Trapped on Mars!

[RexMundi]

So, Mars plays a big part in my entire interlocked campaign. I've also got a Hard Sci Fi game on the side that uses Mars heavily as well.

 

In that particular arc, the party is stuck on Mars in a bad way. They've effectively got (to keep it simple), the set up in Mars Direct, but nothing landed right, everything is either scattered or damaged.

 

On top of that most of the crew are civilians, stuck in a survival situation. The remainder are all Military types. There's some chain of command friction now, not to mention a few other issues. Stepping out of your lander and finding the habitat upside down for example.

 

So in a Hard Sci Fi setting, what would you do. Bear in mind, that though this is Hard Sci Fi, all the characters are Big Damn Heroes built on the high end cinematic Hero level of 275/50 so there's some serious depths on these builds Science and Practical Application wise.

 

It's next to the worst case scenario, but in short, if in such a situation how would you as a player handle it, and with what "type" of character. Remember. Hard Sci Fi.

 

~Rex

[Tasha]

Re: Trapped on Mars!

 

Would be playing some sort of engineer/ fix it person. They would be military, with survival training.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Direct#Components

 

The first thing is to make sure that the Mars Habitat Unit (MHU) is sound and not leaking atmosphere. Then get the pressurized rover working, so one could find the return module that has the Nuclear reactor. Fix the Chem plant on the ERV (Earth Return Vehicle) and bring as much methane as can be carried by the rover back to the MHU. Perhaps during that time they could do some exploration to see if any water can be found. If they can find water they can make oxygen. (I think that Water is easier than CO2 to crack for Oxygen, I could be wrong).

 

Then it's a race to see if they can repair the ERV before they all die to suffocation. The entire scenario would focus me to be thinking in survival mode. Exploration would be secondary. If caves were found that were close, perhaps we might go poking inside of them. If they had some sort of mini rover, they might send that. Heck it would be pretty easy to rig up some sort of mini blimp. Using mylar (Hydrogen from the ERV to fill the bag), some small electrical motors a prop and a battery. Using a minicam transmitting over wifi. As long as it isn't storm season one could look quite a ways around.

[RexMundi]

Re: Trapped on Mars!

 

Hmmm.....Not bad.....not bad at all. One of the players is a solid Mechanic. IRL, and of course incorporated that into his PC as well, with a very hands on sort of build.

 

When I started the reveal, as for the scattering in the damage he pretty much went off on that line, and as one of the Military folk, basically stuffed the mouthy civilian in a survival ball, and went out to do pretty much what you described, though not quite in that order. He's the only one that discovered a big problem....

 

Hab's Upside down. A Storm is rolling in. Evidence points to Sabotage.

 

~Rex.....says meanwhile the Civies are running around in a panic....Still....nice game plan there Tasha....

[Tasha]

Re: Trapped on Mars!

 

Thanks. I love troubleshooting stuff like this. It's what I am good at IRL

 

Oh if they have a ton of Methane turning it into water shouldn't be hard. The only bad thing is that burning methane requires Oxygen.

 

Prob have to sit out the storm in the upside down MHU. Though if they landed in softish soil it wouldn't be too hard to roll the MHU over. Just cut a trench perpendicular to the MHU (Bracing the MHU against premature rolling). A bit of math will reveal how far away the trench would need to be from the MHU to get it oriented correctly. Get enough people outside in suits, you could get the thing rolling toward the trench. When it reaches the trench it should be oriented correctly, and also anchored well too. This all assumes that it landed somewhere fairly level.

[RexMundi]

Re: Trapped on Mars!

 

Landed in a Dust and Sand filled crevasse. Not the best territory to land in but it looked pretty good from Orbit, heh. I wanted to give the expert climber in the party a chance to shine as well. A lot of what they are stomping around on right now isn't really something you should stomp around on.

 

Biggest problem right now is party division. Got two people on the right track, both good trouble shooters, both with real world and game military make ups. In addition to saving their own tales they are approaching it from the Mission standpoint as well.

 

The civies on the other hand, while they have some serious brain power to offer, are to busy bickering about their situation. It's one of them that tripped over the signs of sabotage and they are blaming the Military folks that got stuck on the mission with them.

 

Because after all they are the Only people up there right now. ;D

 

~Rex