The Zhodani Base

It is now time for the second Summer Zhodani Base 76 Patrons Writing Contest. For those who thought last years prize was just for collectors, I have something for you that I hope everyone (and your kids) can enjoy. This years first prize is “The Space Warriors” by Stewart Cowley, who also wrote the TTA books.

The style of the entries should be in the style of the patrons in CT Supplement 6, 76 Patrons.

Last years winning patron (by Raz) can be found here:

• Universal Health Care

Two of my own patrons can be found here:

• Deliver Medicine
• Environmentalist Demonstration

The contest starts now and ends 30 Sept 2010. Write as many entries as You like.

After the 30:th of September 2010, all entries will be posted on the Zhodani Base. Registered users (on the 1:st of July) and participants in the competition may then vote (using a points system) for the entries they like the most.

By entering the contest You allow your entry to be posted at the Zhodani Base. All entries might also be posted in PDF format as a free down-loadable file at the Zhodani Base.

All entrants will be given credit for their work and will retain the copyright on their entries.

Some general guidelines:

1, Each entry should be less than 1000 words.

2, One image may be used in each entry. You must either have the right to the image, or it must be used under some sort of free licence. Wikimedia Commons is a good place to find an image that You can use. Please provide information about the image. (Is it Yours? If not, where have You found it? What license is used?) Note: You don’t need to use an image.

3, Each patron should offer 6 options.

4, Each patron should be placed in the Foreven Sector. You may use the version of the Foreven Sector that can be found here at the Zhodani Base. (You don’t have to use this version.)

5, Please don’t force the PCs to sign up for (what they think are) illegal activities. It is better if they find that out later, or in some way are forced to take illegal action…

6, Please use a spell checker!

Send Your entries by e-mail. Please use plain text format and attach the image, if You select to use one. Word files will not be accepted!

As an alternative, contributors to the Zhodani Base may log in and write their entries here. Entries posted that way will be made visible when all other are.

Please include a preferred nickname (that can be Your real name) to show on the Zhodani Base. If You expect to win, include an address to send the first prize to.

Some help: (That you don’t have to use.)

• Foreven Sector Maps
• Foreven LBB style Maps
• Foreven WriteUps

You may use Mongoose Traveller rules to design something for your patron, since the Zhodani Base now has a Foreven Free Sector License.

Since I think these ideas were quite good, I’ll repost them here. It is probably quite difficult to dig these up from the OTEATP group where I first posted them.

These are just some of my thoughts about how to build a simple adventure, and not meant as criticism to anyone. Take a look at at, and tell us what You think and add Your own ideas to it, and then we will eventually have an adventure cookbook.

So, when we run out of ideas, lets have a look at this: (Don’t follow the parts of the recipe that You don’t like!)

1: There is a theory that there are only 36 different dramatic situations. (Hey, 36 You say, then we can toss the coyns, very CT indeed, or use the red dice white dice thingie…) These situations are listed here.
Use one or two of them…

2: Adapt the situation to the CT universe.

3: Use an encyclopedia, and look up two or three words at random, and include these in the adventure.

4: Look in an online newspaper, and pick two or three minor events, and adapt these to the CT universe.

5: Use an idea from Your favourite television action program. (But not from “Murder she wrote”)

6: Use a really strange idea from your favourite television sci-fi program.

7: ???

8: ???

etc…

99: Put it all together.

Thoughts or ideas?

Image copyright expired. Public Domain.

The big long-distance ski-race Vasaloppet is on today. It is run from Sälen to Mora (9o km). This has inspired me to think about a long distance space race.

We are all familiar with the planet Mora in the Spinward Marches. That should be the goal. As far as I know there is no planet named Sälen, But there is a planet named New Salen in Vland Sector. That should be the start of the race.

Some ideas for the race. All the ships should start at the same time from the ice-caps of New Salen. The first ship to land on the main starport at Mora is the winner. There could be hundreds or even more ships in the race. There should be a huge prize for the winner, since the ships has to spend several months in this race. It should be sponsored by Megacorporations and by nobles at the planet the race passes. There can be a number of classes depending on jump-drive. To avoid that ships try to do a “controlled” misjump, there should be a number of mandatory planets that has be be passed (in order and within a time limit). No violence (or other forms of cheating) will be allowed during the race.

The mandatory planets to visit might be Vland,  Twophur, Kaasu and Deneb. The fastest ships in the race would usually just refuel and continue. The slower might stay for a few days, making repairs and going to parties. A tradition in the race could be to pick up a cargo of Vilani ale at Vland, and on every planet where the ship makes a longer stop, contribute with a part of the cargo to the local race party.

