Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753 
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jan 24, 2024 15:28:16 GMT
Inspired by this thread and the valuable contributions of thewarchief to the background of the primary antagonist, a time traveller calling herself Baba Yaga.
Comments and ideas are welcome.
Baba Yaga.
Baylee Yonas was a scientist within the Supreme Alliance (of Eastern States), one of the brilliant, utterly amoral types who thrived within its lack of boundaries for scientific research, be they legal, moral, material or even common sense.
Like many such she was gathered into Advanced Research Programme, based in the huge ‘Science District’ of New Tashkent in Lemuria, alongside people like Sa Yy Findecker¹ and Fiora Breen² and Ochoal Alden³, under the coordination of Taral Kailen⁴.
- A group riven with rivalries, power struggles and occasional assassinations.
Like Alden, Yonas was interested in temporal theory, and like him she believed Findecker’s ideas were wrong. This was not an idea to declaim in public, due to the support of Director Kailen for Findecker and his ideas.
After the War (i.e. World War VI) against the effete Icelandic Alliance began, Yonas was instrumental in developing temporal distortion weapons from a mix of recovered technology⁵ and her own brilliance. This earned her the plaudits of Magnus Greel himself!
Something that gained her easy access to human ‘test subjects’ for her research into life-energy draining.
Like Breen and Findecker⁷, Yonas constructed a time machine to flee into the past when the Alliance’s defeat seemed inevitable.
- Alden had disappeared before the War began⁶, failing to return from a secret test of his time-ship.
So Yonas built her ship, a rather more sophisticated one than the other models. Unlike many Alliance scientists, Yonas had no compunction against stealing ideas from previous generations and managed to achieve a form of crude dimensional expansion technology.
Unfortunately, and unlike her rival Alden, she was unable to develop the basis for a true temporal power source and was forced to use one of Findecker’s Zygma particle generators to charge her time machine's systems.
- Zygma energy is an unrefined form of temporal energy, where the chronons lack cohesive levels of temporal energy. Thus it greatly multiplies the tendency of chronal energy to cause tissue mutations, when the chronons decay, and degrade electronic (and other) circuitry, due to alterations in the local cellular division and death rates. While decent shielding would alleviate this problem, and protect the occupants of the craft.
- It is relatively easy to generate Zygma energy but this concept is usually only used as a desperate expedient by sensible time travellers, especially those who’ve learned the technique for producing more stable forms of temporal energy. However less sensible investors do use Zygma technology, often ending their maiden voyages as puddles of organic goo or unexplained detonations.
After an initial test jump back about two centuries seemed to work perfectly Yonas was ecstatic. However a slight miscommunication with some ephemerals led to a situation and she had to depart the 49th century rather hurriedly. In her haste the course trajectory calculation went badly wrong and she ended up crash landing in Eastern Europe some four millennia earlier.
And there a legend began, a whole myth cycle of legends in fact.
Equipment.
The Dancing Hut.
- The name happened after a slight malfunction of the mecha’s four-legged mobility system.
When Yonas began construction of her ship she was rather limited in resources. While she'd amassed most of the components before the war began, when resources were reasonably plentiful, she still needed to obtain some items, and in wartime that was less easy.
She found a pre-war All Terrain Vehicle, based on a four-legged walker design, and started with that
Externally it's a boxy, three metre cube, but internally the walls have been ‘pushed back’ three metres in each dimensions giving a nine metre cube.
Internally Yonas configured the space as three levels, the middle one having the exterior entrance, air-lock, control centre and other equipment. The lower level housing the basic engineering systems, including the triply redundant fusion generators, backup storage cells, life support (air, water, waste recycling), Zygma generator, temporal shielding, workshop, main computer and similar parts.
The upper level was her quarters
The master control interface for the craft is a small ovoid, about 3 x 5cm.
Countergravity platform.
A small cylindrical structure, rather like a dais, on which a single person can stand and fly at a speed of up to 120km/h, protected by a low intensity force field. A moderately popular vehicle for observing the ground, or monitoring slaves at work.
Broomstick.
The flight-stick is a simple form of transport, basically a counter-gravity field generator and power source built into a metre-and-a-half of lightweight pole, with a control ring at one end and a skeletal seat, of sorts, in the middle.
Commonly used for certain sporting events.
Staff.
This item resembling a fifteen centimetre rod that telescopes to 150cm, incorporates kinetic and plasma weapons.
The Fence.
Yonas prefers to park her hut in less populated rural areas. Sometimes, as a security measure, she erects a wireless electric fence around it, generated from a number of verticle metal poles.
Notes.
1. From the audioplay The Butcher of Brisbane et cetera.
2. From the C7 RPG scenario A Study in Flax.
3. From my own scenario The Glimmer Drift.
4. Ditto.
5. Earth had undergone a lot of history, civilisations had risen and fallen several times, a lot of weird stuff has happened (and is still happening, especially after the rounds of Victory and Vengeance weapons). The old nationalisms that led to the War are still there, despite the planet being a very different place and some of the homelands no longer actually existing or being under an inconvenient amount of solid or liquid water.
