Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

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Thinyser
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Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Thinyser »

So I'm starting a new campaign to play on the days where only 2 of my 4 players can attend.

The storyline is as follows:

About 20 years from now (2035 or so) the U.S. military has some limited success with Genetic Modification and Cybernetic Augmentation (see the super soldier options from HU) and have implemented the process on about 100 hand picked veterans. 12 of which actually survive the enhancements without crippling physical or mental disorders. These 12 are launched into orbit and put into a cryogenic suspended animation to be deployed anywhere in the globe within an hour's notice. Due to changes in policy and politics they are largely forgotten and with the coming of the Rifts they are completely erased from all records. They orbit in their icy drop pods for about 250 years total at which point the computer that monitors them senses that the cooling, and minimal life support, systems are failing and launches their drop pods back home to the U.S. 6 of the 12 survive the drop and their pod's reanimate them. The Squad members wake up and proceed to use their pods' internal positioning systems and radios select a rendezvous point that is central (equidistant) as possible to regroup. They are loaded out with mostly SDC gear as that was all that was available at launch, the exception being a laser rifle that does 1d6 MD and has a early version of the E-clip which offers only 15 shots before needing to be connected to the nuke power supply of the pod. This power pack can be removed from the pod, weighs in at 55 Lbs. and besides running the pod's features and charging the E-clip, can be set to self destruct with a yield of 1 Kiloton. The team quickly assesses their situation and realizes that they are not in Kansas anymore. They are in far west Kansas actually but they realize they are in a post apocalyptic Earth and have no contact with "command" and establish the year to be 2183 (right at the tail end of the pre P.A. DarkAges) and that everybody they have ever known and several generations of people have come and gone since their launch into space.

The Squad is/was known as G.M.C.A.R.S. (Genetically Modified Cybernetically Augmented Response Squad) because my player has a odd sense of humor and likes funny acronyms. Because he is also an army veteran he demanded that I design a "emblem" for the squad. Here is what I came up with. The latin motto translates to "Peace Through Strength".

Tell me what you think!
"We live in a world where people use severed plant genitals to express affection.
Rifts is really not much weirder than that." ~~Killer Cyborg

"If we let technical problems scare us away from doing anything, humanity would still be in the trees flinging poo at each other."~~Killer Cyborg

"Everything that breeds is a threat."~~Killer Cyborg
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Thinyser
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Thinyser »

Judging by the lack of response my idea must suck... :-(
"We live in a world where people use severed plant genitals to express affection.
Rifts is really not much weirder than that." ~~Killer Cyborg

"If we let technical problems scare us away from doing anything, humanity would still be in the trees flinging poo at each other."~~Killer Cyborg

"Everything that breeds is a threat."~~Killer Cyborg
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Glistam »

It seems cool. I like the emblem. I take it the players' characters are the twelve pre-cataclysm super soldiers?
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Thinyser
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Thinyser »

Glistam wrote:It seems cool. I like the emblem. I take it the players' characters are the twelve pre-cataclysm super soldiers?

The 6 surviving super soldiers will comprise the squad some of which will be played and some ran as NPCs. Of the 12 that went into orbit only 6 will survive to awaken on the surface, though the survivors have lost the other half of their manpower, if the players are smart, they will seek out the other drop pods and collect the gear and nuke power packs. I'm assuming that will be the first session after they rendezvous.

The premiss behind it is to have a gritty and dangerous setting where MD weapons are still very rare and MDC armor rarer still. I fully expect some of the 6 survivors to die within the first few sessions since I won't be pulling any punches and the characters won't have any idea of the dangers of Rifts Earth. If a PC dies I will allow the player to take control of an NPC or to roll up a human magic or psionic class as a replacement character.
"We live in a world where people use severed plant genitals to express affection.
Rifts is really not much weirder than that." ~~Killer Cyborg

"If we let technical problems scare us away from doing anything, humanity would still be in the trees flinging poo at each other."~~Killer Cyborg

"Everything that breeds is a threat."~~Killer Cyborg
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Nox Equites »

You'll need to get an idea how the characters will respond to the first ugly non-human they see. They will be familiar with concepts of different sentient species. And the build up of threat will need to be tailored to play style of group. Tossing a single Brodkil at them with only one weapon in the squad that does MDC would be stupid. What if some of the super soldier program is psychic powers? A weaker but still pretty nice MOM with few complications for the character would give them a fighting chance at first. A light group might have to be scavengers for awhile and they should have an idea where many if not most military bases are. A creative group can find neat uses for basic equipment.
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Thinyser
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Thinyser »

