[Space] Haven And Carson's World

[AlexanderHowl]

Everyone that I know who contracted a parasite while traveling flipped out.

[Flyndaran]

Most parasites have natural hosts. Things often go very badly for hosts infected with parasites they hadn't co-evolved with.

That minor athletes food astronaut Jim landed with could perhaps obliterate native species that had never dealt with fungal infections in the planet's entire history.
Maybe even something as innocuous as dust mites could wreak havoc.

We tend to worry about aliens harming us, but it's at least as likely for it to go the other way.

Of course proper sci fi adventure stories don't go the hazmat 24/7, researchers only, "sensible paranoia" route.

[AlexanderHowl]

Human lungs could be a wonderful habitat for an alien version of fungi. They are warm, moist, and have plenty of oxygen. Under certain certain circumstances, terrestrial fungi can grow very rapidly, and their alien equivalents are likely to be just as rapid.

[scc]

Originally Posted by Rupert

Well, the why of this can be a mystery for the PCs to solve, if you want. As for an answer for you, as GM - make something up. Maybe the aliens wanted something that's found on Carson's World but not Haven. Maybe there are ruins on Haven but the more active environment has destroyed them, or they simply haven't been found yet because they're buried in a jungle.

There are really two problems I have with the whole setup: The trope of alien ruins on a dead world, the aliens being dead is understandable as it's rather hard to have them leaving behind ruins without being dead, the the planet(s) they inhabited as well? The other is RPG's including mysteries like these without not only any answers but also theories or hints.

Originally Posted by Rupert

As for whether or not there are alien ruins somewhere around the companion - that's entirely up to you.

The thing to make actually adding in any more ruins I've got to have a reason for there to be more ruins, more ruins for the sake of at just won't cut it.

Originally Posted by Rupert

And when it comes to giving the PCs a ship, but not wanting them to just be independent traders - make the ship one that's unsuited to trading. Maybe have it be provided as some government-sponsored mission to go out and find something, or to be spies.

I'm planing a really slow FTL system, so trading isn't really an option, and I figure that the planetary government of Haven likes to pretend the rest of the galaxy doesn't exist.

Originally Posted by PTTG

The aliens might be anaerobic life, and thus find a planet full of oxidizer as terrifying as we would find a planet with open seas of chlorine.

This is probably the the best explanation, as I can't see any ban on settling habitable worlds over potential environmental and ecological consequences working. Still doesn't explain why the world is dead.

[Dr. Beckenstein]

Maybe the aliens choose Carson's World because it was lifeless and out of the way. Because they where working with something / somebody dangerous there.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by scc

I'm planing a really slow FTL system, so trading isn't really an option, and I figure that the planetary government of Haven likes to pretend the rest of the galaxy doesn't exist.

In that case, the PCs don't get an FTL ship of their own. At best they get a loaned in-system ship from a patron if they're part of a mining op or research mission that needs one. If/when the campaign goes interstellar, well hopefully you'll have a rationale for that, and that should provide a mechanism for the PCs to travel FTL, be it in their 'own' ship or as passengers.