Help Me Populate a Race

[OneWingedAngel]

Inspired by the success of the Dark Champion's "Help me Populate a Spooky Hotel", I'm trying my luck here.

 

I'm beginning a campaign around an intergalactic race. The premise of the race is this:

 

The race commission provides maps.

On those maps specific planets / areas are selected.

On those planets, somewhere, are small silver eggs. (Yes, the players have a means of detecting the eggs.)

The racer's jobs are to find as many of these eggs as possible and return as quickly as possible.

 

Naturally, "agressive competition" and piracy abound. (What the refs don't see, they can't disqualify you for.)

 

What I need are ideas for planet settings, the location of the eggs, and any fun "complications".

 

Any takers?

[shadowcat1313]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

ideas and complications abound: lets start with a few rhetorical questions to get the brains jumpstarted

 

1. how well hidden or inaccessable are the eggs?

2. is this a rally where everyone who gets there and finds the cache gets an egg? or is there just one egg to find for everybody?

3. are any of the planets hostile to strangers or in a warzone?

4. are there limits to the contestants equipment?

5. are the teams private or corporate or governmental or a combination?

6. is everybody using the same tech as far as space travel?

7. are there rules to keep the teams on a roughly even footing when the race starts, or is this a free for all?

8. how reliable is the detection equipment given the players?

9. how often does the race occur, if this is an ongoing thing, are previous champions given any kind of bonus or edge?

10. are judges involved or is there a scoring system of any kind beyond being the first back with the most eggs?

11. Who is awarding the prize and how secure are they?

12. are there other races besides humans involved and do they get along with humans or each other?

13. if the teams have or are allowed sponsors, how scrupulous are the sponsors or there represenatives?

14. same as 13, but the other teams, how far will either go to win?

15. is there another motive behind the race beyond the obvious?

16. do other teams have another motive beyond the obvious

17. are the eggs to be procured in a specific order or by a specific route?

 

this should fuel the fires a bit as far as starting ideas

now heres a few ideas of my own

 

1. eggs that are hidden in hazardous areas

Vacumn, bottom of a deep ocean, high moutain peak, sleazy spaceport bar

high radiation zone etc

2. somebody on the race commission whos taking bribes

3. decoy eggs

4. altered transponders for the eggs

 

more later when I have more time

[Cancer]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Like Shadowcat, I'm intrigued by the game (before I get into the game world). It needs a lot of definitions, because the answers to some of these will define how much mutual combat and other thwarting will exist in the race. If eggs are easy to get, then combat is a stupid waste of time. If eggs are dear, then it could be easy to decide that the pirate strategy is the best.

 

For example, for egg sources, I'd suggest a mix. Some egg caches have infinite eggs (that is, they dispense one when and official racer's token is presented). Some egg caches have a limited, finite number of eggs. Some egg caches have a single, unique egg. There are different point values for the different eggs.

 

The rules need to be set so that the optimization of the race is better defined. Clearly there has to be a closing time, after which no entries are accepted. But before then, the racer has the option to declare themselves "finished", and then their points for eggs and time used are frozen. How point levels for eggs and time used are assigned is an important optimization item.

 

Can a racer safely deposit eggs at the finish line before they are finished? Or must they hold 'em all until they tag home the final time? Makes a big difference; piracy, or outright murder, becomes a MUCH more viable strategy in the latter case.

 

Can a racer carry multiple eggs at once? Given that the eggs are artifacts, there could be limits to that ... the eggs can sense each other, and if too many are in mutual proximity (anywhere except in the system of the finish zone, obviously), then all of them disintegrate. This could lead to a "find-ferry-stash-ferry" complex of search strategies.

[shadowcat1313]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

more ideas and complications

 

1. one of the eggs is on a restricted access world, with any of a bazillion reasons for it being restricted.

2. The supplier of the eggs has a different motivation, or an employee of the supplier is on the take from one of the teams or an outsider to make life interesting for everybody else but one team

3. what kind of media coverage is this race given?

4. Is the race commission a private organization, a public company, a governmental body?

5. is gambling allowed on the results?

6. are robots and drones allowed to assist or as competitors?

7. taking a page from modern racing here, are there smaller prizes for finding special eggs or side objectives?

8. is each team provided the same detection gear to find the eggs?

 

 

suggestions:

1. each team is provided the same detection gear, and its sealed before the race starts, and inspected afterwards.

[Curufea]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Some "high fantasy" scifi ideas-

 

Time dilation in or around eggs.

Invisible critters

Godlike aliens

Phased eggs (ie desolid)

Eggs requiring laying first...

