TRAVELLER Compendium 2 CREDITS CONTENTS

Classic Traveller INTRODUCTION 2 Marc Miller ADVENTURES 3 ANNIC NOVA 4 Loren Wiseman, John Harshman, Frank Chadwick, Darryl Hany, OTHERWORLD BLUES 17 Winston Hamilton, Tony Svajlenka, Scott Renner, Doug Poe, David MacDonald, Wayne Roth, Paul R. Banner. OLD ACQUAINTANCES 22 THE THING IN THE PIT 26 Traveller Compendium 2 DEATH STATION 33 CONTRIBUTORS OF DUST SPICE AND DEW CLAWS 48 Marc Miller, Ian Stead, Jacob D C Ross, Alex Greene, Frank Chadwick, SPINWARD FENDERBENDER 72 John Harshmman, Andy Lilly, Steven Parker, Hans Rancke-Madsen, A FESTIVE OCCASION 92 Robert Eaglestone, Timothy Collinson, Alex Greene, August Hahn, RESCUE ON RUIE 111 Lindsay Jackson, Jolly R Blackburn, Loren K Wiseman, Matt Sprange, A HELPING HAND 124 Bryan Steele, Uri Kurlianchik OLD FLAMES 126 A FRIEND IN NEED 131 EDITOR BALANCING THE BOOKS 133 Nick Robinson THE FLYING MONEY PIT 140 ASS ATTLES INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS M B 142 Ian Stead, Jason Banditt Adams, Tony Guaraldi-Brown, Phil Renne, APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE 147 Ricardo Mendes, Carlos Nunez de Castro Torres, German Ponce, GIVE THE BANK A FIGHTING CHANCE 149 Ed Frayna, Esther Munoz, Federico Piatti, Kim Feigenbaum,Sample Julien PARALLEL file DIMENSIONS 151 Tainmont-Pierrat, Chris Quilliams, Pedro Potier, Jim Holloway, AVAILABILITY 154 Oliver Frot SUSAG 155 A GALLERY OF OUTSIDERS 159 SPECIAL THANKS SPACE BAZAAR 164 To all the contributors to and readers of Signs & Portents and the XENOLOGIST 170 Living Traveller Campaign.

Traveller Compendium 2 ©2011 Mongoose Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this work by any means without the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. All signifi cant characters, names, places,items, art and text herein are copyrighted by Mongoose Publishing.

Th is game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Game License, please go to www.mongoosepublishing.com.

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Printed in the USA. INTRODUCTION Welcome to the second Traveller Compendium! Following on from the scenarios are articles providing plenty of scenario hooks, ranging from a patron to a series of Non-Player Inside you will fi nd articles which have graced the pages of Signs Characters who can fi t into almost any Traveller campaign. and Portents over the last twelve months plus additional scenarios gathered from the Mongoose Living Traveller campaign. Th e remainder of the book contains a real variety in the subject matter of the articles. From details on running a merchant ship Th e book begins with nine scenarios from both sources, a brief to dealing with missing players, new equipment and fi nally a new description of them can be found on the next page. career in the xenologist there should be something for everyone to enjoy.

Sample file

2 ADVENTURES

Th is section includes adventures appearing in Signs & Portents DEATH STATION between 2010–11 as well as adventures that were part of the First appearing in Signs and Portents 87, Death Station, like Annic Traveller Living Campaign. Th ey are: Nova, is an updated conversion of a scenario for Classic Traveller.

ANNIC NOVA Contact has been lost with an orbital research facility. the Player Originally appearing in Signs & Portents 93 this adventure fi rst Characters are hired to try and fi nd out what has gone wrong or if appeared for Classic Traveller and has been updated so that it fi ts it is just a communications issue... more smoothly into the current rules. OF DICE SPICE AND DEWCLAWS A myserious ship has attracted the atttention of the authorities and Th e fi rst of the Living Traveller adventures included in this book. the Player Characters. What dangers await any who investigate this apparently abandoned alien vessel? An Aslan trading ship has lost an extremely valuable cargo of dust-spice. An assortment of passing travellers are their best OTHERWORLD BLUES hope of recovering the shipment before it becomes a clan-level Originally appearing in Signs and Portents 91. embarrassment.