Even before the War the population was scattered; while there are some large cities there are plenty of isolated settlements of various kinds (usually self-sufficient and with almost total autonomy; strange beliefs, customs and taboos are unpleasantly common). There are also huge areas of wilderness, numerous Badlands (often due to residue from warfare, dumping or experimentation) and Disputed Zones. And an interesting mix of flora and fauna.
There are desolate, often badly contaminated, areas (the Peripheries) in areas claimed by various states that are marginal for agriculture (even the of the geneered super-plant kinds) inhabited by equally marginal peoples, usually baseline/modded/mutated humans of various sorts, but some groups of non-humans exists.
There is a movement to 'clean up' and 'fix' the planet, though the resources don't exist. but at least cries like "Look Professor Jamak, if we tie in a couple of carboxylate groups just there, the victims will drip green slime!!" is no longer heard in research labs.
Usually.
6. He died in a pocket universe known as the Glimmer Drift due to a small accident involving an attempt to poison the PCs and nasty viral nanoweapon.
7. Findecker's Time Cabinet was stolen by Greel, the rest is history (so to speak).
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Post by thewarchief on Jan 25, 2024 14:24:28 GMT
6. He died in a pocket universe known as the Glimmer Drift due to a small accident involving an attempt to poison the PCs and nasty viral nanoweapon.
Always gotta read the small print. There's a story there. Anyway... The next big question for the adventure is what happens now? We basically hashed out all the stuff that happens before the adventure. What happens once the advnture starts and where do the PCs fit it? -I think you have Tarkesh returning to Earth on the Percival. Why does she choose war ravaged Earth? Maybe it's the only home she really knows? IS Tarkesh doing anything once she gets to Earth? Maybe she knows of some lair or cache of Baba Yaga's that she might loot? -How does Baba Yaga get to Earth, since Tarkesh stole the Percival? Was there another ship? Or was she able to send out some sort of distress call and got "rescued" by another ship? Or did she have to wait until someone else decided to stop by for some reason? How long does it take her to get off world, and track Tarkesh down, and what are her plans once she's done so. -BTW, What was Baba Yaga up to on Earth before? When she was meddling in politics and passing out weapons? Could it be something that Tarkesh having been affiliated with could just step in and take over? For instance in Baba Yaga was planning on taking over New York could Tarkesh step in and set her self up as the new Warlord/Dictator/Major/etc>? -What about Helscoll's people? Surely as a Knight, she is important enough for someone to want to check up on her and she what happened to her (same with the other knight). How will Baba deal with that, assuming she is in Helscott's body. -When and where tdo the PCs show u, and what is the hook that draws them into the adventure? Right now you've got two potential villains and a personal grudge, but nothing that really draws the PCs into the story. Some possibilities: 1) Tarkesh could have set herself up as an possessive Warlord, using old Dalek tech (Robomen) to maintain control of the populace. The PCs see the oppressive society (maybe they are out after curfew), come into contact with some rebels and help out. Part way through the story, Baba Yaga shows up as Helscoll, and starts helping the rebels too, but the PCs (perhaps helped by someone who knew Helscoll) pick up on her odd behavior and realize that she isn't all that she appears to be. 2) The PCs could meet up with Baba Yaga/Helscoll and get fed her "betrayed and shot in the back" story, help her, only to find out that there is much more to the story. 3) The PCs come into contact with someone who knew Helscoll who is concered about her strange behavior. Something they say alerts the PCs who step in. \Whatever the case, there needs to be something, some plot or dastardly deed for the PCs to stop. |
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Post by thewarchief on Jan 25, 2024 14:46:08 GMT
I might as well take a shot at the gear. The Dancing Hut (Baba Yaga's base).Armour: 8 Hit Capacity: 28 (outer shell)/43 (inner structure) Speed: L(and) 4 Good Base Traits: Computing Power, Laboratory, Secret Base Other Traits: Size (Huge: size of a small hut), Bigger on the Inside, Environmental (Minor: hermetically sealed and life support), Remote __________________________________________ Countergravity platformArmour: 0 (3) Hit Capacity: 5 Speed: L(ow) 5 Traits: Force Field (Minor), 2 Story points __________________________________________ Broomstick.Armour: 0 (3), Hit Capacity: 3, Speed: L(ow) 8 Traits: Fast, Thrill Ride, Resilient, 2 story points __________________________________________ StaffTraits: Weapon (Special, can be used as both a melee weapon (Str+2) and a ranged weapon (4/L/L) __________________________________________ The FenceTraits: Weapon (Minor, 2/4/6 electricity to those who come into contact with it), Remote (so she can leave the hut) |
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jan 25, 2024 15:20:50 GMT
6. He died in a pocket universe known as the Glimmer Drift due to a small accident involving an attempt to poison the PCs and nasty viral nanoweapon.
