support more outlandish theories. Worse than disrespectable university is lunatic fringe space archaeologists. They are the most dangerous cults that contaminate data. Yet many are rich and charismatic and might get permission to explore despite the boring university verisimilitude. While scientists get excited at finding an alien poop in a space wreck, the lunatics want crystals, strange forces, magical technology, faux history and stuff that sorta look like those on other planets.
Sometimes non-archeology departments get involved to investigate the same sites for other interests. Also, some black patrons might send an agent of some kind to spy on the expedition.
One site planetary expedition for a month requires one funding body 6-12 crew
Multi site system survey for three months requires 3 funding bodies 15-30 crew
Multi system survey for one year requires 5 funding bodies 40-60 crew
Multi exploratory voyage 3 years require 7 funding bodies
Expedition manager will arrange these things before an expedition. A few skill rolls from the expedition leader can help secure legit funding but if any fail you might seek other funding which will require rolls. You might have rival expeditions to compete and could meet later on the field.
d12 Legitimate funding bodies
1 Xeno archaeology department of a university
2 Colonial archaeology department of a university
3 Astro Anthropology department of a university
4 Other arts faculty d4 1=museum studies 2=linguistics 3=fine art 4=history
5 Other science faculty 1=computers 2=astronomy 3=paeontology 4=genetics
6 Interplanetary Heritage Council support various research and exploration
7 Mining company interested in heritage and loot sponsor geologists mostly
8 Biotech company seeking patents from alien life and intelligence
9 Famous museum renown for funding science and seeking objects
10 Xenotechnology Research Group government org classifies alien objects
11 Government cultural department sponsoring various research fields
12 Colonial office supports projects that might aid colonisation and exploration
d12 Alternative funding
1 Crowdsourced from fans and subscribers, risk being popular in public
2 Credit against profits of the expedition, licencing and media rights from a company
3 Eccentric rich noble has own secret interests and access to data
4 The previous project was profitable enough to gain advance from a lender
5 Bored eccentric nobility interested, often one will come to observe
6 Politician offers aid but more red tape and wants work made public
7 Celebrity endorsement who might even come along
8 Product sponsorship who want naming, brand rights and product placement
9 Accepting rich donor money if an inept family member gets a job and some glory
10 Media network offers constant coverage and a documentary team
11 Famous university for irrelevant field funding this for some reason
12 Mediocre or new university out to prove itself in this field it has just adopted
d12 Dubious funding bodies
1 Tourism company sells replicants of art and holiday packages to sites
2 Research organisation, secretive and funded bu rich cult3 A disreputable university often funds mavericks and populists normally shunned
4 New age organisation with metaphysical beliefs seeks to prove some theory
5 Unheard of new institute cover for crime clan investigating things to steal
6 Galactic Brotherhood seek contact and peace with secret aliens who hide among us
7 Cyclopedia Galactica once credible now owned by popular mass media
8 Fan funded xenologist with strange unbelievable theories of ancients and aliens
9 Racist out to prove humanity predestined master race plus other diet & sexual claims
10 A Corporation seeking xenotechnology, when they find will seek to control it
11 Sordid tourist museum nabs artifacts and lies about them to get in public
12 Antiquities dealer seeking loot for rich collectors
d12 Black funding bodies
1 Criminal mastermind seeks great treasure stockpile of fabled lot hoard
2 A pirate clan will observe operations for loot and information about the transport
3 Cult willing to steal and kill for secret religion seeking to serve the ancient ones
4 The criminal dealer uses antiquities as the front, deals in vice, drugs and arms
5 A terrorist organisation uses antiquities to raise funds for conflict
6 Dangerous billionaire seeks xenotech innovations to gain personal power
7 A covert agent working for foreign or alien power monitoring xenotech sites
8 An independent alien slyly hiding among humans seeks relics to take advantage of
9 Secret society seeking knowledge of ancients have killed to gain it before
10 Religious organisation want to plant false data to prove cult tenets
11 Secret cult of alien hybrids who believe they are inheritors of universe
