Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

[Xavier Onassiss]

So my Big Fat Hero System Sourcebook for space opera noir is in progress, and I'm putting together a list of career templates. (Used to be called professional package deals)

 

Basic Military -- generic, all services

Elite Militia -- special forces, ship's troops

Alpha Squadron -- elite spacecraft crews

 

Law Enforcement -- local police, security

Interstellar Investigator -- police w/interstellar jurisdiction

Field Agents -- interstellar espionage

Diplomat -- just what it says

 

Academic -- scientists / teachers

Journalists -- big media and free-lancers

Spacer -- civilian spacecraft crews

Terrorist -- those who wage war on civilians in the name of a 'cause'

Syndicate -- organized crime in space

Mercenary -- free-lance soldiers

Bounty Hunter -- interstellar skip-tracers

Hacker -- the good, the bad, the script-kiddies

Merchant -- buy low, sell high, cash only

Explorer -- the few, the proud, the expendable

 

Is there anything I *really* need to add to this list? Or drop from it? I'm trying to stick with broadly applicable templates which can be customized, rather than extremely specific ones -- especially with the military stuff. So what I'm looking for are relatively large gaps I might have missed, rather than small niches

 

Thanx heaps, people.

[Nolgroth]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Hmmm. Just some free form thinking here. Explorers would tend to come from all walks of life. I would tend to think that it would be more of a meta template that can be tacked on to just about anything. Mercenary and Soldier would be two sides of the same coin and perhaps vary only by their Professional Skill (and a Social Limitation for the Soldier). Aside from those observations, I say you got a pretty good outline going.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

My thoughts were similar -- there will be lots of 'explorers' who actually identify with some other line of work. My intention was to create a template for the few who actually call themselves 'explorers' and make a living at it: chasing grants or other sources of financing for expeditions, organizing and leading them, then making enough money selling their story to finance the next one.

 

Explorer: There are few 'professional' explorers in human space, as pure
exploration is time-consuming, expensive and hazardous. Most exploration is
performed by amateurs who happened to wander too far from home, or colonists
who deliberately set out to lose themselves. However, the following template
represents the lucky few who receive government or corporate grants for the
express purpose of putting themselves in harm's way, and coming back home to
talk about it.
Undergraduate Template, Plus:
2	AK: The frontier (Int based)
2	CuK: Academics
2	KS: Xenology
3	PS: Explorer
3	Navigation (space/land)
3	Survival (any)
3	Systems Operation
2	Transport Familiarity (any)
2	Weapons Familiarity (any)
12	Choose from list: Bureaucratics, Climbing, Combat Pilot, Computer 
Programming, Cryptography, Deduction, Electronics, Forensic Medicine, 
Mechanics, Oratory Paramedics, Skill Levels, any Background Skill,  Contacts, 
Resource Points

33	Total

Optional Disads:
-10	Psych lim: Curious OR Wants to be famous
-15	Reputation: Glory hound
-10	Rivalry: another (famous) explorer
-5 / -10	Poor: used personal funds for failed mission

 

The Undergraduate Template referred to above looks like this:

 

Qualifying to leave Terra in the first place usually requires education
equivalent to an Undergraduate. This template doesn't necessarily represent a
traditional four-year degree; it could be technical school, online coursework,
self-instruction, or equivalent work experience. Also, this template isn't required –
there are other ways to get off-world, such as military service, corporate 
contracts, or simply being born in the colonies. However, players who wish to 
have a higher education in their character's background should use this template.

1	Bureaucratics 8-  
1	Computer programming 8-
6	Arts/Humanites Choose from the following list: Acting, Disguise, KS (any), 
Language, Oratory, Sciences (Psychology/Social)
OR
	Engineering/Sciences: Choose from the followling list: Computer 
Programming, Criminology, Cryptography, Electronics, Forensic Medicine, KS (any), 
Science (Engineering/Natural)

[Folded]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

I would include a template for the Engineer/Mr. Fix-it types who design and work with hardware of all kinds (hyperdrives to androids to farm equipment), and Medics. Other than that, looks like a good list.

