BUGHUNTERS as a DJ/PRIME module:
(c) 1994 Michael S. Phillips, [m s phil] at [birds.wm.edu]
Legalese/Fine Print: This document may be freely re-distributed
electronically provided that there is no charge for the document beyond
normal connection/transmission charges. It may be printed out for personal
or group use, but may not be sold as a product or part of a product.
BUGHUNTERS, AMAZING ENGINE, Dangerous Journeys, Mythus, and Mythus Prime
are (c) TSR, Inc. This document makes use of the rules found in BUGHUNTERS
and Mythus Prime, and cannot accurately convey the feeling of either
without possessing BUGHUNTERS and Mythus Prime. A deliberate attempt has
been made to avoid duplicating non-mechanics sections.
The AMAZING ENGINE universe book BUGHUNTERS used as a DANGEROUS JOURNEYS
PRIME genre module, part three: Running a BUGHUNTERS PRIME campaign
(handling genre transitions, suggested hooks to bring Mythus characters in)
[None of the material in this installment is an adaptation of BUGHUNTERS,
instead it is a collection of suggestions for linking BUGHUNTERS PRIME to,
for instance, Mythus Prime and other known or conjectured Dangerous
Journeys genre modules.]
APPENDIX I: MULTI-GENRE PLAY
Mythus Prime adapted much of the Mythus book into itself, but it left
out a very useful section: 'One Genre or Many' (Mythus, chapter 14). Since
it is a scaled down version of Mythus, this is not a surprising omission,
but it means that linking genres using the Prime system has an additional
hurdle.
On the other hand, the focus of the section seems to be handling the
translation of non-humans into non-mythical genres, such as bringing gnomes
to modern Earth. Since the non-humans as HP's have been left out of Mythus
Prime, this is not a consideration.
Linking BUGHUNTERS and Mythus is quite a feat, perhaps best
accomplished by spanning intermediary genres (such as Unhallowed or
Changeling). However, a direct linkage can be achieved with some work.
For instance, it is possible to have a Shaper, transported by an Artificer
trap or otherwise sent across dimensions, arrive on AErth and be stuck
there, dominating the country-side and altering the local flora and fauna.
Investigation would reveal a non-Heka powered monster with unusual
telekinetic and telepathic skills, and perhaps lead back through a rift to
the creature's home, a swamp on a world under consideration for
colonization by United Terra. Thus, they could happen across an UTRPF
patrol, or have to fight their way out of a colony of servants to the minor
domicile of some human colonists (and defend them while coping with much-
weakened Heka).
To bring BUGHUNTERS characters to Mythus would be to really challenge
the HP's and players, as they would come in with awesome weaponry but
limited ammunition, and probably minimal non-technological survival skills
and combat skills (although they may surpass many of the natives in hand-
to-hand). Cross-genre transportation could be achieved by the ever-popular
'energy anomoly', or perhaps this is where the ships lost in hyperspace end
up.
Linking BUGHUNTERS and Changeling is perhaps the easiest, as a starship
could very well have a navigational mistake and hit a wormhole, resulting
in the Changeling characters crossing into United Terra from Urth. They
might not even notice the difference, until they run across satellites that
are in the wrong place (or missing), and mutations are fewer. This
transition can lead both ways, resulting in UTRPF Marines wandering around
Marz, Urth, or Venuz, or Changelings wandering around United Terra (and
probably receiving worse discrimination than the synners do).
Linking to non-'canon' genres:
[This section may be updated as other genres become available via the net.
For the record, ABYSS is a hard sci-fi genre module, and Hard-wired is a
cyberpunk genre module. Neither is considered official.]
BUGHUNTERS and ABYSS (by Rodney W. Morris, [c s c 3 r w m] at [cabell.vcu.edu])
could be linked much as Changeling and BUGHUNTERS, although the differences
in the universe layout would probably stagger the HP's. Care would need to
be taken to not drop an UTRPF ship into ship-to-ship, as they aren't really
geared for space battles (nor are the BUGHUNTERS rules, for that matter).