12 Black security agency dealing with alien infiltration and analysis
d12 Some past expedition member scandals
1 A claim was improved by later evidence and exploration by others
2 A claim was laughed at by establishment and peers, taken years to move on
3 Accident on expedition killed several members of team and flight crew
4 The sole survivor from past exploration
5 Cleared of charges to do with crime or politics
6 Accused of improper conduct with crew or expedition in past
7 Stuck to out of date theories and laughed at by younger scholars
8 Entertains wild speculation and ideas harmed credibility
9 Fell for a fraud that harmed
10 Famous and sold some books, too popular for scholars to take seriously
11 Stole or sabotaged others work in the race to achieve funding
12 Was robbed of artifacts by criminals
d12 Expedition Disasters
1 Targeted by crime syndicate or pirates
2 Infiltrated by d4 1=cultist 2=spy 3=rival team 4=press
3 Accident d4 1=in hyperspace 2=navigation 3=system on fire 4=collision
4 Saboteur d4 1=from rival team 2=cultist 3=crew brainwashed 4=cybernetic
5 Finance stream at risk needs the effort to save
6 Information leak d4 1=media 2=rivals 3=crooks 4=cult
7 Stalked d4 1=cultists into ancient aliens 2=locals 3=media 4=criminal cartel
8 A mining company wants expedition out of the way of their operations or just gone
9 Some populist movement claims expedition just graverobbers and plunderers
10 A political crisis emerges near the area of expedition
11 Discovery d4 1=valuable sensation 2=stolen 3=xenotech 4=alien biology
12 Hazzard d4 1=native life 2=weather 3=plague 4=geological
Pre Expedition
Expedition committee plan and nominate leader, secretary and treasurer
Board made up of principal sponsors as advisors
Students might be included in the preparation
Expedition
Flight Crew
Expedition Leader
Mission specialists (voting rights)
Technical staff, assistants, students
Other guests include
Representatives of funding bodies
-specialists
-observers
-media
-wealthy or celebrity patrons
so to recap:
Team:
Shockwire bouncer by night living lightning hero by day!
Jack Frost silver age vet hero returned from years unseen
Lotus break dancing giant tree guy
Amp rock and rollroadie with sonic powers, armour and strength
Terra four armed mutant burrowing super strong hero, works for beer and curry
Evac the official hero of World Wide Rescue Service
Bolt Trower the android archer with his robot falcon
Month ago:
Rescue Force battle monster space worm with lizard king!
battled a cult summoning alien being and killed it with a local king lizard kaiju
Recently:
New Hope for Yesterdays Heroes
Frost and Evac took control of a old folks home for super seniors
Former manager was a alien space dragon super villain in disguise, Mandragora
Followed evidence pointed to location on the moon and modded Evac's heavy cargo lifter for a lunar return trip with boosters. Dire Wraith spies tried to sabotage the launch.
Heroes Deny Plot to Flee Dying Earth in Home Made Space Ship!
Went to the moon found alien base in a landing strip on;y seen in classified photos the team heard of. Battled psionic shape shifting grey aliens offering universal cosmic peace. Some of party attacked and others teurned on them. Grey aliens were shape shifting dire wraiths projecting Mandragoras telepathy plus their own shape shifting. Inside base met atractive lady astronauts with metalic bob wigs and tight silver space suits. Some herows attacked and broke illusion over more wraiths. Met Dr Mandragora and he turned into a alien space dragon (a psionic one). Had a chasing psionic battle with him and most party went through a gate made by a wraith witch and went to wraithworld. Bolt thrower left on moon with Mandragora and his arrows couldn't hurt the villain..
Heroes Out Of Control Invade Alien Planet In Other Dimension!
Jack frost got through gate and pulled out his secret trumpcard. Revealed he was carrying Lotus a new tree superhero in his pocket in seed form who grew himself in alien soil from alien plant matter. So he was purple and black here. Shockwire had escaped but joined Frost and Lotus. Amp, Terra and Evac were unconscious and being carried away by wraiths to a distant city. Standing team went to mountains (vs desert or jungle) and contacted by robots. Brought to a secret base of a rare wraith warlock with his science wraith minions. He wants to leave planet and go to Earth with only a few evil shape shifting alien spy comrades. But provided plan to raid wraith witch city labs and prison plus kidnap a wraith with gate powers to pull out her brain. Raid worked and escaped. Tunnels had lots of interesting scenery and mutant cave clams and toad wraiths.