[dmjalund]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

also Salvage

anywhere from Asimov's Anniversary (sequal to 'Marooned off Vesta') to Event Horizon) Salvage can open up many noir possibilities

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

I would include a template for the Engineer/Mr. Fix-it types who design and work with hardware of all kinds (hyperdrives to androids to farm equipment)' date=' and Medics. Other than that, looks like a good list.[/quote']

 

Both of these are important archetypes for SF in general, so they'll need to be included. Is there something wrong with me if the word 'engineer' makes me think of an overdone stereotype with a phony accent? I'll try to avoid that. As for the Doctor/Medic, the space opera noir genre offers an interesting take on that one.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

also Salvage

anywhere from Asimov's Anniversary (sequal to 'Marooned off Vesta') to Event Horizon) Salvage can open up many noir possibilities

 

I love this as a concept for a group of PC's. There was a company in my playtest mini-campaign called Salvage Etranger; purveyors of vintage alien goods and war memorabilia. Another salvage operator was Esoteric Logistics; your #1 source for pre-owned alien artifacts!

 

However, I'm not sure if this occupation merits a template of its own, or if it can be covered by customizing another template. Spacers, Merchants and Engineers could do this, with the addition of a few background skills, most importantly PS: Salvage Operator. (And all the templates have "any background skill" as an option.) I'll have to think about this, and see what I can come up with.

[Ranxerox]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Artist, athlete, martial artist, alien slavegirl/concubine/sex worker, freedom fighter/terrorist, entrepreneur, assassin, robotocist, colonist, pirate/slaver, politician. Not trying to bury you here, just trying to mention some ideas you may not have considered.

[Sundog]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Don't forget your low-class types: Scum (street hustler/low-life/hired muscle), Ganger, Fence, Con Artist, people you'll get anywhere there's enough population to create a "bad area."

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Artist' date=' athlete, martial artist, alien slavegirl/concubine/sex worker, freedom fighter/terrorist, entrepreneur, assassin, robotocist, colonist, pirate/slaver, politician. Not trying to bury you here, just trying to mention some ideas you may not have considered.[/quote']

 

Some of these can be created by customizing templates I've already written up. Others, I may need to add: I like the athlete/martial artist, escort (sex worker), pirate, and politician. All of these have already appeared in the setting, as NPC's during playtesting, but without an official template.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Don't forget your low-class types: Scum (street hustler/low-life/hired muscle)' date=' Ganger, Fence, Con Artist, people you'll get anywhere there's enough population to create a "bad area."[/quote']

 

This is something I've had problems with from the beginning: the dominant locales in this setting are mostly artificial space habitats, where there's generally no place for "bad areas" to occur. However, I'm working on this -- asteroid colonies could conceivably have hundreds of kilometers of 'unmarked' tunnels (and undocumented persons!), while sufficiently large crime syndicates could operate their own spacecraft or even entire space habitats.

[Bobby Walker]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Did you consider, or did I miss, Smugglers?

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Did you consider' date=' or did I miss, Smugglers?[/quote']

 

Those would be most likely covered under the Spacer template. Choosing Bribery and Concealment skills would be the key, in that case.

[Nevelon]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

This is something I've had problems with from the beginning: the dominant locales in this setting are mostly artificial space habitats' date=' where there's generally no place for "bad areas" to occur. However, I'm working on this -- asteroid colonies could conceivably have [i']hundreds[/i] of kilometers of 'unmarked' tunnels (and undocumented persons!), while sufficiently large crime syndicates could operate their own spacecraft or even entire space habitats.

 

Plenty of space for bad areas, even on 'Habs.

 

C-Deck has never been the same since the blowout in '32. Sure they say it's been fixed and patched, but something's off in the air down there. Everyone with any sense left to other parts of the hab, those who stayed behind, well, if it blew again, nobody would miss them...

 

Or the warrens plastered together out of scrap and caulk -outside- the main docks. Sure, it's dangerous and full of smugglers, cut-throats, and aliens, but station security never seems to do anything about it. They do a sweep from time to time, but as long as the commander is in the pocket of the gangsters out there, nothing is ever going to get done.

 

Lots of nooks and crannies on a 'Hab. Places for people to hide. People who can't pay their air-tax, but can't afford a ticket off this spinning pile of junk. Trying to scape by on the fringes. And a place for the people who prey on them...

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Plenty of space for bad areas, even on 'Habs.