BUGHUNTERS and Hard-wired (by Mike Phillips, [m s phil] at [birds.wm.edu]) also
provide a challenging transition, although simply advancing time or having
HP's enter stasis or be forcibly cryogenically frozen (a la the Tessier-
Ashpools of Neuromancer) can cause a natural transition from Hard-Wired to
BUGHUNTERS (just adjust the time-frame, and allow cyberware and advanced
cyberware to UTRPF and colonials). The reverse could be achieved via a
time-machine or time-trap left behind by Artificers.
APPENDIX II: SAMPLE GENRE TRANSITION
Since Mythus Prime is the only Prime genre published as of yet, here is
a small adventure that would take UTRPF troops from a remote outpost to
AErth. It is a slight expansion on the idea presented above. (The format
of the adventure is the 'capsule' description used in BUGHUNTERS.)
Spatial Anomoly near Stargate
BACKGROUND: An Artificer, intrigued by this new race that has been
caught in the middle of its millenias-old battle with the Shapers, was
attracted to Stargate when it discovered that these new starfarers built
space-based platforms as well as the starships.
In the process of arriving there, the Artificer's machinery left behind
a hyperspace vortex, an odd after-effect sometimes caused by advanced, and
super-quick, hyperspace jumps.
ACT I: The HPs are ordered to investigate this, and given a small ship
to do so (and, if necessary, a couple aerospace personnel to pilot and
navigate). The ship should reach a spot near the disturbance, and scan the
area. The Artificer ship will not be visible (it has already moved much
closer to Stargate), but the disturbance shows a distressing tendency to
absorb most probing.
ACT II: If any aerospace personnel are along, they may suggest
jettisoning a drone or some extra equipment to see if this disturbance
(which appears to be mostly stable) would be a navigational hazard.
Interacting with the fold in space is dangerous, but they wouldn't already
know that, as it causes the fold to expand temporarily. In order to be
close enough to the fold to aim stuff at it (and reasonably expect it to be
hit, rather than missed), the ship will be within the expansion radius
(which will, in turn, expand again when the ship is consumed), and thus the
disturbance will suddenly seem to grow.
ACT III (climax): The trip will seem much like an unusually rough
hyperspace trip, and may cause damage to the ship (as the JM desires).
Ideally, the ship should be limping by the time the journey is completed.
The ship will find itself in normal space again, with the disturbance
behind them (although anyone with any knowledge about it could tell the HPs
that another such trip would probably destroy the ship and kill all those
aboard), and United Terra before them.
However, Stargate is gone, and the normal communications channels don't
work. No answer via radio can be achieved. Approaching Earth will reveal
that the continental outlines have changed, and the atmosphere reads as
cleaner (if one allows complex sensors). The ship should be left able to
make a landing, or otherwise get the party down to the surface wherever
they want.
If the JM wants to place them somewhere in particular, then perhaps
there is an unintelligable radio call from that place, caused by Heka
interaction with something (sort of like magnetic fields being generated by
current, this would be an electro-magnetic wave generated by Heka use). Of
course, this leaves the party stranded, with a mostly broken ship, on a
planet with no real technology and limited ammunition and supplies.
APPENDIX III: SAMPLE OTHER PERSONAS
In order to assist the JourneyMaster (especially if the JM is as
pressed for time as the author is!), here are some Other Personas, fully
developed, that can be dropped in whenever a squad, battalion, or mission
needs to be filled out. Note that personality notes are deliberately
omitted, allowing the same statistics to be used over and over as needed,
and the personality tailored to whatever the JM feels needed.