Always gotta read the small print. There's a story there. Anyway...
Basically they go dragged there, encountered the locals and several stranded time travellers (one of whom knew them, though they'd not met him yet).
It was called the Glimmer Drift because, being rather small, the sky glowed as photons bounced off the edage of the universe. And the single sun (an orange-ish sun K2-V) was rather flattened at the top and bottom. And the single 'planet' was actually an Alderson Disk (wiki). It was an odd place, space was sufficiently curved that a powerful laser could shot it's firer in the back....
Lord Alden was ruthless and nasty and rather fond of poisons and bio-weapons. It ended badly.
The next big question for the adventure is what happens now? We basically hashed out all the stuff that happens before the adventure. What happens once the advnture starts and where do the PCs fit it?
I'd kinda planned for Tarkesh to install the time-drive into the yacht and end up carooming though time, to encounter the PCs.
Then again, mayne an extended stay in her far future, with the not-dead Helscoll, the not-dead Baba Yaga and the locals all gunning for her would be interesting.
-I think you have Tarkesh returning to Earth on the Percival. Why does she choose war ravaged Earth? Maybe it's the only home she really knows? IS Tarkesh doing anything once she gets to Earth? Maybe she knows of some lair or cache of Baba Yaga's that she might loot? -How does Baba Yaga get to Earth, since Tarkesh stole the Percival? Was there another ship? Or was she able to send out some sort of distress call and got "rescued" by another ship? Or did she have to wait until someone else decided to stop by for some reason? How long does it take her to get off world, and track Tarkesh down, and what are her plans once she's done so. -BTW, What was Baba Yaga up to on Earth before? When she was meddling in politics and passing out weapons? Could it be something that Tarkesh having been affiliated with could just step in and take over? For instance in Baba Yaga was planning on taking over New York could Tarkesh step in and set her self up as the new Warlord/Dictator/Major/etc>?
I'd characterise her as sufficiently smart not to meddle with her past. Greel was paranoid about Time Agents after all.
-What about Helscoll's people? Surely as a Knight, she is important enough for someone to want to check up on her and she what happened to her (same with the other knight). How will Baba deal with that, assuming she is in Helscott's body.
If Baba Yaga is in Helscoll's body, I'd say she'll feign injury, get a ship and recruit some allies (meat shields) for vengeance. Possibly using the story of an evil body stealing time traveller....
-When and where tdo the PCs show u, and what is the hook that draws them into the adventure? Right now you've got two potential villains and a personal grudge, but nothing that really draws the PCs into the story. Some possibilities:  1) Tarkesh could have set herself up as an possessive Warlord, using old Dalek tech (Robomen) to maintain control of the populace. The PCs see the oppressive society (maybe they are out after curfew), come into contact with some rebels and help out. Part way through the story, Baba Yaga shows up as Helscoll, and starts helping the rebels too, but the PCs (perhaps helped by someone who knew Helscoll) pick up on her odd behavior and realize that she isn't all that she appears to be. 2) The PCs could meet up with Baba Yaga/Helscoll and get fed her "betrayed and shot in the back" story, help her, only to find out that there is much more to the story.
I wonder why....
3) The PCs come into contact with someone who knew Helscoll who is concered about her strange behavior. Something they say alerts the PCs who step in. \Whatever the case, there needs to be something, some plot or dastardly deed for the PCs to stop.
Thanks! Are you, or anyone else reading, interested in my possibly overly detailed notes on 51st Century Earth?
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Post by thewarchief on Jan 25, 2024 17:04:21 GMT
It was an extended multi-month scenario for one of my groups, set in the aforementioned pocket universe with a 'sword and planet' theme, as requested by the players.
Basically they go dragged there, encountered the locals and several stranded time travellers (one of whom knew them, though they'd not met him yet).
It was called the Glimmer Drift because, being rather small, the sky glowed as photons bounced off the edage of the universe. And the single sun (an orange-ish sun K2-V) was rather flattened at the top and bottom. And the single 'planet' was actually an Alderson Disk (wiki). It was an odd place, space was sufficiently curved that a powerful laser could shot it's firer in the back....
Lord Alden was ruthless and nasty and rather fond of poisons and bio-weapons. It ended badly. Yup, there's a story in there. A very good question. Unfortunately I hadn't actually go that far....
I'd kinda planned for Tarkesh to install the time-drive into the yacht and end up carooming though time, to encounter the PCs.
Then again, mayne an extended stay in her far future, with the not-dead Helscoll, the not-dead Baba Yaga and the locals all gunning for her would be interesting.
