`

0
Created by Ian Stead, Tom Price and Ade Stewart

Compatible with a number of 2D6 Science Fiction role-playing systems, including the 2d6 SCIFI OGL and The
Cepheus Engine SRD

“Cepheus Engine and Samardan Press are the trademarks of Jason “Flynn” Kemp”. Moon Toad is not
affiliated with Jason “Flynn” Kemp or Samardan Press™.

Bounty Hunter Handbook: Copyright © 2021 Moon Toad Publishing.

Designation of Open Game Content

Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open
Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e) and are not open content: All trademarks or registered trademarks,
proper names (characters, organizations etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork and
trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public
domain are not included in this declaration.) Open Content: Except for material designated as product
identity (see above) any game mechanics are Open Game Content as defined in the Open Gaming License
version 1.0a section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game
Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. None of this product is open content.

Please Note: This Product is derived from the Traveller System Reference Document and other Open
Gaming Content made available by the Open Gaming License, and does not contain closed content from
products published by either Mongoose Publishing or Far Future Enterprises. This Product is not affiliated
with either Mongoose Publishing or Far Future Enterprises, and it makes no claim to or challenge to any
trademarks held by either entity. The use of the Traveller System Reference Document does not convey the
endorsement of this Product by either Mongoose Publishing or Far Future Enterprises as a product of either
of their product lines.

Dedications
This game material is dedicated to Anna Prince, Bob McWilliams and Lilith Jones (because despite being
given a hard time by misogynistic gatekeepers, she is still playing Traveller).

1
Bounty Hunter Handbook ............................................................................................................................ 1
Contents ...................................................................................................................................................... 2
Bounty Hunter ............................................................................................................................................. 4
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 5
About this Book ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Types of Bounty Hunters .......................................................................................................................... 6
The Economics of Bounty Hunting ............................................................................................................ 8
Bounty Hunter Rapid Character Generation ................................................................................................10
UPP Characteristics .................................................................................................................................11
Terms of Service .....................................................................................................................................11
Skills List .................................................................................................................................................12
Prior Service Events ................................................................................................................................13
Long Service:...........................................................................................................................................16
Mustering Out and Pensions: ..................................................................................................................16
Example Religions .......................................................................................................................................17
Example Phobias.........................................................................................................................................18
Traditional Character Generation................................................................................................................19
Chasers Incorporated..................................................................................................................................23
Bounty Warrants ........................................................................................................................................25
Types of Warrant ....................................................................................................................................26
Value of the Bounty ................................................................................................................................29
Gathering Information ................................................................................................................................31
Difficulty Level ........................................................................................................................................35
Information Types ...................................................................................................................................36
Bounty Hunter Ships ...................................................................................................................................40
Jäger Class Hunter...................................................................................................................................41
Bystro Class Fast Courier. ........................................................................................................................51
Air Raft / Runabout. ................................................................................................................................57
Bounty Hunter Equipment ..........................................................................................................................59
Equipment Statistics ...............................................................................................................................67
Ranged Weapons ....................................................................................................................................68
Regulations Affecting Bounty Hunters .........................................................................................................69
Regulations .............................................................................................................................................70
Law Levels, Government Types and Cultural Differences .........................................................................70
Travel Zone Codes...................................................................................................................................70
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The Darker Side of Bounty Hunting .............................................................................................................71
Wanted Dead or Alive .............................................................................................................................72
Starship Recovery ...................................................................................................................................72
Just off the Bounteous Cluster ...................................................................................................................73
System Charts Key: .................................................................................................................................74
Miranda ......................................................................................................................................................75
Miranda World Map ...............................................................................................................................77
Miranda Regional Map............................................................................................................................77
The Nations of Miranda ..........................................................................................................................78
Caliban .......................................................................................................................................................82
Caliban World Map .................................................................................................................................84
Caliban Regional Map .............................................................................................................................85
The Nations of Caliban ............................................................................................................................86
Garra Beast .................................................................................................................................................88
Example Warrants ......................................................................................................................................90
The Baron. ..............................................................................................................................................91
A Train of Events. ..................................................................................................................................100
Additional Monorail Scenarios ..............................................................................................................105
The Hedonist. .......................................................................................................................................110
Non-Player Characters ..........................................................................................................................117
Failed Payments....................................................................................................................................119
Roanoke Class Merchant .......................................................................................................................122
Starport Map ........................................................................................................................................131
Maglev Monorails .....................................................................................................................................135
Maglev Train Deck Plans .......................................................................................................................138
Side Missions ............................................................................................................................................149
Example Pre-Generated Bounty Hunters...................................................................................................156
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a ............................................................................................................157

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4
by Ian Stead, Tom Price and Ade Stewart

Introduction
A "bounty hunter" is a private agent working for an organisation (normally a commercial organisation,
rather than a Government Department) with a financial interest in a person or property, who captures
fugitives or criminals, or recovers such property, for a commission or "bounty".

The occupation, referred to variously as a bail enforcement officer, enforcement agent, recovery agent,
recovery officer, repo man or skip tracer, normally operates outside the legal constraints that usually
govern law enforcement officers and other agents of a polity. This is because, due to interstellar travel,
with its many and varied worlds and government types, it is simply not possible for official agents to
conduct these tasks, due to the scale and complexity of the diplomatic, legal and financial challenges.

Bounty hunters are typically independent contractors, paid a commission of the total amount that is owed
by a fugitive; or a percentage of the value of the property recovered. They provide their own staff,
transportation and equipment, and usually only get paid if they are able to find the "skip" and return it.

About this Book

The purpose of this volume is to provide a comprehensive handbook to allow the generation and use of
bounty hunter characters in a campaign. The overall aim is to provide information and ideas to run a variety
of scenarios, of varying complexity, if players wish to explore this path of adventure.

The handbook provides both selection-based and traditional chart-based character generation processes:
this allows the gaming group to use the method they prefer to create characters with appropriate skills and
abilities. Warrants and information gathering are covered, legal aspects of the profession are discussed,
and a variety of equipment, deck plans, and ships are given.

A few detailed worlds are provided to facilitate play, but the specific region of space they lie within is not
stipulated. The book includes a variety of plot hooks, side missions, and developed scenarios, as well as
detailed NPCs and example characters. While many of these are set on the worlds provided, they are
structured to allow them to be used in other settings with minimal effort.

If you want additional detail or alternative approaches, we recommend "Manhunters: Bounty Hunters in
the Clement Sector" by Independence Games, or GURPS “Traveller Heroes 1 – Bounty Hunters”.

5
Types of Bounty Hunters
Bonds

In some polities there is a practice where an individual accused of a crime may pay sum of money, or sign
over the rights to property, rather than remain in jail until the date they are due to appear in court. This is
provided that there is an assumption that those charged are "innocent until proven guilty" under that
Justice system, and that there will be some time for a case to be "brought to court" (preparation time for
the prosecution and defence, bureaucratic delays, and case backlogs) which could mean an innocent
individual spends time in jail unnecessarily.

In many cases the individual will not have the amount in cash available, so a Bond Agent will guarantee the
full amount for a fee, on the understanding that they shall have to pay the full amount if the accused fails
to appear, or is not recovered in an appropriate time.

In most polities this practice is banned for many reasons, as it disproportionally effects those with a low
income or access to funds; there may well be cultural or political issues with the practice; or technical
solutions rendering the practice obsolete or uneconomic.

In the few systems where bonds are issued, Bond Agents will normally hire a Bounty Hunter to recover the
individual for a percentage of the bond amount (it is assumed that the higher the bond, the greater the
risk) if they abscond and fail to appear at the appointed time.

Bounty Hunter

A Bounty Hunter (or Fugitive Recovery Agent, Bail

Enforcement Officer, or Enforcement Agent) has tended
to become the generic term used for individuals or teams
that are privately contracted to recover an individual, for
a fee (whether or not they are actually enforcing bonds).