[Manic Typist]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Ok........ Curufea...... you are getting reped for that. Eggs that require laying?

 

Wow.

 

"Come on Mr. Giant Lizard.......... lay that gaking egg for daddy!"

[shadowcat1313]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

the question then becomes whats inside the eggs that are about to hatch?

 

anybody remember a colony world called LV-426?

 

actually thats a good question, do the eggs have another purpose? or do they actually contain something

 

something akin to a high tech Faberge Egg?

 

are the eggs fragile?

 

they could contain a holocrystal or something that are parts to a whole different puzzle

 

heres another possibility, with random distribution of the puzzle pieces, it would require some kind of cooperation or interaction between teams besides a firefight or boarding action

 

if these are the eggs of a living creature, retrieving them from the nest could make life interesting

"These are the eggs of an Ancient Huge Silver Space Dragon"

[Curufea]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

actually thats a good question' date=' do the eggs have another purpose? or do they actually contain something[/quote']

 

That's a cute idea - what if the eggs are made of fissile material? They're kept in lead nests seperated from each other... putting them together, say, in a cargo hold, would be BAD....

[The Monster]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Possible complication: the eggs are detectable, yes, but once removed from their hiding place, they are EASILY detectable - as in high-power broadcasting. Whether they can be shut off or muffled somehow is an open question. This might encourage piracy, but after the first take, the pirate would be as detectable as a runner. Thus, any ship with an egg which starts heading for a rival instead of a planet is assumed to be a pirate.

 

Another question: does a racer have to gather eggs until he's done, or can he turn in eggs at various times and places? This could add an element of strategy to navigation and piracy.

 

Speaking of piracy, pirates who aren't in the race could easily be lured into attacking racers and selling the eggs to corrupt racers. They could be doing this on spec, or could have been hired by one of the racers.

 

Counterfeit eggs? Someone would try it. There might even be false eggs deployed, either by cheating racers or by the race organizers (in the latter case, everyone would likely be warned of the possibility).

 

One or more of the eggs are discovered by a primitive race, which brings it to their massive pyramid temple as a gift from the gods. Just try and get our new holy dingbat, Mac! And no, it's NOT for sale, no matter how many glass beads you offer!

If more than one egg are on the same planet, it could quickly develop into a Grail hunt, so the racers have to not only get past each other, but get there faster than the natives! (Assuming, of course, that slaughter of native warriors is severely frowned upon.)

 

Heck, you could have the same problems with zealous souvenier hunters (Imagine what one of these babies goes for on E-Bay!)

 

Eggs - especially if many are stored in one place - could be worth various amounts based on who gets there first. So it might be worth it to go for a long run first, so that you get the first egg from planet X, instead of two or three eggs from nearby, and well-plucked, planets B, C and F.

 

 

Are teams permitted? Use of shuttles and lifeboats for storing/delivering eggs? Robot/autopilot craft?

[The Monster]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

But wait - there's more!

 

Planet settings: (besides the primitive civilization)

A lava world, like the big fight in Revenge of the Sith. (Yes this means the egg is likely floating down one of those rivers of lava.)

 

A waterworld, with the egg on the bottom of an ocean populated by critters that could eat blue whales as appetizers (or you coudl have a despair squid!).

 

An abandoned/destoyed space station: dungeon crawling in space!

 

Asteroid field. You've got to be crazy to go in there!

 

 

More complications:

Oops! We didn't detect the incoming asteroid, and it struck right where we hid the eggs! Now where could they have gone...

 

Some big critter ate the eggs - and wandered off. Just to make it interesting, the critter could be a farmer's prize animal, or a holy beast of some religion, or heavily protected by planetary authorities (who are watching even if the referees aren't).

 

An egg planet erupted in civil war, and is too happy to shoot down anything that moves. Plus, they'll have collected these eggs as oddities. Maybe they could be bargained for...we've lost just about all of our near-space vehicles, and there's this strategic location we need to take out; or we just need you to run to Planet Krupp and get us a load of (highly illegal) weapons...oh, don't worry, we'll pay all expenses...

 

A particularly nasty trickster has planted/swapped in fake eggs that do harmful things, like poison gas, explode with an EMP, broadcast a known terrorist's IFF sig, etc.