I suggest she stay in the future for a bit. She could be working towards installing the time drive, but she probably couldn't do that overnight, and probably wouldn't be too keen on using it until she could figure out a way to test it. MAybe send sends condemed criminals through it to see what happens to them? You could save the carooming through time bit as her escape plan should Baba Yaga show up and things start to go horribly wrong. Say some goody goody PCs show up, help overthrow her etc.etc.At that point she might risk it rather than fall into the hands of her enemies.
Basically yes, she wants whatever Baba Yaga was looking for. And to recruit a few allies. And maybe a spot of vengeance too.Okay, then you'll have to figure whatever Baba was looking for, since it seems to be a catalyst for the adventure. I suggest that is it something dangerous too. THe sort of thing that the PCs wouldn't want to fall into her hands, or Baba's. I'd say Baba Yaga, in whatever form she is, is able to construct a crude time craft and pursue her former minion. It might take her a few years, but time is relative. Maybe steal a ship. I think a crude time craft is a bad idea. If she could do that she might not have to pursue Tarkesh at all, but could just go to Earth shortly before Tarkesh arrives. I think her having to take a ship of some sort makes the most sense. I think you need to keep the time craft rare. BTW, What if the Percival's central computer was Baba's original brain? She put in into the ship for safekeeping, never expecting anyone to be able to steal the ship, and Baba is desprate becuase she needs to be within range to do any more body switching? What I'm thinking is that Baba's MO appears to be that on a shemer and long term planner. A spideer in the center of the web, that sort. So you need soemthing to make her desperate to explain why she rushes to action here instead of just biding her time and setting up some great plan. So either something Takesh stole or something she could get ahold on on Earth that frightens Baba Yaga and giver her a sense of urgency. I'd assumed she was playing politics, maneuvering the factions against each other, to have a free hand at her own plan, for example salvaging Dalek tech.
I'd characterise her as sufficiently smart not to meddle with her past. Greel was paranoid about Time Agents after all.
Okay, so Baba Yaga wasn't planning on setting herself up as ruler per say, she just wanted a free hand to recover some valauble bit of Dalek Kit that she needs for something grander than being a petty warlord on a war torn planet. Hmm, what if it was some sort of tech that increased her range for Possession, either in terms of distance or in terms of time? So if her body dies she can pop back to a new body kept safely in some base half way across the galaxy? Extended family and friends. Probably the kind who start a blood feud, especially if she was killed by someone outside the local factions.
If Baba Yaga is in Helscoll's body, I'd say she'll feign injury, get a ship and recruit some allies (meat shields) for vengeance. Possibly using the story of an evil body stealing time traveller.... Right, so she basically tells the same story as Tarkesh would, only she switches which body Baba Yaga winds up in. Perfect. Now it seems logical, story-wise, that the people who knew Helscoll will be the hardest ones for her to fool long term, so she will probably want to keep them at arms length or ditch them somewhere. In fact someone like a relative, squire, or family retainer would probably be the one who get's suspicious , and maybe condifes in one of the PCs about Helscoll's odd behavior. I think the PCs convincing Helscoll's allies that Baba has possessed Helscoll is a great dramatic scene, something that would lean up to the cliff hanger in a multipart story. It's very Doctor Who. Ah, now there you have me, I hadn't planned that far ahead. Well, this is supposed to be a RPG adventure. Got to make some allowance for the PCs.  I like this. And meddling with the post-Invasion era is likely to drastically alter Earth's future. If only there were a time aware indivual living on post invasion Earth who might pick up on this and sense the danger. MAybe someone with telepathic abilitys who could sniff out Baba Yaga, too. Or would Susan be too much? Also good. Of course the players tend to be skeptical to the point of paranoia.
I wonder why....
Beats me.  Depending on when you bring the PCs in, the typical Doctor Who approach would be to split the group and have them each meet up with differnt factions. Some meet with the rebels and become sympathetic. Other meet with Baba Yaga/Helscoll and help her, while yet others would meet with Tarkesh, be told a sob story to get their help (they are time travellers and could help her to "fix" her machine). But that doesn't work so well in an RPG. That sounds good. Maybe the arrive in the future, following the trail of a C51 time-ship, only to get there after the action. And get swept up in "Helscoll's" plans for vengeance. Yeah. What I was thinking that originally Helscoll's story shows the PCs what the danger is, so they decide to help, but her out of character behavior eventually tips them off that she isn't who she is pretending to be. THat also why I think you want some NPC around who knew Helscoll well enough to pick up on things. Say Helscoll didn't drink, but Baba does. Helscoll was cool and level headed, while Baba is mot hot tempered. That's stuff that the PCs won't pickup on because they don't know her, but someone close to Helscoll would. So you need something that once the PCs become aware of it, they fell compelled to do something about. I wonder if any of those bombs the Daleks were using to hollow out the Earth's core were still around? Maybe on a timer as a "spite" weapon? Or maybe the massive engines that the Daleks were going to use to propel the planet? Whatever is is it has to be something that Baba Yaga and Tarkesh would want for their scheme, but bad enough that the PCs can't let them have (or keep) it.