In a large number of polities of all different types, it is

more efficient and cost-effective, to post a suitable
reward for criminals who are at large and are wanted for
crimes. In some cases, it is necessary to deliver the
individual to a specific place, but it may be that all that is
required is for information to be provided to the relevant
authorities that leads to the capture and arrest of the
individual concerned. In some cases, it may be
permissible to provide objective proof that the individual
of interest is deceased.

A Bounty Hunter will therefore almost certainly be

required to track down an individual and either provide a
report to the authorities, so that they can travel to the
location and effect an arrest, or bring the individual
themselves to the appropriate authorities. They normally operate on a speculative basis against rewards
posted, but can be privately contracted by individuals, corporate agents or occasionally the authorities or
Bond Agents.

Bounty Hunters rarely operate completely alone. They usually have some sort of team or at least someone
covering their backs (after all, however good they are, or however good their tech, sometime they will have
to sleep…). Lone Bounty Hunters are normally called "Freelancers" or just "Lancers".

6
Repossession Agent

A Repossession Agent, or "Repo Man" (it is traditional to use the human male gender qualifier) is the
generic term used for individuals or teams that are privately contracted to recover property, usually for a
fee based on a percentage of the value of the item. They normally operate for insurance brokers, but can
work for individuals, corporations, banks, or occasionally the authorities.

It is quite common for there to be overlap between a Bounty Hunter and a Repossession Agent, with
Bounty Hunters regularly being asked to recover property, but it is somewhat rarer for a Repossession
Agent to be asked to recover a fugitive. In a lot of cases, a Bounty Hunter may decide to become a
Repossession Agent as they get older or suffer injury, and this is normally viewed as a lower risk option.

For the rest of this Handbook, when we refer to a "Bounty Hunter" we also include "Repossession Agent" as
the career paths overlap so much.

Tracer

A Tracer is the term normally used for individuals or teams that are contracted to merely locate individuals
or property, usually for a much smaller fee based on a percentage of the reward or value of the item, but
usually only if the information leads to the successful arrest or recovery. This can lead to some delay before
payment is made, so occasionally they may work for a smaller fixed fee paid in advance. This, naturally,
carries less risk and is usually more common in societies with higher law and technology levels.

Tracers often work with Bounty Hunters in order to locate their target, and return the individual or
property, as the reward is usually much higher even when split. Of course, in these cases, the Tracer would
be expected to back up the Bounty Hunter and cover their back, taking on some of the risk.

They can operate for all manner of entities, from individuals, corporations, criminals and organised crime,
to the authorities (police, officials, and politicians) themselves.

Process Server

A Process Server is the term used for individuals or teams that are privately contracted to prove that they
have delivered important or legal documents and brought them to the attention of the individual
concerned. They normally operate for a fixed fee, with an allowance based on the distance travelled. They
can operate for a variety of entities, including debt recovery agencies, corporations, occasionally the
authorities (courts and police services), and rarely private individuals. Most process servers also operate as
couriers for important and valuable documents or materials, as the skills sets are largely very similar.

7
The Economics of Bounty Hunting

Hey kid, being a Bounty Hunter is different to the entertainment channels – you know dashing off
to some new system every week, blazing a trail in a fast ship across the Sector. It isn’t like that –
just think for a few minutes about the distances, the time in jump, and the speed of comms. If you
found a warrant in one system, and got the information the target was in another system, the
chances are really high they won’t be there when you get there. All Bounty Hunters are local –
except for a few corporate types – and most of the time, we just track the target in system, slap
them in a Low Berth, and take passage as cheap as we can to the Bounty Warrant Holder, cash in,
and go home.
Browning Q Westinghouse III, Senior VP, Chasers Incorporated

Inter-system communications in the vastness of space are at the speed of transport. If you are lucky
enough to be on an X-Boat route, that means the news normally propagates at Jump-4. Of course, if you
are not, the chances are that there will be delays, bureaucratic hurdles, and slow transports filling in the
gaps. This means that a Bounty Warrant from one system will take time to arrive in another system – if we
merely assume that it is a single Jump away - it will probably take a minimum of 2 weeks for the Bounty to
be sent to nearby systems.

This means that there is no chance for two-way communications, or extended negotiations – the individual
or organisation taking out the Bounty Warrant has no alternative but to put together the details of the
target, at a price that they think is enough to get a Bounty Hunter interested – and fire it off. Then they
wait, and hope…

The first Bounty Hunter back with the target, gets the Bounty. If nobody comes back in a few months,
maybe they raise the reward, or maybe they just write it off to experience. Responsible organisations will
cancel a Bounty when the target is caught – but most don’t because they really don’t care. If they get the
target back, nobody else is going to be able to duplicate it. They don’t care that some poor Bounty Hunter
on a backward system sees a valuable Bounty Warrant and starts digging, when there is nothing to find…

That is why, when a Bounty Warrant is “fresh” (newly arrived in system), there is a flurry of activity as the
local Bounty Hunters all start digging for information. If the target is located in system, the race is on to
catch them. If they are caught, the next thing is to get them to the Bounty Warrant owner as cheaply as
possible, to maximise profit (the chances of getting a bonus for early delivery is incredibly rare – and as
they have the Target, nobody else is going to be able claim the reward).

Of course, there is a chance that they discover the target isn’t in-system, but on a nearby system. In that
case, Jumping over to the other system would be really high risk. It will be weeks before they get there, it
will be a strange system, far from home, and full of local Bounty Hunters looking for the target (with an
extra 2 weeks lead time). The chances are that the target has either left already, or the local Bounty
Hunters will have already got them. All that expense, and no reward…

So, instead the Bounty Hunter will either just forget about it – or send a message to the sub-sector, sector,
region or polity wide Association of Bounty Hunters and Recovery Agents (ABHRA) or some similar
organisation. The message is encapsulated and refers to the Bounty Warrant, and the sender promises that
the information in the package is the real deal and will help the local Bounty Hunter capture the target. The
local agent can decide to keep going on their own, or accept the package – but if they do, it will be
automatically registered that they have, and if they capture the target, the sender is entitled to 5% of the
reward (whether or not the information is actually useful).

8
Of course, in order to do this, they will need to be properly registered and legal Bounty Hunters…

If the target is more than a single Jump away, the costs shoot up and the risk increases geometrically.
Which is why 90% of all Bounty Hunter jobs are in-system, and the remaining 10% generate credible
information that the target is located within a single Jump of the system. The chances of getting actionable
intelligence on a target more than a single Jump away are so small, that they aren’t really worth worrying
about for most sensible Bounty Hunters.

If the job was instead a repossession of a ship, the same logic applies. The difference being that the reward
could be significantly higher – but rewards can vary wildly. If the ship was stolen by pirates and used in
illegal activities, depending on the political and security situation in the system, sub-sector or sector, they
might be able to claim Prize money for the ship’s safe return. Prize Courts can offer as much as 50% of the
value of the ship (excluding the value of the cargo and any repairs) and can reach a verdict in in perhaps 3
to 6 months, but this depends on there being a threat from Pirates in the area, and the political will to
encourage anti-piracy measures.

More likely is the chance to claim a proportion of Salvage. The Salvage value of a ship is normally 25% of
the value of the ship (including the cargo, but excluding the cost of repairs), but depends on there being a
significant peril of the ship being lost, or the ship causing some sort of disaster and loss of life. Simply
recovering the ship and returning it to the registered owner, or insurance company, is assumed to be
routine recovery of stolen property. This means that the pay-out will never be as high as 25%, unless the
ship, was recovered in circumstances of significant peril to third parties (it was piloted by terrorists trying to
crash it into a city, for example).

It is important to remember that any risk in securing the ship itself, is not taken into account by
the authorities. If the Bounty Hunter did not interfere, there would be no peril, and the ship would
probably be recovered safely and securely by the authorities eventually.

If the ship was recovered in routine flight, or while parked somewhere, the pay-out would normally be in
the region of half of the Salvage value (perhaps 10% to 15% of the value of the ship) if delivered to the
Bounty Warrant owner’s system. Salvage payments can take a long time to resolve (2D6 months) however,
so Insurance companies usually offer an immediate payment of 0.1% of the ship value, and the Bounty
Hunter simply hands the ship over to a local agent – the system authorities, an insurance company, or even
an agent at the local starport. They will simply mothball the ship until an authorised representative arrives
to take it back. The reward is far less, but the risk and the time away from home will be hugely reduced.

