Game Thread: Port Royal

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Game Thread: Port Royal

#1 Post by Hvalreki »

Port Royal



The Travellers have been on the move for nine months . Voyaging ever further from the frontier systems of the Imperium following the siren song of Old Empire worlds and rumors of fame and wonders.
Through twisted routes of bulk haulers, explorers and tramp freighters they’ve finally arrived planetside at Port Royal.

To call it a hell world is putting it mildly.

Port Royal is a tidally locked planet orbiting a Red Giant sun, Old Nick in local parlance. The only habitable area is the free city of Twilight’s Peak located in the polar region on the terminator between the inferno side and perpetually dark night side.

The name must be a sick joke as the city is actually built into a series of impact craters and warrens designed to (mostly) protect the inhabitants from the regular meteor showers and ejecta from the active volcanos. The craters themselves are ringed by a network of laser and missile turrets that routinely shoot down any “big ones” that get too close to the city.

The near constant orbital bombardment means there is no high port but the resourceful people of Twilight’s Peak make their living mining exotic materials that crash to the surface or whirl dangerously overhead in the asteroid rings surrounding the planet and orbiting Old Nick.

They also have a nascent shipbuilding industry mostly catering to smaller size hulls that pine the spaceways mining asteroids.

The trip in from the jump point and ride down the gravity well is one of the more memorable of your journey to date. The pilot actively dodging rocks and gunners blasting at any getting “danger close” the entire trip.

Though the world’s actual gravity is much lower the city is kept at 1G through gravitic technology, the same as found shipboard. The shipyards can be adjusted to normal or zero gravity as the situation dictates.

The four of you have left the docks and are standing in a bustling startown. There are stores, hotels, bars etc. and the activity is constant.

It is at this point the game is now turned over to you, the players.

Some Game Notes:

Travelling is dangerous, expensive and most regular folk never leave their home worlds or interact with those that have. There are pirates, mishaps and mystery among the stars. Desperate travellers may even choose to travel in the cryoberths used to haul livestock at the risk of death to get from world to world.

Outside of the established trade routes there is minimal contact even with adjacent worlds. Tramp freighters are commissioned to haul mail and getting to a world without a regular trade route means owning your own ship or chartering one.

Communication is slow and often what you hear is weeks or months outdated by the time you get to your destination.

From Book 3:
The players themselves have a burden almost equal to that of the referee: they must move, act, travel in search of their own goals. The typical methods used in life by 20th century Terrans (thrift, dedication, and hard work) do not work in Traveller; instead, travellers must boldly plan and execute daring schemes for the acquisition of wealth and power.

Congratulations on your entrance into the Universe of Traveller!

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#2 Post by dongriffiths »

Alphonse took in the hive of activity he had just stepped into.

"Adventure and opportunity they said in the flyers! Nothing about nearly dying on the way to the surface. I need a drink, are you guys coming?"

Checking around Alphonse strides deliberately towards the nearest bar.
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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#3 Post by BackworldTraveller »

Always willing to follow a man who's buying drinks!

I don't suppose we can find a news-feed: Might as well see what the locals find worth reporting! It looks like I need to find a new source of income.


Rando thinks about this for a moment

I wonder how the local job market works? Knowing our luck the main qualification for a role is that you are kin to the proprietor!

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#4 Post by dongriffiths »

"A bottle of Pastis and a jug of iced water please barkeep and whatever my companions would like."

Alphonse takes the jug and bottle parking himself at a table with his back to the wall and a good view of the entrance.

Lets see what this place has to offer he muses to himself as he sizes up the bar and its clientele.
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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#5 Post by BackworldTraveller »

Mine's an Ystian if you're paying.

Dimitri...You are the paperwork guy...What can you dredge up?

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#6 Post by Totalguest »

Remind me why we came to this hellhole again? I’ll take whatever passes for beer around here

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#7 Post by BackworldTraveller »

Totalguest wrote: Sun Jan 30, 2022 7:56 pm Remind me why we came to this hellhole again? I’ll take whatever passes for beer around here
Well I came because I was being paid to do so...except I haven't actually been paid. So now I'm a free agent.

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#8 Post by Hvalreki »

Port Royal

January 30, 2745 OER (Old Empire Reckoning)

Craters Edge Bar



The Travellers make their way through crowded conourses, a series of lift shafts and wind up in a quieter part of the port complex.

