E001 The Adventure Begins (takes 0 hours)
Due to bad luck and loan sharks, your financial situation is getting very desperate. Your small merchant starship never seems to have a full cargo hold, but operating costs are high. Your cash is almost gone, and another payment is due to the sector financiers. Maybe, just maybe, you can make ends meet if you look for illegal goods, and begin to take chances.
Consult R201B to determine your starting attributes, and your skills, for your new career as a Star Smuggler, then continue reading here:
You have a sturdy and reliable Antelope class starship (R212) built to tech level 1 standards (R210) and outfitted with a Hopper class ship’s boat (R214) and starship guns (R216A), both also tech level 1. The starship has six Hypercharges (R212B) and the boat has 15 fuel units (FUs, R211). In addition, a stasis unit (R212E) is mounted in the pilot’s compartment with 2 CU capacity, to protect the occupants in case of disaster. You personally own a utility suit (R213) and a sidearm (R216D), both of tech level 1. Your only money is in your pocket: 1d6 times 100, plus 150 Secs (for example, a 1d6 roll of “3” means 3x100, then +150, or 450 Secs, see R232A).
You have no crew or hirelings, no cargo, and no repair units. However, you do have proper papers and are not “wanted” in any system (R228). This is the first day of the week, so you have 10 days until your next starship payment is due (R203E).
You are currently at the sole planet in the Regari system (R207A) of the Pavonis sector, at the spaceport (R205O). This morning you decide to take up a life of smuggling. You check over your starship guns and personal sidearm, and prepare to find profit through any means. See R203 for the activities available to you.
R201 Characters
Each character in the game has three ratings: Marksmanship (“M”), Hand-to-Hand fighting (“H”), and Endurance (“E”). Each is rated numerically, with higher numbers superior. Characters may also have skills, such as pilot/navigator, gunner, medic, driver, etc. Characters may possess certain items of equipment, whose quality depends on the “Tech Code” (technology level), or other items of worth, whose value depends on where they are bought and sold.
The characters include yourself, the Star Smuggler Duke Springer (see R201B), any followers in your crew or party, and any other characters, creatures, or robots encountered during the game. Characters can be friendly or hostile, intelligent or unintelligent.
When a character joins your party, note his (or her) vital statistics as needed. You can voluntarily dismiss or abandon members of your party if you wish (sometimes expedient when making an escape, or if money or equipment runs short). Dismissal or abandonment may have penalties to you R220B. Characters encountered who don’t join your party can beignored after the event, they simply go on their way, and “disappear” from the game.
To determine your own personal characteristics at the start of the game, see R201B.
R201A -- Characteristics and Skills:
Marksmanship measures your ability to fire all ranged weapons (sidearms, skimmer guns, etc.) except starship guns (which require a special skill instead). The higher your rating, the better you shoot. Ratings range from 0 to 6, if none is given, assume a 0 rating. See R230D for rules on firing ranged weapons.
Hand-to-hand measures your ability in close combat. The higher your rating, the better. Ratings range from 0 to 6. This hand-to-hand rating also determines defense against such attacks, see R230G for details.
Endurance value is a measure of how much damage you can take in combat, and still survive. See R231 for detailed rules about wounds.
R201B Your Character — Duke Springer:
You begin play as the star smuggler, Duke Springer, a talented and experienced starship pilot who is having trouble being successful in legal commercial enterprises. You have a starship (Antelope-class), a speedy and versatile small merchant vessel that can be operated by just one person, a pilot-navigator like yourself. In addition, you are a qualified starship gunner (can operate the guns of your ship), but the guns are only Tech Code 1 (low quality). You are an excellent shot with smaller weapons, with a marksmanship of 5. After a rough-and-tumble life in many spaceports, bars, and back alleys your hand-to-hand combat is even better, with a rating of 6, Coming from a high-gravity home planet, and because of your life, your body is in excellent condition, your endurance value is 10. In addition to these characters, you have a Cunning rating (R202) which other characters do not. See E001 for complete details of your possessions at the start of the game.
R202 Cunning
Cunning is an ability that combines smooth talking, staying cool, thinking fast in an emergency, rapidly figuring alternatives when a plan is blocked, and generally outsmarting your adversaries. Duke Springer is the only character with a Cunning rating. The first time you play, roll 1d6 (one die) to obtain your rating. If you have played before, you can adjust your Cunning by one in each subsequent game. If you found the game too difficult, or if you lost, increase your Cunning by one (+1). If you wish more challenge, or if you won, reduce your Cunning by one (-1). When you feel you have become an expert, trying playing with a Cunning rating of 0! When an event calls for a “Cunning roll,” you roll one die and must get less than or equal to your Cunning rating to succeed, unless some other requirement is indicated.
