[Space] Random Crisis Generator for Space Opera campaigns

[vicky_molokh]

19. SOS beacon
A beacon broadcasting a request for help is found. According to the beacon's information, the mayday comes from a ship quite a distance from the intended course (or space station's position), so far that interplanetary law doesn't mandate going for the rescue, as long as the person discovering the beacon reports it to the local authorities and/or other travelers. OTOH, it's not so far away as to be an unreasonable destination. For BSG-style games, ignore interplanetary law, and just assume a beacon is mildly suspicious, but not too much.
Relevant skills:
Intelligence Analysis to figure out if the beacon is legit. This will give a hint regarding how appropriate a rescue is.
If the captain refuses to rescue, then Public Speaking, Sociology and Politics become relevant to make sure the more altruistic-minded don't lose morale and/or the decision-maker doesn't gain a negative reputation.
If the captain decides to go in for the rescue, randomize the situation by rolling 1d:
1. Too late. Forensic and other skills might explain what happened and how.
2. Exaggerated report; ship is in a pretty good shape. You can use Engineering to fix the problem, and/or Administration/Law/etc. to then report the ship for abusing the emergency protocols (difficulty depends on how exaggerated the report was).
3-5. Genuine problem. Repair skills, fuel/oxygen transfer etc. are very relevant.
6. It's a trap! Either the beacon was set up by ambushers, or there is a phenomenon of some sort that will adversely affect the rescuers. Roll another crisis, and keep re-rolling until it can plausibly affect both the victim and the rescuers.

20. Radiation Exposure
Due to a local phenomenon, reactor malfunction, or some other reason, the ships are exposed to unexpectedly high doses of radiation.
Relevant skills:
Engineering or Navigation-oriented skills to fix the problem or get away.
Administration and medical skills to organize a proper treatment of the exposed crew.
Public Speaking and the like to prevent panic if the event was particularly nasty.

[Captain-Captain]

Brewer Robots unionize then go on Strike.

PCs in the far future see a universe without BEER!

[Phantasm]

21. Psychic Manifestation
After traveling through a supposedly uncharted area of space, several members of the crew who have Danger Sense or are latent psychics suddenly manifest disturbingly powerful psychic powers; feel free to use any Telepathy, Psychokinesis, Probability Alteration, or Ergokinesis power. Side effects include a doubling of points spent in IQ, acquisition of the Callous and either the Overconfidence or (more likely) Megalomania disadvantages, and loss of any Pacifism or Code of Honor disads.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

21. Psychic Manifestation
After traveling through a supposedly uncharted area of space, several members of the crew who have Danger Sense or are latent psychics suddenly manifest disturbingly powerful psychic powers; feel free to use any Telepathy, Psychokinesis, Probability Alteration, or Ergokinesis power. Side effects include a doubling of points spent in IQ, acquisition of the Callous and either the Overconfidence or (more likely) Megalomania disadvantages, and loss of any Pacifism or Code of Honor disads.

Not very different from 17. Psi Insanity, but okay, it makes a point of affecting latents, as opposed to 'real' psis.

[sgtcallistan]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

I just think that filtering the less generic and the more silly ones, while providing a numbered list of more playable ones, is a good idea.

Wow, thanks.

You are a gentleman and a scholar, sir.

I so rarely get a positive-

I encourage anyone to take a list of episode synopses off the Interwebz and randomise them, or even create a random generator using tropes derived.

It's what I do--- whoops, what a give-away!

-oh wait; someone in Hollywood probably has that patented... ;)

[sn0wball]

For those whose universes have no place for brewery robots:

22. Strike

Just when time is of the essence to quickly unload the cargo hold, the crew learns that the Longshorebeings Union is on strike. This does not only mean that neither equipment nor personnell is available, but also that the unionists try to prevent any unloading process and pursue any blackleg trying to break the strike. Whether the striking men are downtrodden and exploited workers who fight for their due rights and living wages, or even members of a native species fighting for equal rights, or rather members of a small and well-off group of highly educated technical specialists, who fight for their right to a second house by the sea, is for the GM to decide and the PCs to find out - and care about or not.

[vicky_molokh]

23. Shipwreck Found

Sensors indicate some sort of wreck from another ship in range. See quote (taken from below) for details:

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).

[Genesis]

24: Religious Awakening

A charismatic leader has emerged from the population of one of the fleet's ships. The cult of his followers is growing stronger and more aggressive, but the leader doesn't espouse violence or outright destruction. As service disruptions due to religious activity increase, the players have to figure out how to deal with this not-quite-threat: ought people be allowed to worship as they please? What if their worship causes a direct disturbance to others? Will this cult graduate to more dangerous activity if left unchecked?

25: Science Trap

The discovery of some neutral space wedgie while wandering has intrigued a small but important group of the fleet's scientists. They demand that they be allowed to study it at greater length, and insist the consequences are of vital importance to the fleet. Should the fleet remain stationary while they complete their investigations? Should the fleet be split up to allow the small group to stay behind? What if the scientists actually do discover something important, but only after most of the rest of the fleet has moved on?

What about resupply issues, or simple politics?

[sir_pudding]

26: Ethnic Spotlight
A PC from an alien or exotic culture discovers he must return to his homeworld or other important cultural site in order to perform a ritual/hold government office/stand trial/receive an honor/undergo a life-saving medical procedure/fulfill a promise/undergo a biological process or metamorphosis. If he fails to do so in time, the result his death/excommunication/exile.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

25: Ethnic Spotlight

Um, wrong number. Please change to 26.

27. Psi Disease
A member of your crew or passengers has somehow acquired, or has been a hidden carrier, of a psionic disease. The disease is transmitted through stealthy psi waves - Mind Shield and the like will protect partially, while Static or the like will grant immunity; roll 1d for additional details of transmission:
1 - Vision-based.
2 - Reverse Vision-based.
3 - both of the above; roll 1d again - on 4+ it also requires eye-to-eye contact.
4 - requires strong emotional link: only Mind-Linked, Special Rapports, Allies, Enemies, Dependants and generic love interests (but not lust objects) are affected; roll 1d - on 4+ Contacts and direct subordinates/bosses are affected too. If the infected doesn't have such links, s/he/t will subconsciously try to form one.
5 - requires weak emotional link: same as 4, plus anybody successfully influenced by Sex Appeal, Intimidation and Panhandling are vulnerable.
6 - no limits.
Roll for 'infection' against Will, not HT, and count being in the same room with and/or receiving communication through Telesend from and/or using Mind Probe/Reading/psi-vampirism against the infected as contact.

Roll 2d-2 for the number of days before symptoms show; 1d-1 for the number of days before the infected becomes a carrier capable of infecting others.

Symptoms include:
1 - infected gains mental disadvantages (to a maximum of -10*1d points)
2 - infected occasionally afflicts others with mental disadvantages (1d levels of Affliction; -10*1d worth of disadvantages; area effect 6+1d yards; emanation; 1 hour duration per MoS of failure; activated every (1d*6)-1d hours).
3 - infected manifests completely uncontrollable psionic powers (but doesn't get to keep them if cured!), which become 3d points stronger per day (up to a maximum of 1d*10% of the character's initial point cost).
4 - infected loses 2 HP/day from mind disruption - roll Will to resist the first and HT to resist the second HP loss per day. This HP cannot be healed through First Aid, Surgery or Physician, but might be healed by more psychological (or psychic!) means.
5 - infected loses FP as above, and gains some version of Psychic Vampirism ability.
6 - roll twice, adding another roll for each time 6 comes up again.

At the beginning of a crisis, only one person is infected.