Th e Player Characters are hired to playtest the latest in multiplayer SPINWARD FENDER BENDER gaming technology. Nothing could possibly go wrong, after all, it Th e second of our Living Traveller Scenarios. is just a game... A group of travellers are escorting a valuable cargo from Mertactor OLD ACQUAINTANCES (Spinward Marches 1537) to Collace (Spinward Marches 1237) Originally appearing in Signs and Portents 92. A Sequel to when a dangerous collision between their starship and another Otherworld Blues. threatens not just the cargo, but the lives of everyone on board.

Th e army on an advanced planet are looking to thoroughly test A FESTIVE OCCASION their latest training software. Guess who gets roped in to show Another of our Living Traveller adventures. what it can do? SampleA group file of arriving passengers help foil a terrorist attack on a space THE THING IN THE PIT station orbiting Mora (Spinward Marches 3124) and become Originally appeared in Signs and Portents 89 this was inspired by involved in further drama among the Imperial nobility. the superb sci-fi television show Quatermass and the Pit. RESCUE ON RUIE While the guests of a low technology planet the Player Characters Th e fourth, and fi nal, adventure from the Mongoose Living are asked for their help and experience when an advanced artefact Traveller campaign. Rescue on Ruie was originally published is discovered buried beneath the earth. Th e problem is it appears for Classic Traveller in 1979 and has been expanded upon and to have been buried for longer than there has been any kind of updated here. civilisation on the planet... Sergei hault-Oberlindes, son of Baron Marc hault-Oberlindes of Feri (Spinward Marches 2005), trade magnate and owner of Oberlindes Lines, has been imprisoned by an anti-Imperial nation on Ruie (Spinward Marches 1809). Unable to make any progress through offi cial channels, the Baron turns to unoffi cial means, and the characters are contracted to rescue Sergei.

3 ANNIC NOVA BY MARC MILLER AND IAN STEAD

TRAVELLERS’ AID SOCIETY ADVISORY REPORT 02–183–1105 Reports received from the Regina subsector in the Spinward Marches tell of an unidentifi ed starship of markedly unorthodox design which has been making use of unauthorized transmission frequencies. Originally sighted in 1103, the ship immediately came to Imperial attention by standing off Heya (0802–B687745–5) and transmitting on a restricted military band. Interceptors scrambled immediately, but the ship jumped outsystem while the fi ghters were at extreme range.

Later reports have placed the ship at Kinorb (0602–A663659– 8) where it stood off for nearly fi ve weeks without any contact, then jumped. Th e lack of local bases or traffi c made interception impossible. access shaft which connects the four lowermost decks. At its very Last known contact took place off Dentus (0601–C979500–A), lowest point, an operational iris valve is located; it opens to reveal where the local scout base immediately set fi ve Type S scouts on a small interior chamber which is obviously an air lock. Safety contact duty. Although the unknown immediately jumped, some interconnects prevent the inner iris valve from operating unless basic data was recovered from scanners. Reports of additional the outer valve is closed. sightings should be forwarded to the local Travellers’ Aid Society for central consolidation. B. At the top centre front of the ship is a transparent astrogation dome with a bearing race along the front half of its circumference. SCANNER DATA Mounted on the race is an electro-mechanical sextant connected Mass Displacement: 500 – 800 tons Sampleto the file computer; whenever the ship’s power is on, this sextant is Jump: at least 2 in constant motion. Smashing this dome will allow access to the Manoeuvre: 2G(?) interior, to a vertical shaft leading down through the cargo deck Armament: unknown (but not opening onto it) and to the quarters deck. Th e quarters deck will be rendered airless by this action.

ABOARD THE STARSHIP C. At the very rear of the lower decks is an arched indentation with Th is derelict starship stands as an obvious object for investigation. a single sliding panel. Forcing the panel open will allow access to Once it is boarded, checked out and fully understood, it promises the cargo bay, although decompressing it in the process. to be a useful starship for nearly any type of adventurer. Th e ship appears to be in good condition, and can probably be made D. Th e transparent observation dome at the extreme rear of the functional in a reasonably short period of time. ship covers a cantilever platform holding four fi xed chairs and a small control panel mounted on a vertical column. Th e dome is light-sensitive, and turns opaque when subjected to any strong ENTRY POINTS light (such as a spotlight), slowly returning to transparency after Th e computer supervised scan of the starship indicates several the light is turned off . Th e dome may be broken or shattered, obvious (and not so obvious) entry points. After some deliberation, allowing entrance at the cost of decompressing the entire the group of adventurers may select one and enter the ship. engineering deck.