Offset against the value of the reward is the need to assemble a team able to crew the ship – with the
number of crew increasing with the size of the ship, and the number of shares they are entitled to. The
distance the ship will be have to be taken in order to get the reward will need to be carefully assessed,
because the further the team need to travel, the higher the costs, and the lower the value of the final
reward. Having arrived at the destination and collected the reward, the crew need to take one-way passage
back home.

Of course, operating on worlds with E-Class starports, or with Authorities that don’t want to be involved,
can reduce the options available and change the risk/reward calculus for the Bounty Hunter.

If Bounty Hunters want to make a career of it, they will probably need to stay in the systems that they know
and understand. Heading off to new and different systems, with different Law Levels, Government types,
customs, bureaucracies, and a bunch of local Bounty Hunters is probably not a good idea. Unless the
reward was really big and they really wanted to go somewhere different than where they came from…

9
10
Introduction
This is intended to be a streamlined version of character generation, with the players having far more
choice in the types of skills acquired than is perhaps usual in most other 2D6 Sci-Fi Role-Playing Games. We
believe that while there should be some random variation in individual characters and their skills, Bounty
Hunters tend to be reasonably fit and would have a bit more freedom in selecting the sorts of training that
they want to undertake. If you want to have something fantastically detailed and make character
generation a game in itself, we would recommend the alternative books in the "About This Book" section,
or instead try the more traditional character generation in the next section.

Character Generation
The player should start with their character's name and have an idea about the sort of character that they
want to play. We would recommend a team, consisting of a Bounty Hunter, a Tracer, a standard Pilot and
Engineer. Players could decide to be Repossession Agents, Process Servers or Couriers – there is no
distinction in the skills available, merely on the perception of the skill sets that the players think
appropriate.

UPP Characteristics
Each character starts out with Characteristics with values of 777777 (representing Strength, Dexterity,
Endurance, Intelligence, Education and Social Standing).

Players may increase or decrease any Characteristic, providing the following limitations are followed:

• Social Standing cannot be increased above 8 at this stage. Bounty Hunters are almost universally looked
down upon.
• The total number of characteristic points cannot exceed 42.
• The total number of increases or decreases cannot exceed 7.

Note that "Events" may involuntarily increase or decrease Characteristics as well,

during terms of service.

Terms of Service
The character's pre-adventuring period of service is divided into 4-year "terms". For
each Term the character may allocate 2 x Skills from whatever set of rules is
preferred, with the following caveats:

• Each term the character can increase their skills in two different skill sets. They
cannot gain 2 skill levels in the same skill, but they may add an additional skill
level to existing skills in subsequent terms.
• Skill at higher levels become progressively more specialised, so Pilot-1 or 2
would gain the relevant bonus on any kind of ship. But at Pilot-3, the bonus
would be restricted to a particular range of ships (by tonnage, by class
(merchant, small craft) or by type (deep space, lander)) and when skill levels
reach 4 the bonus can only be claimed on a specific type of ship (Scout, Free
Trader, etc.). This is intended to prevent/reduce min-maxing (unrealistically
optimising) skills and distorting play.
• The character will only receive a pension if they serve for 4 terms or more.

11
Skills List
Notes on Skills: The higher the skill level, the more specialised it becomes. +1 is "qualification training", +2
is really experienced, +3 is Master's Level, requiring exposure several times a week to maintain this level, +4
is PhD or National representative level, requiring daily exposure to maintain this level. So, for example: Pilot
+1 understands the principals and has qualified, Pilot +2 is experienced, Pilot +3 excels at a particular type
of vehicle (air, sea, land, space), and Pilot +4 is outstanding on a single type such as a 400ton Merchant. A
Pilot +4 on such a ship would only count as +2 when operating a sail boat… If a character reaches +3 or +4
they have to specify their specialism.

1. Admin: This skill covers bureaucracies and administration of all sorts, including the navigation of
bureaucratic obstacles or disasters.

2. Animal Handling: This skill, rare on industrialised or technologically advanced worlds, is for the care of
animals.

3. Battle Dress: This skill permits the character to operate advanced battle armour.

4. Comms: The Comms skill covers electronic communications – voice, signalling, querying computer
networks, jamming signals, etc., as well as communicating with starports and other spacecraft.

5. Computers: The Computers skill is for using and controlling computer systems, including using
telepresence to remotely control drones, missiles, robots and other devices.

6. Deception/Stealth: Deception allows a character to lie fluently, disguise himself, and fool onlookers,
and can be adept at staying unseen and unheard. (Requires +1 Intelligence)

7. Electronics: Repair and maintenance of all forms of computing hardware, sensors and other
electronics. (Requires +1 Dexterity).

8. Engineer: The Engineer skill is used to operate and maintain spacecraft and advanced vehicles.

9. Entertainment: The character is trained in a type of creative art. (Requires +1 Intelligence)

10. Explosives: The Explosives skill covers the use of demolition charges and other explosive devices,
including assembling or disarming bombs. (Requires +1 Dexterity).

11. Gambler: The character is familiar with a wide variety of gambling games, such as poker, roulette,
blackjack, horse-racing, sports betting, and has an excellent grasp of statistics and probability.
(Requires +1 Intelligence)

12. Gunner: The various specialities of this skill deal with the operation of ship-mounted weapons in space
combat.

13. Gun Combat: The Gun Combat skill covers a variety of ranged weapons. (Requires +1 Dexterity).

14. Heavy Weapons: The Heavy Weapons skill covers man-portable and larger weapons that cause
extreme property damage, such as rocket launchers, artillery and plasma weapons.

15. Investigate: The skill incorporates keen observation, forensics, and detailed analysis. (Requires +1
Intelligence)

16. Intimidation (Interrogation): The skill to get other people to do what you want, or tell you what you
want, in a coercive, setting. (Requires +1 Strength)

17. Law: Advocate gives a knowledge of common legal codes and practises, especially interstellar law.

12
18. Mechanic: The Mechanic skill allows the character to maintain and repair most mechanical and non-
starship types of energy equipment.

19. Medic: The Medic skill covers emergency first aid and battlefield triage as well as diagnosis, treatment,
surgery and long-term care. (Requires +1 Dexterity).

20. Close Combat: The melee skill covers attacking in hand-to-hand combat. (Requires +1 Strength).

21. Navigation: This skill is for plotting the courses of starships and calculating accurate jumps.

22. Pilot: The Pilot skill specialities cover the operation of different craft.

23. Science (Requires +1 Education and +1 Intelligence):

24. Sensors: The Sensors skill covers the use and interpretation of data from all types of electronic sensor
devices. (Requires +1 Intelligence)

25. Social Engineering (Carousing/Persuasion): The skill to get other people to do what you want in a
social, non-coercive, setting. (Max: +2) (Requires +1 Intelligence)

26. Steward: The Steward skill allows the character to serve and care for personnel and well as nobles and
high-class passengers. (Requires +1 Dexterity or +1 Intelligence)

27. Streetwise Survival: A character with the Streetwise skill understands the urban environment and the
power structures in society. (Requires +1 Intelligence)

28. Trading: The Broker skill allows a character to negotiate trades and arrange fair deals.

29. Wilderness Survival: The Survival skill is the wilderness counterpart of the urban Streetwise skill – the
character is trained to survive in the wild. This includes a degree of planetary navigation. (Requires +1
Intelligence)

30. Zero-G: The Zero-G skill allows a character to wear and operate space and environmental suits, as well
as function efficiently in low and zero-G. If a character does not have the requisite Zero-G skill, they
suffer a -4 DM to all skill checks made while wearing a suit in Zero-G.

Prior Service Events

Events happen to mark a character's journey through the pre-adventuring period. Roll 2D6 each Term. On a
roll of 5 or less, something happens to change characteristics (these may be good or bad) and on a roll of 10
or more some form of advancement has been made. A promotion, or professional recognition - these can
be decided as they occur, but their chief benefit is to calculate the players lump sum and pension funds.