To clarify they each have one MD rifle, and one PC has MD BIO-laser in her wrist and can creat exploding spheres that do MD so they are not totally w/o MD damage dealing capabilities. They will however start with only SDC armor.
"We live in a world where people use severed plant genitals to express affection.
Rifts is really not much weirder than that." ~~Killer Cyborg

"If we let technical problems scare us away from doing anything, humanity would still be in the trees flinging poo at each other."~~Killer Cyborg

"Everything that breeds is a threat."~~Killer Cyborg
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Bill
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Bill »

A fine start, I suppose. What's the goal? Who are the adversaries? Why this and not something more freewheeling?
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by rifter72 »

I love the idea, I'd play.
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Thinyser
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Thinyser »

Bill wrote:A fine start, I suppose. What's the goal?
No set goal.

Who are the adversaries?
No set group of adversaries at this time.

Why this and not something more freewheeling?
Is this sarcasm? Because this is about as freewheeling as it gets.

Once they are on the ground and make their rendezvous they are open to do anything they like. At first it will be about survival and learning about their new circumstances I suppose, then they can take off for other parts unknown and adventure like any group could (though in the late pre PA dark ages they won't have all the options that adventures have in the documented time line).
"We live in a world where people use severed plant genitals to express affection.
Rifts is really not much weirder than that." ~~Killer Cyborg

"If we let technical problems scare us away from doing anything, humanity would still be in the trees flinging poo at each other."~~Killer Cyborg

"Everything that breeds is a threat."~~Killer Cyborg
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Bill
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Bill »

I wouldn't play it. You've mistaken not having a direction for freedom. At least one obvious adversary and one clear objective would give you time to flesh out who the other factions in the region are and expose the players to them while they work out the details and nuances of their characters.

And I don't consider having my character class chosen for me to be free-wheeling in the least.
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Thinyser
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Thinyser »

Bill wrote:I wouldn't play it. You've mistaken not having a direction for freedom. At least one obvious adversary and one clear objective would give you time to flesh out who the other factions in the region are and expose the players to them while they work out the details and nuances of their characters.

And I don't consider having my character class chosen for me to be free-wheeling in the least.
Thank you for your opinion, I'm certain my players don't share it since I gave them several options of the type of campaign and this was the one they chose. :wink:
"We live in a world where people use severed plant genitals to express affection.
Rifts is really not much weirder than that." ~~Killer Cyborg

"If we let technical problems scare us away from doing anything, humanity would still be in the trees flinging poo at each other."~~Killer Cyborg

"Everything that breeds is a threat."~~Killer Cyborg
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ShadowLogan
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by ShadowLogan »

Bill wrote:And I don't consider having my character class chosen for me to be free-wheeling in the least.

I don't see why. This is less of a "make-it-up-as-I-go" situation which would be the ultimate free wheeling IMHO, so some limits are to be expected.

Thinyser wrote:These 12 are launched into orbit and put into a cryogenic suspended animation to be deployed anywhere in the globe within an hour's notice. Due to changes in policy and politics they are largely forgotten and with the coming of the Rifts they are completely erased from all records. They orbit in their icy drop pods for about 250 years total at which point the computer that monitors them senses that the cooling, and minimal life support, systems are failing and launches their drop pods back home to the U.S. 6 of the 12 survive the drop and their pod's reanimate them.

Several technical issues with this aspect.

Getting a straight ~250years of work out of the system may be a bit much without some type of active support and replenishment OR a time anomaly. Said system will need fuel to maintain orbit, even coolant will run out. It is highly unlikely the craft(s) is launched with a supply for that long.

Given the size of the pods, shouldn't the Orbitals have either recovered them or inadvertently destroyed them as part of their containment method (Counter-Orbit Ring, or even as simple collateral damage in a fight/s, etc) given the time frame involved.

Also, the orbit track of the drop pods would almost certainly not be forgotten about either. We track junk in orbit that is much smaller than these pods would have to be, so I don't see this part as believable. There should be some record of their presence, I could see the mission aspect being classified and "forgotten" about, but the Pods will definitely be tracked.