Thanks! Are you, or anyone else reading, interested in my possibly overly detailed notes on 51st Century Earth?
It's fun to hammer these stories out (wish I typed that for your Mummy adventure). It's like fitting together a jigsaw puzzle and trying to make it fit together. I;d be interested in your take on the 51st centruy, but I think it would be best to dish that out in small easily digested portions. Too much at once leads to stuff getting overlooked. |
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
|
Post by Catsmate on Jan 25, 2024 22:22:48 GMT
It was an extended multi-month scenario for one of my groups, set in the aforementioned pocket universe with a 'sword and planet' theme, as requested by the players.
Basically they go dragged there, encountered the locals and several stranded time travellers (one of whom knew them, though they'd not met him yet).
It was called the Glimmer Drift because, being rather small, the sky glowed as photons bounced off the edage of the universe. And the single sun (an orange-ish sun K2-V) was rather flattened at the top and bottom. And the single 'planet' was actually an Alderson Disk (wiki). It was an odd place, space was sufficiently curved that a powerful laser could shot it's firer in the back....
Lord Alden was ruthless and nasty and rather fond of poisons and bio-weapons. It ended badly. Yup, there's a story in there.
It was followed by an expedition to 4995 where they joined an expedition enter the remains of ‘Old Lunnon’ (actually the third rebuilt city) the almost mythical capital of what was once Gredbritton, destroyed by a volcanic mantle plume which encased much of the Taam valley in the early 4400s.
The target of the expedition was the lava covered dome of Saint Paulus’ cathedral. The expedition was beset by in-fighting, some of it purely academic, between those who attributed the cathedral to the worship of the Howling God, Arol Vilsen, and those who attributed it to the far darker deity known as the ‘Iron Lady’.
Loss of equipment, supplies and personal in transit, attacks from feral Lunnoners (including the vicious ‘Cokeys’ suffering from Bells Madness), flash flooding, disease, rogue security ’bots and insanity (cause unknown).
It was a bit weird, but great fun.
A very good question. Unfortunately I hadn't actually go that far....
I'd kinda planned for Tarkesh to install the time-drive into the yacht and end up carooming though time, to encounter the PCs.
Then again, mayne an extended stay in her far future, with the not-dead Helscoll, the not-dead Baba Yaga and the locals all gunning for her would be interesting.
I suggest she stay in the future for a bit. She could be working towards installing the time drive, but she probably couldn't do that overnight, and probably wouldn't be too keen on using it until she could figure out a way to test it. MAybe send sends condemed criminals through it to see what happens to them? You could save the carooming through time bit as her escape plan should Baba Yaga show up and things start to go horribly wrong. Say some goody goody PCs show up, help overthrow her etc.etc.At that point she might risk it rather than fall into the hands of her enemies.
Basically yes, she wants whatever Baba Yaga was looking for. And to recruit a few allies. And maybe a spot of vengeance too.Okay, then you'll have to figure whatever Baba was looking for, since it seems to be a catalyst for the adventure. I suggest that is it something dangerous too. THe sort of thing that the PCs wouldn't want to fall into her hands, or Baba's.
Legacy of the Daleks had the Master searching for a matter transmuter.
I'd say Baba Yaga, in whatever form she is, is able to construct a crude time craft and pursue her former minion. It might take her a few years, but time is relative. Maybe steal a ship. I think a crude time craft is a bad idea. If she could do that she might not have to pursue Tarkesh at all, but could just go to Earth shortly before Tarkesh arrives. I think her having to take a ship of some sort makes the most sense. I think you need to keep the time craft rare. BTW, What if the Percival's central computer was Baba's original brain? She put in into the ship for safekeeping, never expecting anyone to be able to steal the ship, and Baba is desprate becuase she needs to be within range to do any more body switching? What I'm thinking is that Baba's MO appears to be that on a shemer and long term planner. A spideer in the center of the web, that sort. So you need soemthing to make her desperate to explain why she rushes to action here instead of just biding her time and setting up some great plan. So either something Takesh stole or something she could get ahold on on Earth that frightens Baba Yaga and giver her a sense of urgency. I'd assumed she was playing politics, maneuvering the factions against each other, to have a free hand at her own plan, for example salvaging Dalek tech.
I'd characterise her as sufficiently smart not to meddle with her past. Greel was paranoid about Time Agents after all.
Okay, so Baba Yaga wasn't planning on setting herself up as ruler per say, she just wanted a free hand to recover some valauble bit of Dalek Kit that she needs for something grander than being a petty warlord on a war torn planet. Hmm, what if it was some sort of tech that increased her range for Possession, either in terms of distance or in terms of time? So if her body dies she can pop back to a new body kept safely in some base half way across the galaxy? Extended family and friends. Probably the kind who start a blood feud, especially if she was killed by someone outside the local factions.