In all cases a character must have at least one event in their service, no matter what the dice rolls.

Roll D66 (d6×10+d6) to generate an event

11 Severe Illness. During this period, you became so ill, people feared for your life. Fortunately, your
life was saved by the intervention of skilled medical personnel and timely treatment. However, your system
has been weakened by the illness. Lose 1 Strength.

12 Eye Damage. During this period, you contracted an extreme eye infection or were accidentally
exposed to an eye-damaging flare. Medical treatment has helped, but some problems remain. Lose 1
Dexterity. Wear eye protection of some kind and reduce any Pilot skill to no more than +1.

13 Traumatic Stress. During this period, you witnessed horrific events that affected you deeply, both
mentally and physically. Therapy and time have helped you recover, but some scars remain. Most of the
time everything is fine, but occasionally you might get even worse. Lose 1 Endurance and 1 Social Standing
13
14 Deadly Disease. During this period, you contracted a deadly illness or radiation poisoning. Its
effects are almost always terminal. Early discovery and expert medical attention have helped prevent the
spread of the illness. You have to take drugs each day. If you are late, or miss a dose, the effects are bad.
Reduce Strength or Dexterity or Endurance by 1 for each missed dose.

15 Autistic. During this period, you are diagnosed as a functioning Autistic. Therapy and your proven
skills allow you to work almost normally, but not entirely. You get bad when you have to interact with
people in close proximity. Deduct -1 in any social situation or when forced into close proximity with a
stranger. You can however add +1 to a skill of your choice when you can concentrate on it, in isolation.

16 A Master's Tools. During this period, you excelled in your job, to such an extent that you were
gifted the tools of your trade in recognition of your success. Gain an item, capable of being hand carried,
appropriate to your skill. Add 1 to any roll using it. May not be a weapon.

21 Prove Them Wrong. During this period, you were taunted about your fitness and physical
prowess. You were determined not to let it happen again and embarked on a regime of fitness and training.
Gain 1 Strength.

22 Recognition. During this period, you performed in an outstanding manner. Your skills and hard
work were an example to all and recognised in a prestigious award. Gain an Award of Record. Add 1 to any
roll when dealing with officials and add +1 to Social Standing.

23 Trial of Faith. During this period, events occurred to generate a spiritual awakening deep inside.
You have decided to devote some of your spare time to faith-based pursuits – discuss with your Referee
what this could mean, or select a "religion" from the four examples enclosed.

24 Bad Reputation. During this period, your performance failed to meet the necessary standards.
Your attempts to rectify the situation only made things worse and it was entered on your appraisal reports.
Gain a Performance Failure Record. Deduct 1 from any roll when dealing with officials and deduct -1 from
Social Standing.

25 Life and Soul. During this period, you developed in confidence with a natural skill at putting
people at ease and getting the best out of them in a social situation. Add +1 in any social situation and add
+1 to Social Standing.

26 Sworn Enemy. During this period, you managed to gain the permanent enmity of someone during
your work. You felt that you were only doing what was expected of you, but they took it personally. Gain a
sworn enemy – discuss with your Referee what this could mean.

31 Useful Contact. During this period, you were required to work closely with someone in another
field. The experience was exciting and rewarding, and you parted as firm friends. Gain a useful contact –
discuss with your Referee what this could mean

32 Misdemeanour. During this period, you were found guilty of a minor offence and were fined for
your actions. Deduct -1 from your lump sum funds roll at the end of character generation.

33 Found Your Calling. During this period, you were forced to rely on your reflexes and work with
your hands. This has had a lasting effect on you and improved your native talents. Gain 1 Dexterity.

34 Out and About. During this period, you were required to travel a lot on foot. This had a lasting
effect on you. Gain +1 Endurance.

35 Back to School. During this period, you were offered the opportunity to increase your level of
education at a noted college of learning. Gain +1 Education.

14
36 Novel Virus. During this period, you contracted a novel virus that
affected your lungs and the oxygen supply to your brain. Therapy and
treatment have restored the physical damage, but your mental faculties are
reduced. Lose -1 Intelligence.

41 Industrial Accident. During this period, you were involved in an

industrial accident with your hand that wasn't your fault. Lose -1 Dexterity.
Add +1 to your lump sum funds roll at the end of character generation.

42 Clumsy Mistake. During this period, you were involved in an

industrial accident with your arm that was your fault. Lose -1 Dexterity.
Deduct -1 to your lump sum funds roll at the end of character generation.

43 Phobic Reaction. During this period, you were so badly affected by

traumatic events that you have developed a phobic reaction to the horror you
were exposed to. Therapy and time have made your reaction manageable, but
in times of stress, the phobia can return and get worse... Discuss an
appropriate Phobia with your Referee, or select a Phobia from the four
examples enclosed.

44 Looking Odd. During this period, you picked up some kind of disfigurement or involuntary quirk of
appearance, that does not impact on your abilities in any way, but might cause people to remember you.
You can elect to keep it, or lose -1 to your lump sum funds roll at the end of character generation for
corrective surgery.

45 Body Decorations. During this period, it might have been a drunken dare, mid-life crisis, cultural
statement or lifestyle choice; you have collected some form of tattoo, piercings, decorative scars or
sclera/iris coloration that is normally visible. Deduct -1 from Social Standing when visible.

46 Responsible Choices. During this period, you decided to work hard and invest a portion of your
pay wisely. You have reaped the rewards - add +1 to your lump sum funds roll at the end of character
generation.

51 Family Estate. During this period, you receive word that a distant relative has left you title to their
Family Estate. You have no idea about the size or value at this stage, and it could be months or years before
the details are sorted out – discuss with your Referee what this could mean

52 Travel Discount. During this period, you got lucky in a local lottery. Receive a standard High
Passage ticket to your Mustering Out benefits.

53 Advanced Learning. During this period, you were sent on an advanced learning course, at a high
technology level institution. The cutting-edge teaching methods, supported by drugs bespoke to your body
chemistry, have made a lasting change – add +1 to your Intelligence.

54 Life is Too Short. During this period, you decided to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Life can be
brutal, nasty and short – or you might just be unlucky. You decided to blow most of your disposable income
on having a good time – Deduct -1 to your lump sum funds roll at the end of character generation.

55 Nasty Fracture. During this period, you sustained a life-threatening compound fracture to your
skull or major limb. Modern surgery, counselling and treatment have meant that there are no lasting
effects from this incident, but the affected bones have been replaced with metal parts that might
occasionally cause issues with security scanners or magnetic fields.

15
56 A Weapon of Choice. During this period, you managed exceptionally well in a combat situation, to
such an extent that you were gifted your Weapon of Choice in recognition of your success. Gain a specific
type of rifle or handgun, appropriate to your skills. Add 1 to any roll using it. May not be a heavy weapon.

61 Lucky Charm. During this period, you picked up a lucky charm from a local market. Immediately
following this, a series of deadly events took place in your vicinity, all of which missed you completely.
Intellectually you are not superstitious, but you are never without the charm on your person. If you don't
have it with you, you will need to Deduct -1 from dice rolls from stress, as decided by your Referee.

62 Retraining. During this period, you were required to re-train in a specific skill. As a result, you
allowed another skill to atrophy. Add a new skill (one you don't have already), and reduce a skill of your
choice that you already have by -1.

63 Boring Assignment. During this period, you were kept busy with non-challenging work you were
already familiar with. Because of this, your opportunities for professional development were limited. Only
receive one skill level bonus for this term instead of two.

64 Xenophobic Reaction. During this period, you were very badly treated by a different cultural,
societal, political or ethnic group. This has made a lasting impression on you, however unfairly. You will
always seek to avoid this group if you can, and must deduct -1 from any rolls that are not hostile to this
group when dealing with individuals in this group, due to the stress it causes you.

65 Exciting Times. During this period, you were kept busy with a wide variety of challenging work,
and were fully supported with specialist training. Because of this receive three skill level bonuses for this
term instead of two.