Marines (ground patrol):
JACK (Scout) M: 45
SEC: 4 P: 75 WL: 56
MSO: Scout S: 30
Combat, HTH Lethal: 57
Perception (Mental): 42
Native Tongue (English): 42
Crim Act (Physical): 67
Weapons, Small Arms: 62
Combat, Hand Weapons: 62
Combat, Hand Wpn, Missile: 57
Weapons, Heavy Arms: 57
First Aid: 57
Science, Biology: 42
Maneuvering, High-G: 52
Jury-Rigging: 30
Science, Chemistry: 32
Maneuvering, Low-G: 47
Weapons, Special Skills: 47
Perception (Physical): 47
Comm Gear: 32
Navigation, Interstellar: 32
Computer Systems: 25
BILL (Grunt) M: 50
SEC: 6 P: 75 WL: 56
MSO: Grunt S: 25
Combat, HTH Lethal: 57
Perception (Mental): 45
Native Tongue (English): 55
Weapons, Small Arms: 67
Weapons, Heavy Arms: 62
Maneuvering, High-G: 62
Weapons, Special Skills: 57
Sports: 57
Street-wise: 32
Jury-Rigging: 32
Military Science: 40
Crim Act (Physical): 52
Computer Systems: 22
Combat, Hand Weapons: 47
Perception (Physical): 47
Combat, Hnd Wpns, Missile: 47
Weapons, Mil, All Other: 35
Piloting: 35
Leadership: 22
APPENDIX IV: THE ACCURSED IN BUGHUNTERS
The Accursed were introduced in Mythus and Mythus Prime as an evil
organization spanning the multiverse in order to provide a common thread to
a dimension-hopping campaign. The Accursed would not have a particularly
active time in the BUGHUNTERS universe, although they would probably be
behind civil unrest (for instance, Synner's Rights people vs. Synners as
Property people), or any sort of organized criminal activity. In addition,
they may have been acting for a very long time, allowing them to have
started and fueled the Ancients' War, and possibly even assist each side
form time to time in order to keep the conflict fueled.
With access to the Artificers' technology, they may even have devices
constructed that would yield consistent or inconsistent hops from
BUGHUNTERS to anywhere, such as AErth, Phaeree, Urth, or others. In fact,
whole scenarios of personas from Mythus Prime could revolve around
preventing arms and soldiers being shipped from BUGHUNTERS to AErth!
APPENDIX V: ASSISTANCE FOR THE BELEAGUERED JM
A pressed-for-time JM may have difficulty sometimes coming up with
scenarios, or fleshing out whole worlds, or filling out a battalion on the
spur of the moment with believable marines. Here are some suggestions to
assist the JM. (Examples are taken from the first BUGHUNTERS PRIME game I
ran, which used the included scenario 'Time Bomb on Acey-Two', pp.113-114).
First, often an adventure (especially those included in BUGHUNTERS) is
nothing more than a capsule description. Take time ahead of the session to
create the most important OPs, such as the governor of New Austin, and
the mission commander (if the HPs aren't commanding the mission). In the
adventure I ran, I created the governor, Jim Greer, and the Lieutenant in
charge, Lt. George Jackson.
Second, choose equipment to distribute to the soldiers, modified by
their current MSO (see BUGHUNTERS) and the focus of the mission. If they
know they are going up against real nasties, then make certain they have
more than pistols!
Third, sketch out, even if only by some words in the notes, what the
area is like. The capsule descriptions in BUGHUNTERS don't have much, and
never have maps.
Fourth, if you are stuck for names for places and such, follow a theme.
So, for instance, the adventure I ran passed through New Austin, in the
north. I immediately named the southern colony New Dallas, and the ship
used to transport then the UTRPF Transport Ship Texas. Had more been
necessary, the theme would have been continued.
Fifth, if stuck for OP personalities, base them on movie characters
(and movies provide some of the best source material for this genre). In
the adventure I ran, the OP marines were based on the Lietenant from
Aliens, and Poncho and Hawkins from Predator. That gave an instant name
and type, and they could be developed further as needed.
Sixth, don't forget to focus on the suspense elements, the mysteries
the aliens keep are important and help set the atmosphere (especially as
long as the players are unaware of the Ancients' War).
Good luck!