 

C-Deck has never been the same since the blowout in '32. Sure they say it's been fixed and patched, but something's off in the air down there. Everyone with any sense left to other parts of the hab, those who stayed behind, well, if it blew again, nobody would miss them...

 

Or the warrens plastered together out of scrap and caulk -outside- the main docks. Sure, it's dangerous and full of smugglers, cut-throats, and aliens, but station security never seems to do anything about it. They do a sweep from time to time, but as long as the commander is in the pocket of the gangsters out there, nothing is ever going to get done.

 

Lots of nooks and crannies on a 'Hab. Places for people to hide. People who can't pay their air-tax, but can't afford a ticket off this spinning pile of junk. Trying to scape by on the fringes. And a place for the people who prey on them...

 

These sound reminiscent of "Downbelow" from Babylon 5, which never seemed entirely plausible (to me, at least) on what was basically a brand-new station. (But the plot demanded such a place, so there it was....) It makes a lot more sense on an older, well-worn space habitat which has been through some hard times.

 

Another concept I've been working with is a pair of O'Neill cylinders, one of which has been evacuated due to an eco-system breakdown. Basic life support still works, but the weather's bad, and the local micro-fauna have gotten out of control. There's nobody left except hard-core squatters, illegal salvage workers, and other low-lifes looking for a place to hide. The other cylinder isn't much better -- everything still works, but everyone who could leave has done so. (Fans of Stirling's Schismatrix might recognize this.)

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

These sound reminiscent of "Downbelow" from Babylon 5' date=' which never seemed entirely plausible (to me, at least) on what was basically a brand-new station. (But the plot demanded such a place, so there it was....) It makes a lot more sense on an older, well-worn space habitat which has been through some hard times.[/quote']

 

It didn't bother me. Adding on to the station would be difficult, so you build it bigger than you think you need (or it just winds up that way). Some areas are less desirable than others (wrong gravity, near noisy machinery, etc), so they wind up inhabited by the poorer residents of the station. Add vice, corruption, people who want an exploitable underclass, and an understaffed security force. You're going to wind up with something very much like Downbelow - a ghetto in outer space.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Hmmm... I think we're officially into 'thread derailment' territory here, but it's an interesting debate.

 

The big question about a 'ghetto' area on a space station / colony is "Who's providing their life support?" It's a closed environment, and everything is budgeted -- air, water, food, power, etc. So if there's a significant population which isn't part of the "official" station personnel or citizenry, where will the 'extra' life support come from? In this case "significant population" mean large enough to be noticed when allocating life support. If the undocumented underclass is a small enough population to be within the 'margin of error' they won't be noticed right away, but the losses which result from supporting them will accrue over time -- and the same question comes up later rather than sooner.

 

The only way I can see this working is if the station management (whatever form it takes) has a good reason to support such an underclass, and their living space. What would make it worth the trouble of explaining all those 'missing' resources? (B5 never really explored this, other than to say that station management had too many other things to worry about.)

[IndianaJoe3]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

The big question about a 'ghetto' area on a space station / colony is "Who's providing their life support?" It's a closed environment' date=' and everything is budgeted -- air, water, food, power, etc. So if there's a significant population which isn't part of the "official" station personnel or citizenry, where will the 'extra' life support come from? In this case "significant population" mean large enough to be noticed when allocating life support. If the undocumented underclass is a small enough population to be within the 'margin of error' they won't be noticed right away, but the losses which result from supporting them will accrue over time -- and the same question comes up later rather than sooner.[/quote']

 

I think I answered these in my earlier post, albeit indirectly. The station is overbuilt - including life support. IIRC, B5's air recycling system is based on plants - they're not going to rip them out just because the station's population is smaller than they expected. Overcapacity in life support is a Good Thing™.

 

The only way I can see this working is if the station management (whatever form it takes) has a good reason to support such an underclass, and their living space. What would make it worth the trouble of explaining all those 'missing' resources?

 

I don't think you can make a society that doesn't have an underclass. The best you can get is a good safety net - which in this case includes air.

[Nevelon]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

I think I answered these in my earlier post, albeit indirectly. The station is overbuilt - including life support. IIRC, B5's air recycling system is based on plants - they're not going to rip them out just because the station's population is smaller than they expected. Overcapacity in life support is a Good Thing™.