66 Psychic Trauma. During this period, you were so badly affected by a traumatic event or exposure
to mind-altering chemicals (or both) that your brain has been permanently affected and some latent ability
has been awakened. Gain a Psionic ability – discuss with your Referee what this could mean.

The Referee will have to exercise some judgement with regard to a player getting multiple rolls with the
same score. The first time that a score is repeated, I would simply reverse the dice order, so if a 12 was
rolled, treat it as a 21. The second time I would allow the result to be repeated if it makes sense to do so, or
merely get the player to roll again.

Long Service:
If the player elects to serve beyond 4 Terms of service, they no longer get any additional Characteristics,
but risk ageing. Roll 2D6 per Term with a score of 7+ to avoid aging effects, but with a -1 DM for each Term
over 5. With ageing, a Characteristic is reduced by 1 (player's choice). In addition, they only receive +1 Skill
per term.

Mustering Out and Pensions:

Service entitles you to 2D6 x 1,000 Cr, with a DM of -1 for each Term served under 4, and +1 for each term
served more than 4, and for each promotion (each Event roll of 10+). These may be used to purchase initial
starting equipment. After 4 Terms, you receive a Pension of Cr. 2000 per month. Each additional Term
entitles you to an extra Cr. 500 per month.

Other benefits, such as ship shares, etc., should be decided in consultation with the Referee.

16
The Millar Religion: "The Traveller's Doctrine"

This is an ideology practised mostly by Starship crew members who are followers of
"Millar". There is no central "Church" but the faith spreads by informal recruitment
from existing members and on-line forums. Millar consists of a spiritual component
(time taken for reflection and meditation) and a self-improvement component
(fitness and study in their chosen profession - as excellence is a service to all
peoples). Devotees are seen at best as highly trained and focused crew, and at worst
as muscle-bound morons insistent on petty regulations and servicing schedules.

Favourite Sayings are: "Check three times. Your life depends on it.", "A clean ship is a sign of a well-
maintained ship" and "Look after yourself or the ship's in trouble".
The Lady Luck Religion: "The Gods Play Dice"

This is a religion devoted to the Goddess of Chance. No matter how hard you try and
whatever precautions you take, there is an element of luck involved, so praying to
the Goddess can't hurt. Followed by mostly the poorer parts of society (but by no
means all), there are temples on most worlds offering cheap shelter for the "unlucky"
and it is seen as a charitable institution. Followers donate part of their pay "in the
lucky times". Devotees are seen at best as experts on risk and probabilities, and at
worst fatalistic fools who blame everything bad on fate and the Gods.

Favourite Sayings are: "Plan all you like, but don't roll snake eyes" and "I'm not sure, so let's let the dice
decide…"
The Aankh Religion: The "Gaze of Wonder"

This is a religion dedicated to contemplation and sharing of the glories of the

Universe. There is no central "Church" but well organised on-line forums. Most
systems have live or virtual seminars, and meetings in which images and experiences
are shared, usually in rented facilities such as theatres but also the meeting places of
other religions. Many devotees believe that "Jump-Space" is a sacred time for
contemplation and art "outside the Universe". Devotees are seen at best as some of
the most artistic people around, and at worst "image-junkies" who spend all their
time in Jump, painting awful pictures of Gas Giants.

Favourite Sayings are: "Take time in your busy day, to just WONDER." and "Carry a recorder, the Universe
surprises you."
The Triquetra Religion: "Be True to Yourself and Others"

This is a faith-based religion based on the study of "The Book of Unity" written by the
High Lord Channon and translated and amplified over the decades. It preaches ethics
and fairness in all things, but most especially in business. Many devotees aspire to
become Judges and Arbitrators with a reputation for even-handed and honest
dealings. Most despise politics and politicians for the compromises they make. Many
businesses have shrines to the High Lord, even if this is probably more for show, than
devotion. Devotees are seen at best as utterly ethical and trustworthy, and at worst
pompous inflexible idiots who don't understand the real universe.

Favourite Sayings are: "Business is all about trust, but have a contract.", "My word is my contract and a
holy bond." and "Fairness is next to Godliness."

17
Monophobia – The Fear of Being Alone

The universe is a scary place and there is nothing worse than being abandoned. If
you are separated from the others (out of sight), you will suffer a deduction to dice
rolls from anxiety if you don't check in on them by radio or by catching sight of them
every so often.

If your partner is wounded or you end up in a dark place, you won’t leave the others for more than a few
minutes. You will suffer additional deductions to dice rolls from anxiety if separated, and will try to head
back to the team. If things get really bad, you won’t leave your team for any reason. If anyone is badly
hurt, you will try to stay with them.

Hemophobia – The Fear of Blood

The sight of the thick red liquid, the stuff of life, is truly terrifying. You see any blood;
you will suffer a deduction to dice rolls from anxiety. You will move carefully avoiding
having to touch it.

If anyone in the team is wounded, you will suffer additional deductions from dice
rolls from anxiety if you can see any blood. You avoid them if possible and feel a little faint. If there is a
lot of blood, you will probably throw up. If you are wounded and bleeding yourself, you cannot move and
suffer will suffer additional deductions from dice rolls. You cannot bandage yourself or give first aid. You
will start crying hysterically and calling for help.

Algophobia – The Fear of Pain

Soldiers get killed all the time and that isn’t so bad, but the thought of living with
pain and agony is horrifying. If anyone nearby is wounded and cries in pain, you will
suffer a deduction to dice rolls from anxiety if you can see or hear them.

You will take the best cover if there is any shooting and prefer to engage from
maximum range. If anyone in your team is wounded, you will suffer additional deductions to dice rolls
from anxiety if they are in earshot or you can see them in pain. You are happy to medicate them with
morphine or anything to shut them up. If things get really bad, you won’t leave cover if there is any
shooting, and will avoid close combat at all costs.

Vertigo – The Fear of High Places

The thought of falling is the true horror. If you have to move to a high place, or have
to step out onto the hull of a ship in space, you will suffer a deduction to dice rolls
from anxiety. You will move slowly and carefully, using your hands and feet
together, and are obsessed about the correct use of safety tethers.

Moving down a steep slope, or over a narrow bridge (or one where you can see the drop below you) is
almost impossible without sitting or crawling, unless there is a guide rail or someone helping/distracting
you. You suffer will suffer additional deductions to dice rolls from anxiety, and won’t lean over any
balconies. If things get really bad, you won’t climb anything that isn’t enclosed and over 2m high unless
helped. You won’t go near any drops, windows or steep slopes, and will suffer additional deductions to
dice rolls if you do. You are utterly terrified of just the thought of floating free in space, even with a
safety tether.

18
Specialty
The player should select a specialty for their character and roll for acceptance in the career. Each specialty
presents different dangers and offers slightly different selections of skills.
In order to be accepted, roll the target number or more on 2D6, using the bonus given by the listed
characteristic as a positive DM.
Corporate:
Corporate bounty hunters are retained by large corporations to track down delinquent clients or to hunt
criminals preying on their assets. Corporations tend to be selective about their personnel and discourage
changing specialties.
• Once a character has chosen to be a Corporate Bounty Hunter, they may only change their
specialty to Freelancer.
• If a character receives the cascade skill Sciences, they are required to select the sub-skill Social
Sciences: this is noted in brackets in the skill table.
Repossession Man:
Repo Men work for organizations specializing in recovering large material items, typically starships but also
valuable items such as vehicles, tools or equipment, or even works of art.
• When checking whether the character can continue in the career, if the player rolls at least two
above the required roll they may change their current specialty to any other specialty with a rank
system. They retain their current rank within the new specialty.
Skip Tracer:
Skip tracers work for organizations that specialize in tracking down fugitives and returning them to the
authorities.
• When checking whether the character can continue in the career, if the player rolls at least two
above the required roll they may change their current specialty to any other specialty with a rank
system. They retain their current rank within the new specialty.
Freelancer:
Freelance bounty hunters have substantial freedom to choose their bounties, but do not have the
resources of a large parent organization to back them up
• A character may freely choose to change their specialty to a Freelance Bounty Hunter if their
Continue roll is successful for any specialty.
• Other organizations tend to distrust individuals who "do things their own way": adhering to
protocol and following the rules is important. Once a character has chosen to be a Freelance
Bounty Hunter, they may not change their specialty.