R203 Daily Actions
At the start of each day, you either perform normal travel and contact, or stay in place for RRR (Rest, Recuperation and Repair). At the end of each day, you must check for breakdowns of equipment, and after each 10-day week, make payments on your loan. Each is explained in detail below.
Time: each day has ten (10) hours for activity. All events are timed in hours, or sometimes take the rest of the day. If an event goes over the normal limit, you automatically get extra hours that day to finish it (an event will not carry over to the next day). Any other people in your party either travel with you, or stay behind doing little (see R220 for details).
R203 Daily Actions
At the start of each day, you either perform normal travel and contact, or stay in place for RRR (Rest, Recuperation and Repair). At the end of each day, you must check for breakdowns of equipment, and after each 10-day week, make payments on your loan. Each is explained in detail below.
Time: each day has ten (10) hours for activity. All events are timed in hours, or sometimes take the rest of the day. If an event goes over the normal limit, you automatically get extra hours that day to finish it (an event will not carry over to the next day). Any other people in your party either travel with you, or stay behind doing little (see R220 for details).
R203A Travel
During a normal day of travel and contact, you may travel about the land area (R204G). You have the following travel
options, provided the vehicle is present and available:
- Walk on foot: travel one land step per day, or spend an hour to move to an adjacent (connected by triple line) area.
- Hire a commercial land vehicle: one hour per land step, see R215.
- Drive a skimmer: if you own one, one hour per step, see R215.
- Fly the Ship’s Boat: 1/10 hour per step, 1 hour to go to or from orbit/space station, see R214 for details.
- Take the Orbital Shuttle: 1 hour to or from space station or spaceport, see R215 for details.
- Pilot Starship: 1/10 hour per step, 1 hour to or from orbit/space station, can also travel between planets (R212F-g) and between star systems (R212A-d).
When you travel, each new area entered requires a check for detection, with an entry event if detection occurs, see R225 for complete rules. You can travel more than once per day, provided you have sufficient hours left for the next travel, and you have sufficient fuel (R211) and life support (R213) where necessary. You may alternate travel and contact activities in the same day, provided sufficient time remains.
R203B Contact
During a day of travel and contact, you may attempt to make contacts. See R227 for details and procedure. Basically, in a contact try you consult the Entry & Contact Table (R233) for the result, so it may take many attempts before you find what you are seeking (i.e., get the desired result).
R203C RRR — Rest, Recuperation & Repair
This action is allowed only if you spend a full day (all 10 hours) doing it. No travel and no contact is allowed during an RRR day.
At the start of an RRR day, first determine if an unwanted contact occurs (see R227A). If nothing happens, you can spend the day repairing equipment (R219) or healing (R231). A character cannot heal and repair at the same time, but some in your party could be healing while others are involved in repair work. If a repairman or mobile repairman is needed, you must have already arranged to have him (or it) present during the RRR day — searching for repairmen is not part of RRR.
R203D Breakdown
At the end of each day, any vehicle or piece of equipment you used may break down. Consult R218 for details. Preventive maintenance (R218B) avoids the danger of breakdown. Breakdown need not be checked for vehicles that didn’t move (even if providing life support and/or communications), or for starships and boats in orbit or docked at a space station. Breakdown of individual items (such as weapons) is separate from any vehicle carrying them, or any other device.
R203E Loan Payments
At the end of each 10-day week, a loan payment is due on your Antelope-class starship. The ship originally cost 120,000 Secs (Sector Exchange Units, the “money” used here, see R232A), and your loan for this amount is 300 S interest due each 10-day week. In addition to interest, you can also pay back any part of the principal (the original 120,000 S) as well. Interest payments do not reduce the principal, and even if you pay some of the principal, interest continues at 300 S per 10-day until the full principal is paid.
If you default on your loan (fail to pay interest) you have 30 days (three 10-day weeks) to pay the entire principal, after which the loan company begins attempts to repossess the ship (and appropriate events begin occurring!). Once you miss a payment, you can’t make up with just that payment — the whole loan becomes due (the loan company are “sharks” — who else would loan you so much?).
Incidentally, half the principal (60,000 S) is due ten years hence, and the rest of the principal (another 60,000 S) is due twenty years hence, but it’s unlikely you’ll play long enough to worry about this!
Using banks to hold some of your money, you can have loan payments made from your account (in case you aren’t around a place with banks when the week is up). See R232A for details.