Craters Edge is built into the cliff wall at a slightly higher angle than the far rim giving the bar a good view of the horizon and ships coming and going from the Port. The regular barrage of metors and the ground defense systems machinations to neutralize the really dangerous ones make for an interesting backdrop. Heavy blast shields are ready to drop but at the moment are open.

Dimitri does a cursory scan of the nets. Typical help wanted ads seem to be for, Belters (spaced based mining), Rockhounds (ground based prospectors), Pipleline Maintenance - Craters edge gets its water from a pipeleine running through the twilight into the frozen polar ice caps. The regular bombardment sometimes causes trouble. You get the idea that competition for rocks is fierce and can turn deadly. You find more than one story on a rise in claim jumper activity as well as missing Belter Ships and Rockhound ATVs.

Food and Overhead
Ordinary Level of food and lodging will cost 100 credits per person per week. This is what I will assume the players are choosing most of the time.
Better and worse levels are available.


Referee Notes on the player's goals and the game in general:
The players are free to explore any of the regular want ads further or they may also chose to actively search for a Patron that might point them towards a more unusual opportunity (one roll per week of game time to for an active Patron search). You may also choose to do something else entirely or having found a Patron turn them down and spend another week looking for a different one.

Once we've had player input (I'll do my best to post a narrative advancing post Third day after my starting post to keep the action moving. Everyone has 2 days to respond and with different schedules there may be more or less messages from people in between.

Feel free to let me know if you have input on how the game is going in the OOC thread or by PM. A pure sandbox is new for me so hoping it's working for you too and I'm prepared to adjust as we go.

As we go forward the game narrative will move at different speeds.

Sometimes the "camera" will be pointed at the characters in real time and then once a course is set we'll pan out and time will move by faster depending on what is happening.

What's also going on in the background are potential Random Encounters.

Daily check vs Law Level for Legal Encounters
Daily check for random encounter
Animal or other encounters if travelling on the world's surface
Space encounters when moving between worlds.
Routine encounters (clerks, officials, etc. as needed)
Adventure encounters, as they occur depending on what the players are doing.


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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#9 Post by dongriffiths »

Alphonse sorts out a round of drinks for the group and quickly downs his first Pastis, refilling his glass he starts to circulate through the bar.

Unobtrusively listening to the chatter as he passes trying to get the overall mood and any tensions in the room, to try workout where the power base is in here.

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#10 Post by BackworldTraveller »

OK - So my issue is that unless someone is subbing me, I'm needing a basic job with food and accommodation. Or I'm starving. I hope you can find something quickly! :!:

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#11 Post by Hvalreki »

Alphonse sorts out a round of drinks for the group and quickly downs his first Pastis, refilling his glass he starts to circulate through the bar.

Unobtrusively listening to the chatter as he passes trying to get the overall mood and any tensions in the room, to try workout where the power base is in here.
Working the room with aplomb, Alphonse sorts out the basic power structure of Port Royal.

The City Council governing Twilights Peak is headed by a Governor elected every six years, members of the Captains Council, The City Administration, Union and Guild heads, and a representative of the Rockhounds.

The ship owning captains are voting body and elect representatives to further their interests who serve on the city council.

Another major power bloc is Free City of Twilight's Peak itself which includes the port complex and shipyards. Port Royal is one of the few polities capable of building new jump drives and the industry is jealously protective of it's exclusivity.

Other powers include the various unions that keep the city working (Dock workers, Ship Builders, Maintenance and the various City Guilds (merchants, tradesmen, etc). Finally, the Rockhounds are a loose coalition of prospectors that brave the surface mining exotic materials that fall from the sky or are unearthed by impacts and eruptions.

The population of Port Royal isn't large, with less than 10,000 permanent residents. The transient population can easily spike to twice that number as the freeport draws much commerce despite it's inconvenient location inside an active debris field.

Alphonse gets the impression there is a fair amount of infighting and jockying for position even within the various groups. There is some tension between the spacers and those planetside and the Rockhounds are a wild card who distrust most, including their own.

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#12 Post by Hvalreki »

OK - So my issue is that unless someone is subbing me, I'm needing a basic job with food and accommodation. Or I'm starving. I hope you can find something quickly!
Being a proper Steward, Alphonse has taken care of the drinks for the group.

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#13 Post by dongriffiths »

Alphonse continues to circulate, briefly checking the job board but relying more on his read of the people around.

He's looking for Merchants or Rockhounds who are a little down on their luck. If he sees any likely prospects he'll approach and assess the possibilities of getting some work.