If Baba Yaga is in Helscoll's body, I'd say she'll feign injury, get a ship and recruit some allies (meat shields) for vengeance. Possibly using the story of an evil body stealing time traveller.... Right, so she basically tells the same story as Tarkesh would, only she switches which body Baba Yaga winds up in. Perfect. Now it seems logical, story-wise, that the people who knew Helscoll will be the hardest ones for her to fool long term, so she will probably want to keep them at arms length or ditch them somewhere. In fact someone like a relative, squire, or family retainer would probably be the one who get's suspicious , and maybe condifes in one of the PCs about Helscoll's odd behavior. I think the PCs convincing Helscoll's allies that Baba has possessed Helscoll is a great dramatic scene, something that would lean up to the cliff hanger in a multipart story. It's very Doctor Who. Ah, now there you have me, I hadn't planned that far ahead. Well, this is supposed to be a RPG adventure. Got to make some allowance for the PCs. I like this. And meddling with the post-Invasion era is likely to drastically alter Earth's future. If only there were a time aware indivual living on post invasion Earth who might pick up on this and sense the danger. MAybe someone with telepathic abilitys who could sniff out Baba Yaga, too. Or would Susan be too much? Also good. Of course the players tend to be skeptical to the point of paranoia.
I wonder why....
Beats me. Depending on when you bring the PCs in, the typical Doctor Who approach would be to split the group and have them each meet up with differnt factions. Some meet with the rebels and become sympathetic. Other meet with Baba Yaga/Helscoll and help her, while yet others would meet with Tarkesh, be told a sob story to get their help (they are time travellers and could help her to "fix" her machine). But that doesn't work so well in an RPG. That sounds good. Maybe the arrive in the future, following the trail of a C51 time-ship, only to get there after the action. And get swept up in "Helscoll's" plans for vengeance. Yeah. What I was thinking that originally Helscoll's story shows the PCs what the danger is, so they decide to help, but her out of character behavior eventually tips them off that she isn't who she is pretending to be. THat also why I think you want some NPC around who knew Helscoll well enough to pick up on things. Say Helscoll didn't drink, but Baba does. Helscoll was cool and level headed, while Baba is mot hot tempered. That's stuff that the PCs won't pickup on because they don't know her, but someone close to Helscoll would. So you need something that once the PCs become aware of it, they fell compelled to do something about. I wonder if any of those bombs the Daleks were using to hollow out the Earth's core were still around? Maybe on a timer as a "spite" weapon? Or maybe the massive engines that the Daleks were going to use to propel the planet? Whatever is is it has to be something that Baba Yaga and Tarkesh would want for their scheme, but bad enough that the PCs can't let them have (or keep) it.
Thanks! Are you, or anyone else reading, interested in my possibly overly detailed notes on 51st Century Earth?
It's fun to hammer these stories out (wish I typed that for your Mummy adventure). It's like fitting together a jigsaw puzzle and trying to make it fit together. I;d be interested in your take on the 51st centruy, but I think it would be best to dish that out in small easily digested portions. Too much at once leads to stuff getting overlooked. |
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jan 26, 2024 21:38:15 GMT
The Earth of the late fifth millennium is a backward, isolated and generally unimportant place in galactic terms, still recovering from its near total abandonment during the Solar Flares era (the result of some rather ill-advised solar engineering). The planet now has a population of almost a billion-and-a-half; from cryo-stasis survivors and a million or so hiding in bunkers near the core-mantle interface, natural and artificial births, cloning, genetic colonists1 and some limited live immigration to the ‘mother world of humanity’
- Though many of the immigrants don’t stay. At least the live ones, the genetic colonists usually don’t have much of a choice.
- The fiddling with Sol was an attempt to end the Ice Age era; itself the result of some earlier planetary engineering gone wrong. Tampering with stars is best left to professionals.
Earth is frankly a bit-of-a-mess; the fall of the (First) Terran Empire¹, the fall of the (Second) Terran Empire, the (literal) fall of the Overcities², the weirdness of the Europan Era³ (which left a fair amount of spatial and temporal oddities littering the planet, the Great War⁴ (against the Daleks and their allies), the Recovery, the Stagnation, the Ice Age⁵ (and the resulting Fifth Exodus), the Solar Flares⁶ (and the Sixth Exodus) have taken their toll on the planet. There are still several extra Switzerlands around.
The various conflicts have seen Old Earth damaged with nuclear, bio-chemical, nanotech, radiological, kinetic, contra-Terrene, gravitic, warp and temporal weapons. Bits are just gone, others are relocated, encased in shimmering globes, subject to odd time flows or floating in the air. And there’s those extra Switzerlands, which have made the cantonal system rather complicated.