Really it might simply be easier to have them ready to launched from a surface/underwater facility than base them in orbit. You still get the 1hr time frame, and don't have to contend with the question of the Orbitals (MiO) and other aspects of orbital life that I'm not bringing up. The facility could also have been hit with temporal anomalies (Rifts Canada time rifted an entire outpost) to handle the 250year aspect (or it could have automated maintenance to keep things going that long). Having them "launched" from the facility could be the result of an error, intruder response, or even a "random rift", etc. Or you could even simply start them at the base.
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Thinyser
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Re: Starting a new campaign for the low attendance game days

Unread post by Thinyser »

ShadowLogan wrote:
Bill wrote:And I don't consider having my character class chosen for me to be free-wheeling in the least.

I don't see why. This is less of a "make-it-up-as-I-go" situation which would be the ultimate free wheeling IMHO, so some limits are to be expected.

Thinyser wrote:These 12 are launched into orbit and put into a cryogenic suspended animation to be deployed anywhere in the globe within an hour's notice. Due to changes in policy and politics they are largely forgotten and with the coming of the Rifts they are completely erased from all records. They orbit in their icy drop pods for about 250 years total at which point the computer that monitors them senses that the cooling, and minimal life support, systems are failing and launches their drop pods back home to the U.S. 6 of the 12 survive the drop and their pod's reanimate them.

Several technical issues with this aspect.

Getting a straight ~250years of work out of the system may be a bit much without some type of active support and replenishment OR a time anomaly. Said system will need fuel to maintain orbit, even coolant will run out. It is highly unlikely the craft(s) is launched with a supply for that long.

Given the size of the pods, shouldn't the Orbitals have either recovered them or inadvertently destroyed them as part of their containment method (Counter-Orbit Ring, or even as simple collateral damage in a fight/s, etc) given the time frame involved.

Also, the orbit track of the drop pods would almost certainly not be forgotten about either. We track junk in orbit that is much smaller than these pods would have to be, so I don't see this part as believable. There should be some record of their presence, I could see the mission aspect being classified and "forgotten" about, but the Pods will definitely be tracked.

Really it might simply be easier to have them ready to launched from a surface/underwater facility than base them in orbit. You still get the 1hr time frame, and don't have to contend with the question of the Orbitals (MiO) and other aspects of orbital life that I'm not bringing up. The facility could also have been hit with temporal anomalies (Rifts Canada time rifted an entire outpost) to handle the 250year aspect (or it could have automated maintenance to keep things going that long). Having them "launched" from the facility could be the result of an error, intruder response, or even a "random rift", etc. Or you could even simply start them at the base.

Good points all. GM handwavium to the rescue! This is not a campaign that I ever expect to deal with the MiO so have not included that aspect at all.

As to the extended time frame in orbit, yes the larger vehicle the pods are in was tracked, it was disguised as a special shielded telescope (like Hubble but much larger) which was also a test bed for massless thrusters that can convert electricity directly to thrust. They were just sufficient to keep it in orbit. It had ion thrusters that were able to move it around while in orbit and the reaction mass was provided by hydrogen that was stored in a metal/polymer "sponge" and did not have to be super cooled.

The onboard computer kept the soldiers alive by expelling heat to the vacuum via radiant transmission and also releasing hydrogen to cool them during spikes in temps that the radiators could not deal with alone. Eventually the store of hydrogen ran out and the temp started rise and dip rise and dip all the while ever so slowly increasing until radiators could not keep up on their own and the computer decided that an emergency drop of the pods was the only choice to save the soldiers from certain death. Even then only half survived, half had died over the last 100 years in fact, but the computer failed to detect the lack of life as its sensors had already gone out for the most part and it was programmed to assume life and preserve the life of the assets. Had it known for certain those soldiers were dead it would have focused its dwindling hydrogen supply on the survivors and potentially kept them cool much longer.

As it stands the players won't question any of what you question because they won't nit-pick the back story, but it was good thinking on your part!
"We live in a world where people use severed plant genitals to express affection.
Rifts is really not much weirder than that." ~~Killer Cyborg

"If we let technical problems scare us away from doing anything, humanity would still be in the trees flinging poo at each other."~~Killer Cyborg

"Everything that breeds is a threat."~~Killer Cyborg
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