If it's a merchant the approach will be quite assured

"Hello, my associates and I have only recently landed and we wondering if you could use some assistance logistics and security? Our small group includes decorated former members of the main branches of the military and can ensure the safe passage of your cargoes with the minimum of fuss."

If it's Rockhounds the approach would be a little different

"Hi, my team have recently arrived on planet and are interested in getting our foot in with the mining business. We have a couple of excellent surveyors, ex-Scout and Naval Service. Do you think we could develop a mutually beneficial relationship? As I said we've only just arrived so will be arranging some accommodation shortly so we'll be easy to find if you're interested."

Alphonse then wanders back to the group and orders something to eat and scans for details of cheap hotels/hostels.
Last edited by dongriffiths on Tue Feb 01, 2022 7:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#14 Post by Totalguest »

God, the last thing I want to do is get stuck in this place hauling rocks, too much like home. But if you find something interesting, I’ll be holed up here.

Terry settles himself in at the bar, and starts trying to chat up anybody around him.

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#15 Post by dongriffiths »

"Well it's hardly my dream destination either but we need to start making some money soon or we all end up as desperate as Rando. At least make an effort and get yourselves spruced up.
I may have been a little over stating our skillsets so the least we can do is look the part professional survey/security consultants."
:wink:

"We need to find something in the next couple of weeks or we move on, I don't know about you but I can't afford to sub Rando for that so unless he wants to travel popsicle style he's screwed"
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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#16 Post by BackworldTraveller »

dongriffiths wrote: Tue Feb 01, 2022 7:16 am "Well it's hardly my dream destination either but we need to start making some money soon or we all end up as desperate as Rando. At least make an effort and get yourselves spruced up.
I may have been a little over stating our skillsets so the least we can do is look the part professional survey/security consultants."
:wink:

"We need to find something in the next couple of weeks or we move on, I don't know about you but I can't afford to sub Rando for that so unless he wants to travel popsicle style he's screwed"
Speak for yourself: I am a professional security consultant! I've actually earned money at it.

And I may be owed back-pay, but I do still have some hope of getting that - if I go back.

Do you guys think I should cut my losses or see if the boss can rumble up something we can all not get paid for?

Just what was in that drink you gave me?

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#17 Post by dongriffiths »

"Great, you're skills will be very useful here we just have to persuade the locals they need us.

What has happened to Dmitri?

We need him available to make us more presentable as a proper professional outfit.

Your drink is the premium domestic local beer, I'm not stumping up for imported."
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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#18 Post by BackworldTraveller »

dongriffiths wrote: Wed Feb 02, 2022 10:45 am
Your drink is the premium domestic local beer, I'm not stumping up for imported."[/color]
It tastes like the domestic died in it and they charged you a premium? It appears to contain Maudlin - Best not drink too much of that!

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#19 Post by Hvalreki »

Port Royal

Crater's Edge


Alphonse's bar tour actually turns up a possible job offer amongst the bar patrons.

Image

Kendrik is a local Rockhopper looking for a team to accompany him on a mining expedition. He made a find at the end of his last run but didn't have the supplies left at the time to make a recovery.
Pay is 5K per person for about 4 weeks of work including travel to and from the site.
Keep in mind you can live decently on about 10K per year.
If the travelers are interested he's leaving at the end of the week. "Bring your own suits, I'll supply everything else."

Nursing his beer, Rando concludes his meal ticket has skipped out on him. Fendon Smitts hired him on as "muscle" for the last few legs of the trip as security for the private gambling sessions he ran during the voyage. Rando got his passage (middle) comped for basically nursing soft drinks while his boss entertained. It was a soft job for the former Captain but easy money, or should have been if he actually collected.
Somehow Fendon managed to get off the ship without paying Rando the 5K he owed him.

Image
With Perry's departure I've asked a waitlister if they'd like to join. Not sure yet if they'll become Dimitri or roll their own. Will adjust time/space as necessary depending on the outcome.
Last edited by Hvalreki on Sun Feb 06, 2022 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Game Thread: Port Royal

#20 Post by BackworldTraveller »

Rondo
OK - I've got definite proof that my Boss has skipped. Anyone fancy a no-find-no-fee job of locating an off-world Gambler named Fendon? If he's alive he'll be in a gambling den somewhere.

He also considers the other job offer

The rock-hoppers offer sounds OK except that we'd need suits. Choice there is re-con old suits that we then own or hire suits? Anyone know anything about fixing up suits?

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