Promotion and Advancement

A character begins at rank 0 (support staff). They may only be promoted to Junior Agent or Probie once.
Once they have received a promotion from a staff position, they may roll for advancement in their career
once per term, including the term in which they received their initial promotion.
Characters who retire from Corporate, Repo Man or Skip Tracer as a specialty are eligible for a pension.

19
 Career Resolution

Career Progress

Specialty Corporate Repo Man Skip Tracer Freelancer

Acceptance Int 6+ Edu 6+ Edu 6+ Int 8+
-1 DM for each previous career (cumulative)
+1 DM (only) if any previous career was Agent, Army, Marines, Navy or Scouts

Survival Edu 6+ Int 5+ Int 6+ End 7+

Promotion Soc 6+ Dex 5+ Int 6+ —
Advancement Edu 6+ End 5+ Edu 6+ —
Continue 5+ 5+ 5+ 4+
Consider changing specialty.
At the end of the term, immediately before the Continue roll, the player may roll on the Term Events table
(see below). This has no particular effect on the character's career but gives an overall flavour to the term
of service.

Bounty Hunter Ranks

Rank Corporate Repo Man Skip Tracer Freelancer

0 Support Officer Support Officer Support Officer Agent
1 Junior Agent Probie Probie —
2 Field Agent Staff Agent Staff Agent —
3 Senior Agent Senior Agent Senior Agent —
4 Supervisor Supervisor Supervisor —
5 Assistant Director Assistant Director Assistant Director —
6 Department Director Director Director —

Career Benefits
Auto Skills by Career and Rank Roll Cash Material
All specialties Gun Combat-1 1 10,000 Mid Passage
Assistant Director Advocate-1 2 20,000 Armour
3 30,000 Weapon
4 40,000 +1 Int
5 60,000 +1 Edu
6 80,000 High Passage
7 100,000 Ship

20
Skill Tables
Skills listed in Bold are cascade skills: the player should immediately choose the appropriate skill.

Personal Development

Roll Corporate Repo Man Skip Tracer Freelancer

1 +1 End +1 Dex +1 Dex +1 Str
2 +1 Int +1 End +1 End +1 Dex
3 +1 Edu +1 Int +1 Int +1 End
4 +1 Soc +1 Edu +1 Edu +1 Int
5 Admin Athletics Admin Athletics
6 Melee Combat Melee Combat Melee Combat Melee Combat

Service Skills

Roll Corporate Repo Man Skip Tracer Freelancer

1 Computer Computer Computer Computer
2 Liaison Liaison Liaison Recon
3 Streetwise Streetwise Streetwise Streetwise
4 Admin Electronics Bribery Liaison
5 Bribery Admin Carousing Gambling
6 Vehicle Vehicle Vehicle Vehicle

Specialist Skills

Roll Corporate Repo Man Skip Tracer Freelancer

1 Vehicle Pilot Streetwise Vehicle
2 Gun Combat Navigation Melee Combat Jack of Trades
3 Carousing Engineering Athletics Gun Combat
4 Advocate Mechanical Gambling Electronics
5 Liaison Gunnery Jack of Trades Streetwise
6 Zero-G Zero-G Gun Combat Zero-G

Advanced Education Skills

(Available only to characters with Education 8+)

Roll Corporate Repo Man Skip Tracer Freelancer

1 Medical Medical Medical Medical
2 Advocate Comms Recon Animals
3 Linguistics Gun Combat Linguistics Pilot
4 Jack of Trades Computer Streetwise Navigation
5 Leadership Jack of Trades Liaison Engineering
6 Sciences (Social) Admin Zero-G Gunnery

21
Term Events
Roll 1D6 on the table below to determine significant events that occur during the term. These provide
nothing except colour and background.

Roll Corporate Repo Man Skip Tracer Freelancer

1 Conflict Training Training Training
2 Offworld Service Offworld Service Field Work Civil Unrest
3 Uneventful Organized Crime Uneventful Uneventful
4 Field Work Uneventful Organized Crime Organized Crime
5 Audited New Laws Civil Unrest Audited
6 Corporate Merger Conflict Conflict New Laws

Audited
Government authorities demand that documentation and paperwork must be provided. Accounts, records,
receipts, and invoices are scrutinized and those guilty of wrongdoing are prosecuted.

Civil Unrest
Economic uncertainty strikes the area and many suffer hardship. Workers strike to end poor working
conditions and secure better wages but the disruption is widespread. Political movements gain power and
extreme points of view begin to become mainstream.

Conflict
The region in which the character operates experiences armed conflict, either from rebellious dissidents or
through military action against another nation.

Corporate Merger
The company gets a new name, the management is replaced, and new procedures are implemented.

Field Work
Very little time is spent behind a desk.

New Laws
New civil and criminal codes come into force as a result of government legislation. These change the
working practises of bounty hunters and cause ongoing issues with law enforcement authorities.

Offworld Service
A significant amount of time is spent offworld, either working aboard a spacecraft or on the surface of
another planet.

Organized Crime
Criminal elements exert their influence. Gangs run the streets, corrupt officials are brought off, and
underworld organizations control a network of businesses that serve as fronts for their activities.

Training
An unusually large amount of time is spent attending seminars, taking part in training courses, and gaining
necessary certifications and approvals.

Uneventful
The term is quiet. An election happens, a celebrity gets married. Life continues.

22
Chasers Incorporated is a bounty hunting agency based in the city of Leedo, in the United Provinces region
of Caliban. It has local offices in major cities across the world.

Commercial Competencies

• Fugitive recovery and holding

• Asset recovery and holding
• Tracing
• Commercial security services

Organisation

The Company is governed by a Board of Directors that is overseen by a President elected from among their
number. It is run by the Chief Executive Officer, the flamboyant Jack Chase, who is the face of the company
and answers to the board. The operational side of the business is controlled by a Chief Operating Officer
while administrative functions are managed by an Executive Vice President. The Board of Directors and
senior executive staff work in the interests of (and are answerable to) the company's shareholders and
investors.

The company is divided into a number of separate departments which are grouped into an operations
division and an administration division. Both divisions work closely with one another and departments
actively cooperate.

23
Operations includes a large Investigations Department (pursuing individuals), a much smaller Repossessions
Department, (specializing in reclaiming property such as vehicles and starships), and a Holding Facilities
Department (including cells, low berth storage, and secure berths for vessels). Administration includes a
Records Office, an extensive Legal Department, and an Accounting Department that includes an
independent Audit Office.

Each department is overseen by a Director and run by an Assistant Director and Supervisors, who oversee
individual teams of agents. An extensive Public Relations Department ensures that the company's image
remains positive.

The company is unusual in that it signs on former Freelancers, though the accounting department keeps a
closer eye on them than others: the CEO, Jack Chase, was a freelance hunter for many years before
founding the company. Chasers Inc is happy to employ teams as well as individuals.

Company Offices

The head office is located on the outskirts of Leedo on Caliban. As well as the main administrative
complexes its headquarters includes a corporate retreat and a number of executive villas where business
and meetings may be undertaken in complete privacy, or where specific individuals may be held. The CEO
uses one of these villas as his private residence.

Local offices are large complexes of buildings that are run by a Regional Director and serve as bases for
agents. All include secure holding facilities and an administrative centre, and they typically also have
private offices and interview rooms for agents, vehicle garages and hard standing, and a PR office. Local
offices are found in all the larger cities on Caliban, including Leedo.

Employment

Chasers Inc takes on bounty hunters on a self-employment basis. Bounty hunters who join the agency sign
a declaration that they will obey its rules and regulations, follow local laws, and not bring the name of the
company into bad repute. They elect whether they will join the Department of Investigations or the
Department of Repossessions and are issued an agent number and a badge. Agents provide their own
weapons and equipment, including Starships.

