Small set of sprites for modular space stations, plus a variety of planets, stars, asteroids, and even a comet.
Includes faction emblems for the Holy Empire of Man, the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns, the Planetary League, and the Cult of Troniac.
Role-Playing Game Adventure
This is a project to create a role-playing game adventure to introduce Beyond the Spozak to the gaming community.
The Plot
The PCs are the crew of a small freighter that has been chartered to haul agricultural supplies, including a number of cattle to the planet New Promise (the first planet explored by the Planetary League that is well suited for large-scale agriculture).
Unfortunately, the Convergence has an outpost nearby. The Convergence can't stand the radio noise generated by human development, and are actively trying to discourage the settling of New Promise. The PCs are caught in the middle of the conflict between the two factions.
To end the conflict, the PCs have to find the Convergence outpost and convince them, by diplomacy or force, to stop harassing the settlers.
Since this is a beginning adventure, the Convergence (who specialize in psychological and information warfare), are just performing some intimidation tactics, and are fairly easily deterred from their interference.
The PCs
Player Characters should include the various members of the crew of a small freighter. To fit in with the time period, the PCs should be mainly humans, as the Planetary League has yet to incorporate other intelligent species. There are a number of subcultures available, including Edenites, the Autonomous Republic of Lindbergh, and the Clockwork Empire. Humans may have appropriate bio- or cyber- enhancements, including Algal Symbiosis.
Robot characters are a possibility, but they should specialize in one skill, and have relatively little personality.
The party as a group could be working directly for the Planetary League government, in which case, some or all of the characters could be Tardigrades.
First Encounter
The adventure begins in medias res. The characters are about to arrive at New Promise, when a great commotion can be heard in the cargo hold. Investigating this will reveal that all the cattle are trying to flee to the rear of the ship. At the same time, a silver Convergence Saucer de-cloaks in front of the ship, blocking the way. At this point in time, there are plenty of stories and rumors of greys, alien abductions and cattle mutilations, but there has been no official contact between the Planetary League and the Convergence. The Saucer is easily turned away with warning shots, and will flee rather than communicating.
Other encounter ideas
The Convergence has decided to use a number of tactics to get the humans to leave:
They put out a call for protesters (mostly Edenites) to come to the planet on the grounds of preserving/ encouraging biodiversity. Situation solvable with diplomacy and/or investigation of the origins of the call to action.
They put a jamming device on one of the colony's PISA (Planetary Infrastructure Satellite Array) satellites. Solvable with an EVA, and some technical ability.
They wage a campaign of abductions and livestock mutilation to intimidate the settlers. Intercept and drive off the invaders.
The Payoff
At the end of the adventure, the PCs officially make first contact. This is the climax of the adventure, and if they convince the Greys to leave the colony alone, they are treated as heroes by the Planetary League. Either way, they have made history.
Short Video (introduction)
This project is to create a short video, introducing the setting.
Plot
The basic plot outline is as follows:
Scene 1: (about 50,000 years ago int eh E1MS) The sentencing hearing of General Zarlok, a robotic war-hero turned traitor. The sentence is for Zarlok's program to be exiled from the Empire, by being transmitted from an old radio navigation beacon.
Scene 2: (a SETI lab, somewhere in human-controlled space, in the near future) A momentous discovery is made, as a clear radio signal of alien origin is detected for the first time. Little does anybody suspect that it is in fact the program of General Zarlok, intent on wiping out all organic life.
Concept Sketches
Setting the scene
These are the locations I imagine for the two scenes.
First is the courtroom where General Zarlok is put on trial.
Second is the lab where the signal is discovered.
Pretty basic, but they should do the trick.
6/2: Started construction of a model of Gazillion, inc Mobile Research Platform #3, which is planned to establish the setting for the second scene.
6/6: The Mobile Research Platform is taking shape. The grav-decks and the main structural elements are in place.
Virobots
Based on an original concept by TR Merchen
Description
Virobots (short for Virus Robots) are small robots that attach themselves to intelligent life-forms in order to have those life-forms build more of their kind. This is usually accomplished via neural probes that connect to the host's brain or spine. The Virobot then communicates the idea to build robots, and the plans to build its offspring directly into the host's nervous system. The effects vary by strain. The most common Virobots give their host a quirky hobby that can last for several weeks. The more dangerous strains can be fatal, causing the host to obsess over the construction process while neglecting to eat or sleep. Most strains of Virobots stick to a single species of hosts, although cross-species infection is not unheard-of.
Sometimes, during an epidemic, star-ships are found drifting through space filled with Virobots, the entire crew dead from converting the life-support systems into Virobots. At one point, an exploration mission from the Planetary League even found a planet with the crumbling remains of an advanced civilization thickly infested with Virobots.
History
Nobody knows for sure who built the first Virobot or why, but most speculation points to the Cult of Troniac. The first known outbreaks of Virobot activity in the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns date to the middle of the 1,000 Years War.
The first cases in human-dominated space were in the corporate state of Gazillion, but they rapidly spread to the Planetary League and beyond.
Midway through Era-1, scientists at the University of Aldebaran 2 discovered several methods of altering Virobots to perform more precise forms of mind-control. It became common for mental health patients to have Virobots attached as part of treatment. They also saw wide use in the criminal justice systems of the more advanced cultures.
During Era-2, The Holy Empire of Man used Virobots to enhance the fanaticism of its followers.
During Era-3, the Galactic Republic specifically engineered strains of Virobots to enhance the mental capabilities of its citizens. These custom-designed Virobots became fashionable, and functional appendages to many life-forms.