A. Th e keel-like structure projecting from the bottom of the E. Outboard on the port pod is a large access door. It appears to be ship is the furthest extension of the central communications and operable, but will render the interior of the pod airless.

4 ANNIC NOVA

Simplistic solutions to the entry problem (such as cutting through the hull, or blasting the ship with laser fi re) should be discouraged, Symbol Numeral Anglic Approximation either by the referee or through the ship’s computer.  00  1I  2V EXTERIOR FEATURES  37 As the starship is reconnoitred from afar, instruments indicate  4A no transmissions from the ship. As the adventurers move closer,  5J sensors will provide an image of the ship but it is showing no lights,  6U with the exception of low level red showing through the forward  7L lower bank of windows. Th ere is no sign of life or activity.  8F  9C Still closer, painted markings on the exterior of the starship  become visible. A string of characters is placed on each of the pods 00 N to the rear, and on the top of the shaft leading aft Sampleto the hub. file Th e characters are not anglic, being geometric in form, but an INTERIOR FEATURES approximation of them would read (roughly) ANNIC NOVA. Th e starship interior is initially dark, and intruders will be in vacc Th e port pod is marked ANNIC NOVA I, and the starboard pod suits. Th e following information should be used by the referee as is marked ANNIC NOVA V. he or she administers the interior.

Th e markings are actually numerals, although this should not be Power: Th e ship is at low power, suffi cient only for standby apparent to the adventurers. Th e Numeral Chart shows the symbol lighting on the bridge, and for emergency operation of the iris painted on the ship (column 1), the actual numeral represented valves within. All locations are at zero-G. Th e starship is dark and (column 2) and an approximation of a similar anglic letter (column individuals will fi nd their actions doubly clumsy from zero-G and 3). Note that in addition to a zero, there is a distinct symbol for from their encumbering vacc suits. the double zero. Any player who determines, in the course of play, that they are indeed numerals (including the double zero symbol), A prominent power-on switch is situated on the bridge; and has demonstrated that he or she has a comprehension of the ship another is on the cantilever platform at the rear which will turn to at least a limited extent, and is allowed a DM of +1 thereafter power on (but cannot turn power off ). Power-on puts all interior when attempting to understand other aspects of the ship. lights on and activates the grav plates.

5 ANNIC NOVA

When the grav plates go on, any individual not specifi cally stating Iris Valves: Automatic, airtight doorways are installed in bulkheads that he or she is standing with feet on the fl oor, or sitting in a throughout the ship. Th ese portals open and shut much like the chair, is subject to a fall. Each must make either a Dexterity + shutter of a camera; they do not swing. Valves are diffi cult to force Vacc Suit or Athletics (coordination) or fall. If the fall occurs, the once fully closed (throw 10+ Strength + Athletics (strength) to individual takes 2D damage. force open a closed iris valve; DM –3 if in a vacc suit). Gunfi re will simply lock a valve tighter. Valves are impossible to force shut Atmosphere: Th e interior of the ship is fully pressurized and if open. Any strong object (metal bar or rod) placed in the valve an atmosphere tester will indicate breathable gases; thereSample is no when file open will prevent full closure, and allow a partially closed apparent (or real) danger of losing pressure. Fracture of domes, valve to be opened with ease. Iris valves are operated by pressing a or other decompression activity will render a specifi c area in stud on the wall near the valve. As long as the ship has any power vacuum; its extent can be traced on the deckplans. Iris valves will (the power accumulators have not actually been disconnected automatically close to limit this eff ect whenever possible. at the source), iris valves will function automatically if pressure drops. Vacc suit discipline should be broken as soon as possible, either by reassuring the adventurers that there appears to be no danger, Hatches: Hinged solid airtight doors are mounted in some or emphasizing the clumsiness of the vacc suits. Apply a DM –2 locations. Th ese portals function manually. on weapon use by individuals without vacc suit skill, and reduce personal dexterity by –2. In addition, the ship is oriented to the Doors: Any doorway not a valve or hatch is a sliding door. Th ese small stature of the original crew, and passage through iris valves are not airtight (and easily visible as such), and open at the touch in vacc suit runs the danger of ripping the suit (throw 8+ Vacc Suit of a stud on the wall. If locked (all locks are controlled by the to avoid a tear). computer, even at low power), the door will not open unless broken down, shot open, or pried open with a crowbar (success Temperature: Th e interior temperature of the ship is about 25 will be automatic as the doors are not too substantial). degrees Centigrade.

6