The company collates bounty warrants issued by courts and authorities and makes them available to its
agents, in the form of dossiers, via the records office (cultivating a friend in records could perhaps help a
few choice dossiers pass the character's way early). An agent is free to pick and choose which warrant they
pursue. Usually, but not always, there is a gentleman's agreement between agents that they won't go after
each other's bounty.

20% of the listed bounty value must be handed over to the company before any expenses or costs
are considered. This is a flat, non-negotiable fee.

In return the agent or team receives full liability insurance, comprehensive medical coverage, the backing
of the company’s legal department, and they can call on the records office to assist them in finding
additional information. In addition, all local income taxes are covered. Detained targets can be delivered to
company holding facilities at local offices, where responsibility for them can be formally relinquished and
the bounty payment may be claimed.

The Regional Directors and Assistant Directors of local offices maintain good relations with governmental
authorities and law enforcement. If things get really difficult, these senior staff may be able to use their
influence to assist agents.

Agents who try and cheat the company will be thoroughly audited. Very thoroughly indeed.

24
25
A warrant is a legal document allowing an individual to be arrested or equipment (such as a vehicle or a
ship) to be seized. Each warrant has a bounty attached to it: this is a fee in Credits payable to whoever
returns the target to the authority.

A Bounty Warrant is more commonly referred to simply as a Bounty.

Bounties are issued by a court of law and are considered legal within a restricted area, generally defined as
an area subject to a local law level. This area of jurisdiction may be the surface of a world, a region of
interplanetary or interstellar space, or within the boundaries of an interstellar state.

Bounties are not normally issued for individuals who are suspected of crimes, except where the local
authorities support such actions: apprehending such individuals is the usually work of an official police
force.

Rather, Bounties are applied to individuals who have been arrested and awaiting trial, or convicted of a
crime in a legally recognised court, but have failed to attend court, failed to pay the court awarded
restitution, or escaped custody and not paid for their wrongdoings. It is also possible that their trial and
conviction may have happened in their absence and outside the court’s normal jurisdiction.

Types of Warrant
There are four types of warrant: Local Warrants, Interstellar Warrants, Corporate Warrants, and Polity
Warrants.

Issuing Authority

A local warrant is most commonly offered by a world’s government, but may be issued by any authority
that has some recognised power to pass legal judgment and extract legal restitution against the target (in
effect, it exerts a law level over a certain area). Examples may include religious councils, minor nobles, a
revolutionary or splinter regime, an autonomous region, or an independent agency acting as an interim
government authority.

Interstellar warrants may be issued by trade authorities, shipping associations, merchant guilds, subsector
governors, powerful nobles, or mercenary organisations operating as a local patrol force. Corporate
warrants are issued by companies or businesses, usually in association with another power such as an
individual world government, an interstellar organisation, or a polity. Polity warrants are issued by an
interstellar state.

The exact nature of the issuing authority is left to the discretion of the referee in order to allow better
integration into their own game. Generally, the target should be returned to the issuing authority.

Local Warrant

A local warrant is a legal order for the apprehension of an individual or the seizure of items or equipment. It
is issued by an individual world and enables a bounty hunter to pursue and arrest the target anywhere
within the legal jurisdiction of the warrant (generally on the surface of the world that issued the warrant).
On balkanized worlds, the bounty hunter may operate anywhere within the territory of the nation issuing
the warrant. A target who can get to a starport, to sanctuary of some kind, get off world (beyond low orbit,
the outer edge of the atmosphere), or cross a border into a foreign nation, is beyond the jurisdiction of the
warrant.

• As a rule, anywhere where the world's law level is enforced is within the remit of a local warrant.

26
• A local warrant may be recognised within the territory of other nations on balkanized worlds if they
have legal agreements (extradition treaties) with the issuing nation. Such inter-nation agreements are left
to the discretion of the referee.

• The vast majority of issued bounty warrants are local warrants.

Interstellar Warrant

An interstellar warrant is a legal order for the apprehension of an individual, or the seizure of items or
equipment, within areas not under the jurisdiction of a local law level. It MAY allow a target to be pursued
within extraterritorial areas of a world such as a starport. A target who can get to an area with a local law
level is beyond the jurisdiction of the warrant.

• Interstellar warrants are recognised by starports on a case-by-case basis.

• Interstellar warrants are most commonly issued for the recovery of spacecraft.

Corporate Warrant

A corporate warrant is a legal order for the apprehension of an individual or the seizure of items or
equipment within areas or facilities directly administered by a corporation or its subsidiaries, or within
territories that have legal agreements with the corporation. Corporate warrants also function in a
comparable manner to Interstellar warrants, allowing for the apprehension of the target within areas not
under the jurisdiction of a local law level.

• Corporate Warrants are usually available only to individuals retained as corporate bounty hunters,
though some bigger corporate bounties may be made available to outside agencies. As a rule, these tend to
be for the capture of more capable targets, with skills or resources beyond the capabilities of the
corporation’s in-house assets.

• The warrant grants the bounty hunter full freedoms within corporate holdings, though there are
generally some restrictions, mostly to do with safety concerns and things like corporate secrets (such as a
room holding a special recipe for a blend of herbs and spices).

A lower than predicted return from a cargo, some expensive disaster aboard, unexpected costs,
poor judgement, or sheer bad luck, there are a thousand ways in which a Captain can fall behind
on their payments. A few - a very few - can make up the shortfall and arrange a new schedule
with their financiers. But most run, hoping against hope that they'll stay ahead of their creditors
until they somehow break even. Of course, they can't, and that's where we come in. We find
them and we bring them back. They fail. We don't.
Molen Karr, Field Agent, Citadel Assured Recoveries

Polity Warrant

A polity warrant is a legal order issued by a polity (an interstellar state) for the apprehension of an
individual or the seizure of items or equipment anywhere within its territory. It must be respected by all
member worlds of the polity, as well as any ports or extraterritorial regions within that polity. Other polities
may have diplomatic agreements in place that recognise the validity of the warrant within their controlled
interstellar space, though worlds within their territory may not have to respect the warrant.

• The target may be pursued anywhere within the polity, including on mainworlds or secondary
worlds with local law levels, on uninhabited planets with no laws, and in space.

27
• Polity Warrants are powerful legal documents that grant the bearer
sweeping powers.

• They are exceptionally rare and only issued for the most dangerous of
targets.

Warrant Format

An electronic copy of the warrant can be downloaded onto any personal data unit
and either displayed on a screen or transmitted to another computer or
communicator. The warrant can even be printed as hardcopy with an embedded
code to permit it to be confirmed electronically.

• Signatures and seals can be verified and reproduced automatically, with

embedded security features and codes that prove the document is real and not a
forgery.

"Wanted" posters, usually bearing an image of the target, may be posted in public
places such as government offices, starport entries and exits, or police stations.

Starport Authorities

Why do they agree to honour the warrant?

Agreements to respect warrants may be written into interstellar commerce and trade agreements that the
port authority is signatory to. The port authority may receive a stipend to cover any expenses or
administrative fees that may be incurred. An armed military force (such as a space patrol) may require
recognition of warrants as part of their ongoing role in the suppression of piracy, smuggling, or transporting
illegal cargo in the local area. A warrant may be respected in order to give the port an appearance of
lawfulness and trustworthiness, thus promoting it as a safe haven for honest traders and merchants.

All paperwork must be in good order for a target to be pursued within a port’s territory, and the bounty
hunter is under strict restrictions and regulations while working within the port. A port may refuse to
acknowledge the validity of the warrant, usually over some technicality in the paperwork, though some
ports may simply refuse to recognise any warrant at all: in such cases pursuing the target within the port's
territory is not allowed.

Starports: Dice Rolls

Deal with warrants within a starport on a case-by-case basis:

Roll 8+ on 2D6 to determine if the port respects the warrant

DM+3 for an A class port
DM+2 for a B class port
DM+1 for a C Class Port

The character may attempt to use either Bribery skill (paying "immediate administrative fees" of 2D6
x Cr100) or Admin skill (at the cost of a few hours of time) to modify the starport roll, at a difficulty
of the referee’s choice. Success indicates the warrant is honoured, though with certain restrictions.
Failure indicates that the paperwork is not in order, or that there is some obscure technicality that
prevents execution of the warrant.