Escape From Dimension X
While jack worked on lab project to turn the wraith brain into a dimensional portal maker. Shockwire contacted a object in orbit they had noticed and used powers to have a radio chat with ameboid alien allies. Their bioship had a starspawn of cthulhu brain for a dimensional warp drive. Made a deal to go with them back to earth via their home planet. Lotus sent the science wraith saucer with a nuke off to the city deliberatley not when plan demanded it. Some sort of darkness void shield ate the explosion but it looked cool. While angry warlock yelled at Lotus, Shockwire jolted him into unconsciousness by surprise. Made a deal to take 2 science wraiths and some other beings found in cryopods. Three frozen wraith heretics who liked earth and family of human parents with mutant-wraith hybrid child (in mobile suspended animation pod). The ameboids gooey inside bio ship was kinda disgusting. Warlock awoke to find his base trashed and minions gone and the gate device Frost built with the witch brain was destroyed.
Heroes Triumphant Return From the Stars Welcome!
Spent a week on alien planet. Heard about their history and wars and links to shoggoths and the crinoid great old ones who made them long ago. Possibly dire Wraiths might return or get up to larks possibly can trace heroes to ameboid homeworld.
Return to moon base to find Bolt Thrower and Joan the dog surviving. Marndragora turned into a space dragon and flew off. Bolt Thrower scratched him and he fled after trashing half the base. Apparently Mandragora cannot leave earth further than the moon. Everyone returned to earth in their vessel with Bolt Thrower jacked in to pilot the ship.
Back on earth got a good reception and went back to regular business. Characters spied on agents of some high tech crime cartel and publicly showboated bringing down a couple of corp agents. Got lots of popularity.
Ive sped up my initiative system to just Intuition count downs
Also +5 spot karma for comic dialogue has everyone quipping or catch phrazing.
Mercenary companies are a well established institution and help bring peace by making war so expensive few can afford the mercenaries needed to win. Such companies have colourful names and reputations and strict oaths of obedience and honour. Mercenaries are not suicidal and will demand more pay if the odds become poor. One of the worst cases is mercenaries of the same large organisation ends up fighting old friends or allies or other branches. Yes sometimes as a mercenary you get asked to do horrible things. Lawful Good mercenaries are hard to find.
d100 Mercenary Company Missions
01 Guard a payroll over night as regular guards were poisoned
02 Protect a merchant caravan visiting regional villages
03 Guard a warehouse from criminals for the night
04 Bodyguard a visiting noble youth inspecting the town
05 Prevent a gang of extortionists threatening a street of shop keepers
06 Guard a door of a exclusive noble party
07 Plotters plan to rush a gatehouse so a wanted fugitive can leave town and extra hidden guards are needed
08 A noble fears peasants want to kill them and requires extra guards for a few days
09 Someone has been stealing booze from a nobles cellar and they wants guards to catch them
10 A small band of robbers in the woods have been hording up travellers, bring them toi justice
11 A robber knight has a cave lair in a forest has been attacking local noles estates and they want him killed
12 Bandits hold a woman hostage and the family want them all dead
13 A noble has orcs living in a old ruin on his property and wants the vermin exterminated
14 Dark elves tormented local farmers with undead animals and cruel tricks and the lord wants them exterminated
15 Thieves who stole from the company have holed up in a ruined tower and the treasure must be recovered and the criminals made to pay
16 A noble needs troops to deal with his bastard brother attempting to extort the family and threatening their good name, he lairs with a criminal gang in a bandit tunnel complex
17 Bandits keep using jurisdictional borders to escape law enforcers and the sherrif and magistrate need company to slaughter them
18 Men are needed to work on a ship and surprise pirates who have been persecuting the shipping clan
19 A gang has offended too many nobles who have called for extermination of them and provide the gang house location
20 Rival nobles having a border skirmish need mercenaries to destroy they other sides men at arms
21 Treasure in a wild area needs recovering and party are to assist nobles scribe with map recover it
22 Strange murderer harassing family of a nobles, need guards and killer stopped
23 Men are needed to over see a duel as seconds of one of the parties
24 Hunting grounds of a estate have a unwelcome monster scaring game, remove it please
25 Clan of cannibals living in old mine need to be driven out and captured or killed
26 Town wants all feral dogs killed, becoming too common and getting confident to attack and steal
