I have added some details and made some adjustments to the Dominion scenario.
I did this for two reasons. First, the scenario raised some unanswered questions and I wanted answers for my campaign. Second, I wanted to plant some campaign hooks that would last after Dominion itself is wrapped up.
I have made other changes to the entire Mindjammer-verse in order to fit it into an existing campaign (traditional Traveller that will morph into Mindjammer) and to meet some of my own interests, but these are for another topic on another day. The changes below only affect the Dominion scenario.
The first set of issues surround The Not From Here Either (ex Equitable Allocation). I wanted to know a bit more about NFHE’s background, why it was hiding (and from what) when it was apprehended at Kallisphere VI and what happened to it there.
Here is my new background on NFHE:
While travelling outwards from Commonality Core Space, minding its own business, the Equitable Allocation stopped at Hardside Port Complex on Vanguard II-D. There, the 3SI attempted to recruit it and militarize it. The EA refused on moral grounds and fled, but was apprehended at Kallikras Down on Kallisphere VI, while upgrading tech and changing its identity from Equitable Allocation to Not From Here Either. The NFHE was then “tortured” by local Kallisphere technicians and AIs acting on behalf of the 3SI. The goal of the “torture” was to wipe all of the memories that the EA had of its time on Vanguard II-D and the 3SI’s recruitment pitch. The result was a partially successful memory wipe.
Before the memory wipe “torture” was complete the NFHE escaped from Kallisphere VI with help from Denyna and fled to Chlom-Baya. This involved the following route. A Kallisphere to Shay-Shay 47.4 LY off-route jump, a 40.9 LY off-route jump to Crucis Harbour, a 21 LY jump to Nijmegen, and a 38 LY jump to Chlom-Baya.
The NFHE was then captured at Chlom-Baya by Sall, who was acting on SCI intelligence sent through an SCI comms emulator. The intelligence and news of NFHE’s “escape” from Vanguard II-D was sent by 3SI via fast ship from Vanguard to many systems including Nijmegen. There it was passed, without the full truth of the story, to SCI for assistance in locating the “fugitive” starship. At Nijmegen, the NFHE was able to slip through the system without being immediately detected by SCI due to Mindscape deception assistance from Denyna. However, their passage was discovered shortly after and the SCI message and intelligence reached Chlom-Baya less than a day after NFHE’s arrival there.
Sall was able to use the full resources of SCI and SASO to apprehend NFHE and implant a temporary “restraining bolt”-type device to ensure NFHE will follow her direction as they travel, by direct off-route jump, to Yand.
The NFHE will slowly regain its memories of this time during the events of the Dominion scenario, thus further adding tension to the game.
The second set of issues surrounded The Cat’s Cradle. Here I wanted to plant a seed for future adventures so I modified the CC’s background.
Here is my new background for the CC:
The CC began as a Wayland-class explorer before the Venu Wars. However, it was modified into an Executioner-class light attack frigate during the war. It is now traumatized by its role in the war, in particular its part in destroying part of the Yand Mandala (the TS-1 to TS-2 link to be exact). This occurred whilst the CC was attacking a squadron of Venu Z-marines boarding ships which were in the process of grappling onto the mandala and blasting through its hull in order to board its marine contingent.
This history is not known by anyone, including any construct, at Yand. Whilst an Executioner-class frigate the CC was known as the Raked by Zanthium Claws. As the transformation to and from RZC involved significant physical modifications, size changes and alterations to its electromagnetic profile, the connection between the two identities has not been made.
The CC is now supportive of the the Zenu-controlled Zarus Dominate because it believe’s the Zarus Dominate’s public promise that it will physically re-build the Mandala if Yand allies with it. Such re-construction would expiate some of the CC’s guilt. Unfortunately, the Dominate’s promise is in fact pure propaganda. The Dominate has no intention of “wasting” such resources on a planet it will simply subjugate.
This leaves several options open. During of after the Dominion scenario the CC might be made to “see the light”. It could even come back to the Commonality, possibly as a PC. Part of this might involve a This is not the way it happened, aspect which can be discovered after research and investigation into past recordings, etc.
I welcome any comments or views.
SC