[FeralWhippet]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

The number of eggs is small, so that no world has more than one or two eggs. The eggs are extremely valuable artifacts, valuable enough that any world will put considerable resources into protecting them (and getting them back if stolen). In some cases the eggs are on display (a national treasure) and in some cases hidden. The competition/race is an underworld sort of thing and the word has gone out about the competition, so everyone is on alert. The eggs have to be acquire in the first place, but once stolen other competitors will find it easier to knock off someone who has an egg. On the other hand, once an egg is stolen, governments are sending agents (ships, fleets?) to get them back, so when it comes to taking them from other competitors, perhaps timing is everything.

 

See Jack L Chalker's "Rings of the Master" series for some great setups. Whole planets set as traps with the rings as bait. Several scenarios from taking a ring by frontal assault to trying to acquire one undetected. And then at the end you find out what its really all about.

 

From a gaming perspective taking a ring, err egg, could be a whole campaign itself (or you could have a multi-gm shared world kind of campaign, where the different groups are in competition with eachother).

[OneWingedAngel]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Okay, these ideas are great. Please keep them coming.

 

To answer a few of the questions:

 

The eggs are both infinite and finite depending on the planet. i.e. One planet will have a dispenser, while others will have a single egg.

 

The eggs are relatively fragile, but serve no other purpose.

 

Everyone has the same detection gear (supposedly).

 

No, you can't turn them in early. You have to keep them.

 

The race has devolved into a great deal of corporate sponsorship. And no, there's no limit to what technology you can bring with you. I personally plan to have one or two full-powered warships as racers. If a race team / racer has governmental sponsorship, it will be veiled through a dummy corporation.

 

Yes. Everyone has pretty much the same technology for space travel. Think Babylon 5.

 

MASS media coverage, on a galactic scale, although the media may or may not be able to keep up with the racers.

 

There is a time limit on the race, I just haven't decided it yet. I'm also considering requiring the contestants to check in with race officials at certain time intervals to verify that they're still in the race. (i.e. not dead)

 

The race commission is a separate corporate entity. They are in charge of keeping the rules and the distribution of the prizes. I imagine they have some governmental backing, however.

[Lethosos]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Ooo! Ooo!

 

Make the eggs sized differently. Are you gonna waste your time with a bunch of grenade-sized eggs, or one or two large enough to require a cargo hauler?

[Cancer]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Ooo! Ooo!

 

Make the eggs sized differently. Are you gonna waste your time with a bunch of grenade-sized eggs, or one or two large enough to require a cargo hauler?

 

Or worse. Since there could be a government entity involved, one of the eggs could be a major piece of trash that needs moving.

 

"Egg #1,230,802: The asteroid Ceres, a minor navigational hazard in the Sol system." (It's the size of Texas.)

[BobGreenwade]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

If one of the opposing teams is the Fanboys (from DH25 -- or someone like them) I'm sure you could get at least one interesting side plot.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Ok........ Curufea...... you are getting reped for that. Eggs that require laying?

 

Wow.

 

"Come on Mr. Giant Lizard.......... lay that gaking egg for daddy!"

You'll be waiting a long time if you're counting on Mister Giant Lizard to give you an egg....

[Cancer]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

You'll be waiting a long time if you're counting on Mister Giant Lizard to give you an egg....

 

And everyone says there's no point in buying KS: Large Reptile Physiology

[shadowcat1313]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

wasnt there a fantasy rpg supplement about this subject?

 

Eldritch Lizardry?

[The Weapon]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

But wait - there's more!

 

 

Some big critter ate the eggs - and wandered off. Just to make it interesting, the critter could be a farmer's prize animal, or a holy beast of some religion, or heavily protected by planetary authorities (who are watching even if the referees aren't).

 

"Someone will have to go inside the beast."

"I don't want to go past those teeth"

"Great so you agree we should use the other entrance."

"Ummmm....."

 

An egg planet erupted in civil war, and is too happy to shoot down anything that moves. Plus, they'll have collected these eggs as oddities. Maybe they could be bargained for...we've lost just about all of our near-space vehicles, and there's this strategic location we need to take out; or we just need you to run to Planet Krupp and get us a load of (highly illegal) weapons...oh, don't worry, we'll pay all expenses...

 

A particularly nasty trickster has planted/swapped in fake eggs that do harmful things, like poison gas, explode with an EMP, broadcast a known terrorist's IFF sig, etc.

[The Weapon]

Re: Help Me Populate a Race

 

Since the racers are all at least moderately armed if they go particular places they could start interstellar incidents or even wars. Of course there is no truth to the rumour that intelligence agencies have deliberately stolen eggs to create such problems in the past. Nor are any intelligence agencies trying to do that now. You shouldn't repeat such wacko tinfoil hat stuff without evidence. If you do have evidence You certainly shouldn't.