Originally Posted by SuedodeuS
The Derelict
The fleet comes across a derelict space craft/station. A series of 1d rolls determines the basic status of the derelict. The reason it is a derelict is typically best left up to the GM (and will frequently be related to its status - a military vessel that took catastrophic damage was evacuated or saw its crew died due to being destroyed, while a experimental vessel with no damage likely experienced some disaster due to its experimental tech).
Damage
1: Catastrophic damage - EVA suits are necessary to explore what remains of the structure, and salvage is generally limited to scrap (although a few small devices, as well as certain types of bulk cargo, may be available).
2-3: Heavy damage - some parts are still intact, and there may be some decent salvage to be had, but the vessel is unlikely to be space-worthy again without serious overhauling.
4: Medium damage - the vessel is mostly intact, but certain key systems (life support, engine, drives) are damaged beyond repair. The PCs may opt to replace such systems with some of their own replacement parts, gaining a new vessel in the process.
5: Light damage - the vessel is in surprisingly good shape, but the systems from (4) have been heavily damaged. A skilled team of technicians may be able to get the ship up and running again.
6: No damage - the vessel is in top shape. It is readily serviceable as a new craft (although it may require refueling, restocking, or simply reactivating). Such vessels are rarely abandoned in such good shape without a serious problem - roll twice on Danger, taking the worse result.
Identity
1-2: Mercantile - the vessel was hauling cargo (of if the PCs are unlucky, had just finished unloading cargo). Mercantile ships typically have a good deal of salvage available. This can also represent mining vessels.
3-4: Passenger - the vessel's cargo was people, meaning salvage is likely to be limited to personal effects and foodstuffs. This can also represent vessels designed for living in long-term (and thus most space stations), or for surveying vessels (in which case sensors are likely to be amongst the salvage).
5: Military - the vessel was of military origin, anything from a light scout to a heavy battleship. Military vessels have heavier armament than civilian ones, which may be salvageable, and also have more armor. Salvage includes personal weapons, possibly small craft (for carriers), and basic provisions. Military vessels are rarely abandoned intact - roll again on the Damage chart, keeping the worse result.
6: Experimental - the vessel was utilizing some experimental technologies, or was of an experimental design. Such technology may be salvageable - if not, proper investigation may
allow it to be (at least partially) recreated for use by the fleet.
Age
1-2: Primitive - the vessel is from an earlier time or a less-advanced civilization. Penalties to TL-based skills when interacting with it may be appropriate, and salvage from it is typically less useful.
3-5: Modern - the vessel is comparable to the other ships in the fleet, making it easy to work with and having it yield useful salvage.
6: Advanced - the vessel comes from a civilization more advanced than the PCs', and may have exotic technologies on board. Normal TL penalties are in play, but enterprising characters may well make off with advanced technologies. An Advanced derelict that is also Experimental is actually just an experimental vessel that has more advanced technologies than usual - if an experimental military vessel mounts antiparticle beams, perhaps this mounts advanced antiparticle beams (2x ROF). TL penalties are likely lessened or do not apply. In some settings, only Experimental craft can be Advanced - treat this result as Modern otherwise.
Danger
1-2: Benign - the vessel is safe as houses - or at least as safe as a holed space-house. EVA may still be dangerous, but by no real fault of the derelict itself.
3-4: Moderate danger - there are some dangers on board, such as faulty (possibly exploding) capacitors, a reactor shedding rads, or some poorly-designed booby traps. Roll 1d - on a 1, the danger is hidden until someone stumbles across it!
5: High danger - parts of vessel may be ready to explode, the reactor is shedding some serious hard-rads, or the previous owners rigged some decent traps to dissuade anyone from moving in. Again, roll 1d - on 1-3, the danger is hidden.
6: Death trap - ever seen Event Horizon? Stepping foot on this vessel means you are rather unlikely to ever leave alive. Roll 1d - on anything but a 6, the danger is hidden.
Relevant skill groups are salvaging (Scrounger and some Professional Skills), repair (to get some parts up and running, which may be necessary to explore the entire vessel), investigation (to determine why the ship was abandoned - or why the entire crew is dead), and research.
GMs may opt to roll again on the Crisis Event table to add a further complication. Onboard Contamination means such exists on the derelict (and improper handling can result in it spreading to ships in the fleet), while Space Monster could result in an Alien-like scenario. Such complications typically replace a dangerous result on the Danger chart, or at least downgrade it (the facehugger egg in Alien replaced a High Danger result).
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12-10-2010, 07:02 AM
Re: [Space] Random Crisis Generator for Space Opera campaigns
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