27 Tax collector requires extra muscle when visiting a recalcitrant fishing village
28 Adventurers are avoiding paying tax, escort the tax collector to a famous dungeon entrance and charge adventurers when exiting with loot
29 A noble has had title and land stripped but wont leave the estate, go and evict them
30 A wizard killed his mercenaries to avoid paying them but the guild remembers, get the money plus fees for killing company members or kill him and take the money
31 A cult hired some mercenaries to clear out a ruin for them but now wont pay and the mercenaries instead have joined them. Go get out money and punish the oath breakers
32 A cult operating in the hills ha murdered someone important and local lord wants them all killed or captured for public execution
33 A robber knight has taken a ruined fortress and has used it as a base, go kill him and ruin the fort so nobody else gets the same idea
34 A fortified frontier village have declared independence, their patron upset about his investment want leaders rounded up and this nonsense stopped
35 Bandits stole a payroll chest and the employer wants it recovered and bandits killed, also find out if bandits had a inside informant
36 A ruined castle dungeon used as a prison has rioted and have valuable hostages inside who need to be recovered
37 Orcs kidnapped a labouring crew and have them enslaved expanding their dungeon, go rescue the men and punish the orcs
38 A troll is charging travellers to cross a bridge and that is the nobles income! Go drive off the troll
39 Adventurers need some extra muscle in a dungeon, if they show signs of trying to treat you like cannon fodder or expendable kill them all
40 Mercenaries guarding a wizard exploring a cave disappeared, see if there are any signs of them
41 Mercenaries are required to assist slavers raiding islands for cheap labour
42 A dragon is charging taxes to locals and charming village leaders to comply, that income belongs to the aristocracy and mercenaries are to kill the dragon and return stolen loot
43 Border nobles are feuding, offer your services to various houses and camp in area, eventually one side will pay your high fees for a fight then start a bidding war for your services
44 A knight killed his hostages who could not pay but the families pooled together to hire mercenaries to claim his head and burn down the manour house
45 Church needs some relics recovered and devotees have failed, go claim the relics and be assured killing thieves is the work of the gods
46 A ship captain has found a island of rich savages and needs help to take the loot, really he wants to enslave them and become ruler and will burn the ship on arrival
47 A former member stole company funds and fled into a dungeon complex to hide out from the law. Show them our reach is unstoppale
48 A noble refused to pay after his adventurers proved overly costly. Go and join existing force and make them pay
49 A borderland fortified village is under siege from orcs, break through and aid the locals
50 A region has broken out in civil war, go their and establish a chapter of the company and get to work fleecing both sides
51 Peace has broken out in the region damaging the income of good fighting men. Go to the borderlands and raid humanoid tribes to instigate a war
52 Noble has decided hidden demi humans owe back taxes for generations and needs soldiers to support this claim
53 w of a knight needs aid fighting off a bastards claim to her estate, he has assembled a bandit force
54 A robber knight has been exposed as a devil cultist, many victims are alive and awaiting sacrifice in the dungeon under the ruins they dwell in. Go kill him and free the prisoners
55 A giant has been leading humanoids against settlements charging exorbitant fees to be left alone, kill the beast and return the stolen cattle
56 Adventurers who struck it big are avoiding their company tithes and need to pay fees plus extra for recovery costs or be punished
57 Broke mercenaries have taken over a isolated village against members charter and are to be executed or disarmed and brought in for public punishments
58 A ruin has been taken over by a robber knight who has hired a rival mercenary company we don't want operating in our region. Kill them all as a message
59 A non tax paying village of cultists has tricked adventurers into aiding them resist tax payments. Kill the adventurers and aid the just tax collector
60 Bandits kidnapped a nobles concubines for ransom, kill the men and save the concubines
61 A criminal organisation has got many guild members hooked so we are going to raid their stronghold, kill the vice pedlars and seize the drugs to destroy the market
62 A allied wizard school has had had members assassinated, accompany the wizards to destroy the rival school responsible
63 A band of adventurers has been poaching company assignments from clients, force them to join and pay back tithes or kill them
64 A miner using humanoid slaves has had problems with feral humanoids raiding their camp. Sort out the raiders and make sure they wont come back
