[Space] Random Crisis Generator for Space Opera campaigns

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

If all things go as planned, I'm going to GM a moderately cinematic space campaigns. So, I'm interested in compiling a long list of random events - Crisis Events - that may randomly occur in such campaigns and demand some sort of resolution on the part of the PCs. The idea was inspired by the boardgame for Battlestar Galactica (which is the source of using the word crisis for such events), and the intended use is similar: filling the PCs' hands as time passes. Of course, not all events fit well within all types of campaigns, so they need to be either split by category, or rerolled often. I'm aiming for events suitable to a campaign involving a fleet of various ships, a single (reasonably large) ship, or a Babylon-style space station. I decided that it is best to throw out my ideas into the forum for cross-pollination: somebody will (hopefully) find use for mine, somebody will (hopefully) throw in their own.

1. Von Neumann threat.
A group of self-replicating machines is found, either hostile, or otherwise potentially dangerous. Typically they are a TL above that of the adventurers, and highly resistant to reverse-engineering. Solutions typically involve fooling them into stopping replication.
Relevant skills: Computer Programming if this is done through transmitting a script of commands, Engineering if it involves getting access to the controls, Electronics Operations (EW and Comm) to imitate their 'native' signal.

2. Onboard Contamination (disease)
Whether due to faulty precautions or other causes, there is a disease aboard, probably since the last landing/contact. Its threat level may vary.
Relevant skills: medical skills to actually find a cure and apply it; political and PR skills to properly handle the situation - declare quarantine in a non-panicking yet convincing manner etc.; various administrative and similar skills to handle distribution of cure, rare resources (if any) and the like.

3. Faulty FTL drive
One of the ships in the fleet is left behind when everybody moved on. Details depend on FTL type. This may be a minor malfunction, or a serious sabotage - or even an FTL-jam attack used to set up an ambush by some enemy faction/race/pirates.
If there is only one capital ship, but some minor craft in hangars, craft missing instead, either due to a misreported return, or due to an unauthorized launch right before the initiation of FTL (or in-flight!).
On a space station, a scheduled FTL ship fails to arrive with no explanation instead.

4. Computer virus/trojan
A particularly nasty computer virus, or an attack using a trojan, managed to cripple the computer network of the fleet/ship. How of a much malicious intent was behind the event is left for the crew to find out.
If the setting uses electromechanical computers, a power surge (accidental or sabotaged) was the reason of crippling instead. If the setting uses bio-computers, treat as a biological disease or a not-quite-fatal biobrain life support failure instead.

5. Misplaced FTL arrival
An FTL journey ended up in the wrong spot.
For Hyperspace, some sort of hyperspace flux prevented proper navigation.
For Jump, either a miscalculation or an anomaly caused it.
For Warp, something 'pushed' the ship during the journey.
For a space station, treat as 'Faulty FTL drive' instead.

6. Journalistic scrutiny
For one reason or another, the life of the crew and passengers of the ship/fleet/base came under closer journalistic scrutiny than usual. Roll all Secrets twice during this period; the second roll means one of the journalists is poking into the secret, but doesn't know about it yet. For everybody, roll 3d6 against the sum of their Rank and Status plus the absolute value of their Reputation. Success means a 'dedicated' journalist has 'locked on'; treat as a Watcher with the same number as the Frequency of Appearance and roll it for each day separately. Should a journalist find anything interesting, it risks becoming an extra temporary reputation.
Relevant Skills: whatever skills are used in hiding from, or dealing with the journalists; Public Speaking, at -10 to negate the effect of a bad secret in an interview, -5 to twist a neutral fact into a positive, and +0 to guarantee a mostly uninteresting but positive fact into some sort of positive reputation (temporary, unless bought with points).

7. Food/water contamination or loss
A statistically significant part of food or water storage or production/recycling facilities is contaminated, damaged or lost. While nobody is going to die of hunger (yet), this is still bad news and a big loss. People don't like having their shower quotas reduced.
Relevant skills: Administration to properly set up rationing for the time being. Public Speaking or other PR skills to keep the morale of crew/passengers from being affected too much. Whatever maintenance skills that are relevant to the fixing of the actual problem.