During a couple of incidents (including a slight accident with a warp gate) much of the planet’s water was lost, creating a whole new geography. And the planet has a new, and slightly more eccentric, orbit thanks to trying the GodEngine⁷ out. And lots of extra craters.
Several rounds of Reconstruction have left the planetary ecosystem rather odd; the herds of feral unicorns, while dangerous on an individual scale, are the least of humanity’s problems, certainly trivial compared to the potential threat of the sentient amphibious octopi (currently at war with the imported Newts in the warmer parts of the Pacific islands). And at least the unicorns eat the giant sunflowers.
Space travel is uncommon for several reasons; Terra is inconveniently placed, far from the metropoles of civilisation, even for the warp ships of the period. Then there are the hyperspatial vortices and storms, so the result of the use of weapons now prohibited by Intergalactic treaty (and common sense) making the trip dangerous for even advanced and shielded warp ships. As for driving a wormhole or stellar tunnel anywhere nearby, forget it. Even FTL comms is unreliable due to hyperspace distortion. Radio and gravitic communications are mostly reliable, though the Earth’s ionosphere is altered, making long range radio tricky, necessitating satellite relays (or cables) for planetary communications.
Much of the current terrestrial leadership has rather less of a grudge against the Galactic Federation. While the Terran nationalists still think GalFed didn't help them enough during the flares era (the advice to stop messing with technology you don't understand and leave Sol alone was not well received.
Anyway the Federation had its own troubles.
Before World War VI most factions on Earth had opposed significant off-world intervention; it might well see the warlords, despots and scientific dictators deposed.
Technologically Earth is still substantially regressed from the heights of centuries earlier, or indeed much of the rest of the galaxy. Common technology is still generally a mix of 19th to 21st century, leavened with more advanced equipment.
In fact local technology is an odd (and to some sociologists fascinating) mix of elements; many lines of technological development have just petered out or been discarded. More have been forgotten, lost in the eras of stagnation and chaos. Steam trains powered by fission reactors (with the fuel produced by one of the remaining nucleosynthesis facilities), geneered plants that harvest sunlight to produce food and biofuels, cities powered by centuries old geothermal taps and eight-legged horses are found side-by-side.
As a Research and Development strategy ‘steal other people’s tech secrets’ doesn’t work too well. Non-organic Artificial Intelligence and seemingly human androids are controversial, there are still memories of the wars. There are rather too many pieces of misunderstood, and understood, Clarketech floating around, left over from the Managra period, the product of inspired Mad Science or recovered elsewhere.
Now that the war is over the moderately effective embargo against importing advanced tech is being reconsidered. And the ‘archaeological’ expeditions are beginning again. Not that the really ever ended. People are looking for parts of Earth’s past.
At least some of them are off-world Terran Nationalists, seeking symbols to rally the ‘True Humans’. Others are seeking caches of advanced technology. Such expeditions run the gamut of risks, from superstitious locals, hostile animals (and plants), dormant war machines and local politics.
¹ Empire – The Mutants et cetera.
² Overcities – Original Sin, So Vile a Sin
³ Europan – Managra
⁴ Great War – The Dalek’s Master Plan
⁵ Ice Age – The Ice Warrior
⁶ Solar Flares – The Ark in Space
⁷ GodEngine
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Post by thewarchief on Jan 29, 2024 18:19:42 GMT
Okay, I had a chance to look this over and...what about the Draconians?
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jan 29, 2024 20:35:57 GMT
Okay, I had a chance to look this over and...what about the Draconians? |
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Post by thewarchief on Jan 29, 2024 21:33:35 GMT
Busy ignoring Earth, though not Humanity which has moved on and out. That's what I figured. I wonder where humanity is centered, since the Draconian episodes seem to suggest that Earth is the capital of human space.
The Draconians are a major player in the Federation.You definitely seem to have taken to the FASAWHO timeline. Probably a safe bet as the show rarely fleshes out the future in detail. |
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jan 30, 2024 14:35:37 GMT
Busy ignoring Earth, though not Humanity which has moved on and out. That's what I figured. I wonder where humanity is centered, since the Draconian episodes seem to suggest that Earth is the capital of human space.
I assumed that humanity had fragmented, based on all the usual criteria and some new ones, into a range of societies.
The Draconians are a major player in the Federation.You definitely seem to have taken to the FASAWHO timeline. Probably a safe bet as the show rarely fleshes out the future in detail. |
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Post by thewarchief on Jan 30, 2024 15:40:43 GMT
Well, going from the FASA timeline, the wiki and other sources, the major Earth-Draconia confrontations were in 2500s. There were some references in the EU to them being part of the Federation. But the WWVI era was around two millennia later, a long time for any society. It's a possibility, I guess. Still, I suspect FASA was trying to build on a timeline that didn't really exist.