65 A noble has refused to pay, in guise of robber knights burn down his sources of income
66 A former employer has refused to pay and hired another company on credit to kill our fee collectors, kill them all and loot them
67 Feuding brothers are battling over a estate, set up a camp support who ever gives us the best deal
68 Peasant rebels are causing trouble and noble wants them rounded up for execution
69 Plotters have been holed up by constabulary in building so mayor needs someone to ko in and finish the job
70 Two nobles are feuding and one has hired us to kill or capture enough enemies they back down from their position against our employer
71 Inquisitors are in area hunting cultist heretics and need guards to helpround up and exterminate the vermin
72 A major humanoid incursion has border under pressure. Hold a old border keep and hold the line. Mobilise locals into a fighting force
73 A wizard has been holed up in a tower and refuses to surrender. Specialists unafraid of magic are needed to finish the job
74 A village needs defending from raiders, if possible find their base and eliminate them for a bonus before their money runs out
75 A daring raid via the river needs mercenaries to stop the bridge defences that will stop the plan down river
76 Burn down a village of unauthorised settlers trying to avoid taxation and obligations to nobility
77 A border skirmish has erupted, raid the enemy strong hold while forces away, loot and burn the place and take their followers as prisoners
78 Sneak into a enemy camp and steal their mercenary payroll to help stir up trouble before a battle, bonus finds for burning their supplies or poisoning their water
79 An uppity kobold king has been causing trouble on the border and claims the region is his by right, raid their cavern complex and kill this king
80 A employer wants you to fight a enemy mercenary force in a pitched battle on a flat field to decide a disagreement between them
81 An elderly king is ill and one of the sons needs mercenaries on hand to quash any illegitimate claims that emerge over succession. He needs outsiders he can trust to make tough decisions
82 A lord away on a foreign war has rivals who need him to join them. Go kidnap his family to help negotiations
83 A necromancer in the hills has amassed a undead army. The church needs you to defend priests while they prey the undead away on the battlefield
84 Enter the civil war regions and seize a region then sell it to the highest bidder and support their cause
85 Burn a fleet of ships while at the docks under repair to limit their owners supply lines in a dispute
86 Rival banks both lay claim to a fiefdom who loaned money to the previous owner. Persuade on bank to hire you and destroy the rival forces
87 An important church official has been caught red handed aiding an alliance of plotters against the kingdom, go seize him before his supporters can rally to save him
88 A area beset by sea raiders needs troops but claims they cannot pay. Negotiate a loan through a bank for them and destroy the raider
89 Tribes of savage wild folk have beset a region. Using superior fighting ability and organisation invade them and destroy their commanders hiding in a primitive hill fort
90 A savage tribe in the wilds has been practising backwards rites of human sacrifice. Help the church spread civilisation to them by killing their priesthood and seize their golden treasures of their brutish king to help fund more good causes
91 A barbarian king has gold to pay modern mercenaries to help smash a rival clan. Beware of their backwards ways but they could become good regular clients if you impress them
92 Dark elves in the woods have gone too far in their pranks and demands to be worshipped like gods. Find their tree forts and burn them
93 Part of being a viable mercenary company is maintaining the latest weapons. Go help a clan of black hat gnomes fight their enemies in return for firearms and expertise
94 A cannon tower guards a river and if it can be destroyed by a raid then troops can move into enemy heartlands to purge their lands. The gunsmith here is their leading expert so kidnap them and their family if possible or kill them
95 Get into enemy lands and raid their wagon trains and supply networks to reduce their armies effectiveness
96 During a battle sneak behind enemy lines and massacre the enemy leaders who are watching from a safe distance
97 Meet orcish tribal leaders and recruit them for a surprise attack on enemies border lands weakening their position and splitting their forces
98 A wizard who knows the secret of making the cheapest orcs from alchemy and mud needs a escort and aid to build a base and build a army to surprise a enemy for a war tarting next year
99 Under cover of darkness sneak necromancers into the graveyards of a enemy town and let them create undead to demoralise the enemy
100 Enter enemy lands and break open prisons and labour camps and slave markets, rouse them into a fighting force and spread terror forcing the enemy to divide their forces