R203F Victory & Defeat
An overwhelming victory in this game is paying off your entire spaceship loan of 120,000 S, and have a substantial fortune left for high living (how much left determines the degree of victory you can keep on looking for more endlessly!). However, staying alive and in possession of your spaceship for as long as possible is the real key to success. “Duke” Springer likes the freedom of the spaceways. Losing his ship or his personal freedom is a fate almost worse than death. Of course, even if you are imprisoned, or trapped in a stasis box, you can still hope to keep enough wealth to buy a ship, or otherwise get back into the star faring life again. The only true defeat in the game is death. Actually, the process of playing the game is designed to be sufficient enjoyment unto itself – how well can you survive as a roughand-tumble free booting captain of the spaceways?
R204 Maps & Classifications
Star Smuggler is set in the Pavonis Sector, a distant star region with ten inhabited star systems. Various classifications and codes are used for each system, and a unique mapping system for the various planets. The standard description of the sector is in R207, but variants and modifications are possible (R208 & R209).
R204A System Characteristics
Each star system has a wealth code, a technology (tech) code, and one or more planets, perhaps with a separate asteroid belt as well. Planets have varying tile layouts, gravity, atmosphere.
R204B Wealth Code
This code ranges from 0 to 100, and represents the general level of wealth and economic strength of the system. Generally, in wealthy systems things cost more, while in poorer systems things cost less. However, a high wealth code system could still have numerous slums, with many discontents dwelling in utter poverty. Costs for goods and services will vary with the wealth code; often a cost multiplier is used after consulting the base price table (R241).
R204C Tech Code
This code ranges from 0 to 100, and represents the sophistication of equipment in use. Although all equipment is futuristic, high tech items work better, and are more powerful, than lower tech, but tend to break down more often. Often high tech items bring good prices on low tech worlds, although it may be illegal to introduce such equipment for sale on certain worlds. Technology has important effects on weaponry (R216) and on breakdown (R218).
R204D Planetary Characteristics
Within each system, each planet has various characteristics. This includes the two map tiles used to form the planet, its
gravity, and atmosphere. All planets within a star system have the same political structure, and are in constant
communication. Travel in orbits, or from one planet to another (within the system) is not normally regulated or supervised
carefully — planetary governments concentrate their interest on ships arriving from hyperspace, and at the various
spaceports and stations.
R204E Gravity
The gravity factor of a planet varies from 1 to 16, the higher number indicating a stronger pull. A gravity of 10 or more
prevents a ship’s boat from climbing to orbit (it lacks sufficient fuel and power), although the boat could descend from orbit,
or move about on the surface. Asteroids and space stations have a gravity factor of 0, as do ships in orbit, although spin and
small accelerations, or the minor mass of the asteroid, provide a light gravity effect on people and items.
R204F Atmosphere
A planet’s atmosphere is rated as “good,” “bad” or “no” air. Regardless of planet atmosphere, land areas with white letters
as their title all have good air (on bad or no air planets, they have domes or force screens). In bad or no air (black labeled
areas on planets of that type) you need life support to survive (R213). In bad air, normal skimmers will not function — their
air-breathing engines automatically and instantly break down. A skimmer purchased on a bad air world will work on that
world (due to special engine modifications), but won’t work on any other bad air world, nor on a world with good air. No
skimmer can function in “no air.” No air also prevents starships and ship’s boat from making a powerless glide landing;
instead, a powered landing is needed (which uses fuel).
R204G Land Areas
Each planet is composed of two map tiles, joined in a circular shape. The planet has various colored symbols on it, each
symbol is a “land area.” Each symbol has a name indicating its type, and additional codes for special facilities:
Symbol Colors denote entrance restrictions:
White areas can be entered by any type of travel.
Yellow areas cannot be entered by a starship or ship’s boat, but any other form of travel is allowed.
Red areas can only be entered on foot or in a commercial vehicle, no other form of travel is allowed.
Purple areas only by starship, ship’s boat, or orbital shuttle.
Area Names in white denote good air within the area, area names in black denote normal planetary air (which may be good,
bad or none).
[b] after the name indicates banking facilities are present (see R232A).
[m] after the name indicates medical facilities present (R231C).
Area Connectors are lines that indicate travel routes. You move from area to area along these lines:
Short triple-line connector indicates one hour of travel time, regardless of the means used, to move to the other area.
This symbol really indicates that the areas are touching, and thus if both have good air in them, travel is possible between
without life support, even on a bad or no air planet.
Long single line connectors with a number indicate a larger distance. The number is the distance in “land steps” between
areas. See travel rules (R203A) for time needed to traverse a land step.