I assumed that humanity had fragmented, based on all the usual criteria and some new ones, into a range of societies.It's a possibility, probably a better one than the WWVI lasting two millennia. I think Peladon might be the key to the Galactic Federation's timeline, as it is one of the few bit of Who where there is some sort of chronology, with the key TV stories taking place in the 35th and 41st centuries. ]I did rather like it. They put an awful lot of effort into it... I'm not sure ow much effort they put into it. Remember, back when the FASA RPG came out, they probably hadn't seen most of the older episodes, and at best were working off of the Target novelizations. Well, the Pinnacle translations of the Target novelizations. Some of the FASA timeline stuff is good, or at least doesn't contradict the shows continuity, but some other things were a bit of a stretch, to put in mildly. FASA's origins for the Sontarans for example. |
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Jan 30, 2024 21:47:11 GMT
Well, going from the FASA timeline, the wiki and other sources, the major Earth-Draconia confrontations were in 2500s. There were some references in the EU to them being part of the Federation. But the WWVI era was around two millennia later, a long time for any society. It's a possibility, I guess. Still, I suspect FASA was trying to build on a timeline that didn't really exist.
I assumed that humanity had fragmented, based on all the usual criteria and some new ones, into a range of societies.It's a possibility, probably a better one than the WWVI lasting two millennia. I think Peladon might be the key to the Galactic Federation's timeline, as it is one of the few bit of Who where there is some sort of chronology, with the key TV stories taking place in the 35th and 41st centuries.
Think inter-tribal skirmish in 1920s Mesopotamia. As long as it didn't effect the oil, no-one important cared much, cradle of humanity or not.]I did rather like it. They put an awful lot of effort into it... I'm not sure ow much effort they put into it. Remember, back when the FASA RPG came out, they probably hadn't seen most of the older episodes, and at best were working off of the Target novelizations. Well, the Pinnacle translations of the Target novelizations. Some of the FASA timeline stuff is good, or at least doesn't contradict the shows continuity, but some other things were a bit of a stretch, to put in mildly. FASA's origins for the Sontarans for example.
Now, personally and for my/our game universe, I'd drop/edit anything that contradicts my own canon, or is (I feel) grossly stupid. Then again we hardly ever use Time Lords or Daleks or any of the classic Who tropes anyway.
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Post by thewarchief on Jan 30, 2024 22:29:27 GMT
True, I'm not aware of any previous serious effort. Especially given how undated many of the episodes were. Probably because there wasn't much to go on. The vast majority of non-Solar System stories were one offs on places we never saw again. Occasionally the Doctor or some character would drop some reference to something bigger and beyond the current setting to help show that the stories weren't taking place in a vacuum (except for the space based stories), but that was about it. Even the hints they did drop didn't necessarily mesh will with what they had already established. The people in charge never considered that these stories would be watched beyond the intial broadcast. So they mostly didn't concern themselves with what had happened previously. After all, you don't really need to worry much about a consistent setting when you main characters are galaxy hopping time travellers. I envisage WWVI as being a fairly minor conflict, except for those involved, on a world so far at the periphery of galactic (or rather inter-galactic by that time) society, that no-one was particularly interested.
Think inter-tribal skirmish in 1920s Mesopotamia. As long as it didn't effect the oil, no-one important cared much, cradle of humanity or not. It's a viable approach. In a way it's like the THal-KAred war on Skaro. It probably went of for years without much happeneing just because no one wanted to make peace. I could see a good adventure idea about two cultures who have "been at war" for centuries, but no one from either side has actually ran into from anyone on the other side for nearly as long. If I recall correctly there are a couple of countries on Earth that are still technically at war despite ceasing hostilities decades ago. True, though the did manage to explain such oddities as Vulcan in Power of the Daleks (though I went with a different idea myself). And there were a lot of gaps to fill in. There were lots of gaps, I'm not sure how many needed to be filled in. I think a lot of the oddies of the older episodes can mostly be ignored.
Now, personally and for my/our game universe, I'd drop/edit anything that contradicts my own canon, or is (I feel) grossly stupid. Then again we hardly ever use Time Lords or Daleks or any of the classic Who tropes anyway.
I think that's what all GMs have to do to some extent. I mean there are times where we have to realize that these shows were written by writers trying to make an entertaining show, not a accurate one. So things like the Earth being the only planet with a magnetic core (they should have nown better), or Telfon bullets against Daleks (regular armour piercing bullets would be better) are just there and we can ignore them for our campaigns. Now to be fair to FASA, they did come up with the idea of Temporal Nexus Points, which is pretty much what the new series went with for their "fixed points in time". Personally, I think TNPs are the best explanation as to why the Doctor can change history sometimes, without consequences, and why he can't at other times. He can tell when the "butterfly effect" will kick in, and when it won't. I still use that for my games. |
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