 

 

 

I don't think you can make a society that doesn't have an underclass. The best you can get is a good safety net - which in this case includes air.

 

Space stations (in SF) are going to have a high turnover of transients. Ships dock, crew gets off, does some business, loads up, moves on. The population is always in flux. They pay their docking tax, which covers the air they breathe, and station upkeep. The guys working the air scrubbers and life support utilities can probably get the population numbers (or if they are good, judge them by looking at their gauges). But they don't really need the numbers, they just care that the needles are in the green and the air balance is good. Food and water I assume is sold by individuals/shops. People have been living off of scraps and handout for a long time, or stealing from those who have food. As long as the water stays in the recycling system, the station does not care who's drinking it.

 

Colony bases (of a certain size) are the same way. But they have the additional advantage that they should have a lot of flex in their system, as the are designed for growth.

 

All this assumes a "city in space" level station. Or at least a good sized town. If you have 20 guys in a tin-can listening post on the fringe of known space, there isn't much room for anyone not actively involved in the station. Or if you want your space stations to be places where the halls are gleaming white and the **** doesn't stink, that's fine as well. Whatever you want for your world and your game. Slums on space stations are common enough in the genre to not trigger suspension of disbelief. While space opera can do without them, I don't see how noir could.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Aside from giving this thread a slight *bump* and getting back to the original topic, I want to thank everyone who responded for all their highly useful input. So far I've added the following templates to the list:

 

Technician/Engineer

Medic/Doctor

Corporate Executive

Politician

Security Specialist (replaces Mercenary)

Clergyman (includes both eastern and western types)

Escort (for lack of a better term)

Con-Man

Gambler

 

...and after laying out this chapter, it looks like there's room for one more. Any other suggestions?

 

One thing I've noticed while working on this is that a *lot* of 'criminal' archetypes are easily modeled as "regular archetype" plus "criminal activity"; that is to say, there's usually another archetype similar to the criminal one, but not engaged in any law-breaking. So pirates and smugglers are covered by the Spacer template, and so on. I'm not looking for any more criminal archetypes unless they simply don't have any 'legal' counterpart at all. (First one to point out that this makes the 'Clergy' and Con-Man' templates redundant leaves the room.)

[Ranxerox]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Actually I was going to point out the the politician and con-man templates were redundant. Really, look at the two templates you write up and see just how many skills are different between the two.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

Actually I was going to point out the the politician and con-man templates were redundant. Really' date=' look at the two templates you write up and see just how many skills are different between the two.[/quote']

 

I'll do that! I think even if the skills are similar, the perks and (optional) complications might be different enough....

[dmjalund]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

can you put in Investigator (or cop or lawyer)

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

can you put in Investigator (or cop or lawyer)

 

Yep, I've got those on the list. Local Law Enforcement, Interstellar Investigator, and Field Agent (espionage) are all written up, along with some sample organizations. Color text for each follows:

 

The Law Enforcement template is for characters trained in police work with a local agency, on Terra or one of its colonies. "Local" indicates any agency with a jurisdiction confined to a single star system, although it may be much smaller, such as a single community. The attitude, approach and equipment of local agencies varies widely, from those barely above the level of 'friendly neighborhood watch' organizations to 'paramilitary death squads' and everything in between. This example is typical for a competent department which adheres to a reasonable standard of training and enforcement.

 

Interstellar Investigator: only a few agencies have jurisdiction over cases involving interstellar crimes, and the resources to investigate them. Agents of these organizations have excellent training, access to advanced equipment, and very broad powers to perform their duties. Terran Galactic's euphemistically-named "Legal Department" and ISTAR's Colonial Constabulatory Service are two of the most prominent.

 

Field Agent: the character worked with TGO's "Special Projects" or ISTAR's infamous "OFFICE" agency, or with some other intelligence organization on covert missions. Contrary to their reputation, 'secret agents' do not typically use outlandish alien technology, super-advanced prototype equipment, or radical cybernetic implants. They are, however, highly trained, very dedicated individuals with access to the best technology in human space.

[Nevelon]

Re: Template List for Space Opera Noir: what to include?

 

As a varient of politician or lawyer, you might want to think about a bureaucrat. Either in government or a mega-corperation.