Image from Traveller Map.

Adventure ideas:

The PC’s are taking part in the race in the J-3 class. This year there is a special prize. The winner of the J-3 class will get a contract to deliver all ale from a Vland brewery for a year. Since this is a very nice price for a fast independant ship, there will be some cheating. By others, that will slow down the PCs ship. And by the PCs, as a revenge. Will the PCs win, or will they be disqualified?

The PCs could be hired for a rescue mission, when one of the ships has tried to do a “controlled” misjump and missed the deadline of one of the mandatory checkpoints.

The PCs can be part of a team of ships that each will try to do a “controlled” misjump with the hope that one of them will go in the right direction and win the race. Then the PCs can end up wherever the referee wants them.

T Pyxidis is a star that we have heard about in the news recently. The scientist Dr Sion claims that it will go supernova quite soon and threaten the earth. Other scientists say that this is not the case.

In any case, T Pyxidis is an interesting object that will be interesting to study. Especially in the Far Future when we can go there. It is only 1000 parsecs away. It will only take about 4 years to go there with an average speed of jump-5. So lets equip a 100-kton scout-cruiser and go there! It will be an epic adventure.

Image from NASA. Public Domain.

Only referees should read on.

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The votes have been counted. The winner of the first Summer Zhodani Base 76 Patrons Writing Contest is Raz with his Patron called “Universal Health Care“. w00t!

Image from wikimedia. License: Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0

You may now vote on which of the “Patrons” you think are the best.

The Patrons You can vote for are:

• Luck Handi by Jeff
• Universal Health Care by Raz
• The Hermit by Matt

Only registered users and participants in the competition may vote on the entries they like the most. Everyone else may still express what they think by posting comments.

Give the best “Patron” 2 points, and give the second best “Patron” 1 point. The participants may not give their own entries any points. Send in your votes using e-mail.

The voting ends on October 24:th.

Image from wikimedia. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 1.0 License

Patron: Civil rights activist
Required Skills: None.
Required equipment: None.

Players’ Information:
On a populated world, a guy whose job it was to monitor a dangerous natural / geological / biological situation has been abandoned by his former organization due to losing a war, but has continued on alone in his duties.

A ruthless and ignorant citizen of the conquerors has eyed his domicile and the compound he occupies for his own and intends to have the hermit removed by the new authorities.

Image from New York Public Library’s Digital Library. Public Domain

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Patron: Doctor, Surgeon
Required Skills: none
Required Equipment: Starship

Players’ Information:
The group is contacted by Dr. Annalise Nassline, a young medical doctor affiliated with a large medical center on Pylkan (Foreven 2834). She and her assistant seek passage to several of the less populated worlds in the Urnian Subsector.  They need middle passage for themselves and are traveling with an eight dton sealed standard shipping container.  She explains that the container is a mobile operating theater, and diagnostic lab.  The pair are on a mission of mercy, treating sophants on worlds with inadequate medical infrastructure.

 Image from Department of Defense. Public Domain

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Patron: Claims investigator/ISS Agent
Required Skills: Investigative skills and a total lack of psionic abilities.
Required equipment: None.

Players’ Information:
The characters are approached at any starport by a middle aged man in good quality casual attire. He has grey hair and an easy confident gait.

The man introduces himself as Gaillard Igsnakiir and says he has a job to offer. He says he is an agent of a legal claims company called “Spin for a Win”. He explains it is a small company and he is very stretched and needs some immediate help to tail and gather information about a man suspected of defrauding the company. He shows the Group a picture of a strange scrawny man wearing a Psi Shield helmet with a “lived-in” but intelligent face. The psi-shield has an unusual protrusion on the right hand side. He says the man is travelling under the name Eneri Fortune, but suspects that the man has used more than one identity.

He goes on to explain that the man took out a claim against the Imperial Secret Service for false imprisonment. The case went to imperial tribunal and Mr Fortune was awarded a large sum of money. During the tribunal Mr Fortune called a man named Liskaguur as key witness.

Gaillard Igsnakiir thinks he has been compromised and that Mr Fortune knows he is following him. The job is for the players to continue the investigation.

Image from wikimedia. This file is licensed under GNU Free Documentation License

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The 76 Patrons Contest is over. The entries are posted above.

Registered users (on the 1:st of July) and participants in the competition may vote (using a points system) on the entries they like the most.

You can start sending in your votes now. Give the best patron 2 points, and give the second best 1 point. The participants may not give their own entries any points.