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Obeying The Law

Entering premises without official documents may be illegal – roll law level or less on 2D6 for official
documents to be needed. If documents are required, entering private premises without them (or without
permission from the owner or occupier) is illegal. Breaking the law to detain the target will likely void the
bounty warrant.

Local law enforcement officers may take an interest in the bounty warrant – in some areas they may be
able to receive a substantial bonus if they can capture the target before the bounty hunters. Police officers
may not take kindly to bounty hunters in their area and may try to get rid of them, perhaps harassing them
(officers demanding to see documentation on multiple occasions), or even attempting to run them out of
town.

If the target is particularly dangerous or poses a significant threat, law enforcement may deputise the
characters to hunt them down, or even act as backup for the characters as they make an arrest. It is up to
the referee how this affects the bounty that the characters receive.

Yeah, down here. No, here! Looks like I'm calling the shots now, Big Man. So how about you drop
the gun and spread 'em, real nice and slow. Good. Didn't see that coming? No-one ever does.
Torko "Shorty" Calsican, Recovery Agent, PTC LLC

Value of the Bounty

Roll 1D3 on the table below to randomly determine the value of the bounty.

• DM+1 if the target is the subject of an Interstellar Bounty

• DM+3 if the target is the subject of a Corporate Bounty
• DM+5 if the target is the subject of a Polity Bounty

The referee is free to choose the value of the bounty, using that as a guideline to establish the sort of
warrant it is covered by and the relative power and abilities of the target.

Value of the Bounty Table

Roll Target Power Bounty Offered Resources Allies Hunters

1 Very weak 1D6 x Cr1000 Personal None 1D6-4
2 Weak 1D6 x Cr2000 Personal, vehicle 1 1D6-3
3 Average 1D6 x Cr10,000 Base, vehicle 1D3 1D3-1
4 Capable 1D6 x Cr20,000 Base, vehicle 1D3+3 1D3
5 Strong 1D6 x Cr50,000 Large base, vehicle 1D6+6 1D6
6 Powerful 1D6 x Cr100,000 Organization Multiple 1D6+1
7 Very powerful 1D6 x Cr200,000 Large organization Multiple 1D6+2
8 Extremely Powerful 1D6 x Cr500,000 Polity Polity 1D6+3

Target Power is a descriptor to indicate the relative capabilities of the individual being sought. It generally
indicates their level of their backup and support but can also provide insights into their personal skills and
abilities.

A target’s power may also indicate the kinds of crimes that they have committed. Very weak and weak
targets are unlikely to have committed a serious criminal offence, instead perhaps have incurred debts or
are facing a short prison sentence for misdemeanours. Average or capable targets may have copious

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amounts of debt or committed a more serious offence of some kind. Powerful targets may have committed
numerous very serious criminal offenses.

The Bounty Offered is the posted credit value on the bounty warrant for returning the target alive and
healthy enough to face the consequences of being brought into custody. For the value placed on a
spacecraft or starships, please see “The Economics of Bounty Hunting” on page 7 above.

Resources indicates the sort of equipment and physical support the target may have access to. On the most
basic level this might be little more than clothing and a personal weapon. Generally, it will include a vehicle
(which could be a spacecraft or starship depending on the type of warrant) and often includes a base of
some kind – this may simply be a house, a workshop, a garage, a clubhouse, a bar, an office, or a landing
bay, but it could be a fortified redoubt, a historic castle, or any other compound or structure the referee
feels are appropriate.

Some targets have considerable resources available to them. These may

include an organization such as street toughs or a biker gang, a crime
syndicate, a company or corporation, a mercenary force, space pirates, a law
enforcement agency, or a government bureau. They may hold power in a
community or a small state, they may have a high rank within the armed
forces and have significant military assets or starships at their command. At
the most extreme, they may hold a position of power within a polity (an
interstellar state) and are able to harness its considerable resources to
further their ends.

Allies indicates the amount of social support the target can call on for
assistance. These allies may be friends, family, colleagues, or henchmen, or
hired professional bodyguards. The target may know important officials such
as police officers or politicians, or be able to call upon the assistance of
criminals or nobles (who can make things happen). Allies may indicate the
size of the crew of a vessel. Multiple indicates substantial numbers of
individuals, generally outnumbering the characters by 5 to 1 or more. This
may indicate entire military units or squadrons of ships, and in the case of polities entire armies or fleets.

Hunters indicates the number of other bounty hunters actively attempting to detain the target. Less moral
members of the profession may attempt to take the target from the characters by guile or force if they get
them first. The referee is encouraged to play Hunters as wild cards, using them to disrupt plans and upset
schedules, to put time pressure on the characters as they search for the target, perhaps alerting the target
as they blunder about, or maybe even capturing the target themselves (see Taking Too Long, below, for
additional details). A result of 0 or less when determining the number of bounty hunters indicates that the
characters are the only ones pursuing the target.

Referee’s Information

The information provided in the Value of a Bounty table, above, is a guideline only. The referee may mix it
up to give more varied results, or to give results that provide a better storyline.

For example, a former government assassin is considered a powerful foe and commands a bounty
Cr200,000. However, the referee decides that they have average resources and allies: they have trust issues
and work alone, relying on items of advanced technology as well as their incredible personal skill set to
evade capture. This allows them to slip away, fight against overwhelming odds, cause effective distractions
(such as calling in local law enforcement en masse), adopt disguises, and giving them the ability to easily
escape from custody.

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Tracing

It is often necessary to find the target, which means gathering information and data about them and
actively searching: this process is called tracing. A target is defined as an individual, a group, a ship, or an
item named in the bounty. Most commonly, tracing uses Streetwise skill or Admin skill.

Using the Information

The basic concept is to gather enough information to pinpoint the target, in order to try and make an arrest
or to take possession of an item.

Tracing provides a process for this. The information it gives is deliberately broad: the referee is encouraged
to use it as a foundation to add colour and detail, perhaps using it to add twists to the plot and depth and
complexity to the situation.

Information gathered is divided into two types: "Official Sources" and "Hearsay Sources": these should be
combined with Gathered Information, below, to give varied and interesting rumours and leads.

"Always look for the Judas. Someone... friend, family, colleague, acquaintance... someone will
have a vested interest in turning them in, whether it be through moral obligation, for revenge or
spite, to set them straight, or for personal financial gain".
Nero Devon, Senior Field Agent for Recovery, Inc.

Existing Information

Bounty Hunters will have access to a dossier describing the target. It includes details such as images, their
physical description, their skills, their career progress to date, and notes their crimes and misdemeanours.
It may describe a ship, detailing its appearance, structure, and performance. The dossier generally also
provides basic background data such as the targets last known address or a preferred docking bay at a port,
the names of relatives such as parents, their current employer, or a known trading route. This dossier is
considered to be an Official Source of information.

Official Sources state facts in clear terms, giving precise details that can be verified and cross-referenced.
While they may contain incorrect information (misleading or dishonest details may have been entered onto
official records) they are generally dependable. The data may be months or years old and as such may be
out of date. Generally, specific points within the data cannot be queried: the information contains what it
contains, nothing more.

Official sources may include correspondence and communications (written letters), voice or video
communications, or electronic correspondence. Identity cards, licenses, census data, polling details, or
voting registration may offer insights. Information may be got from wage slips, benefits payments,
insurance claims, financial statements, and demands and legal notices. Receipts, invoices, and bills may
provide insight into habits and patterns, as may club or society membership. Medical records and career
details may be available. There may be news stories regarding the target.

Hearsay Sources are less dependable. Memories may be fuzzy, recalled details may be wrong, and the
information gained may be vague or misleading. Information may be deliberately dishonest if someone is
trying to shield or protect the target. It does, however, tend to be fairly immediate and up to date (unless

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of course details about the target’s history are sought). The investigator may be able to press the source of
information for further details or ask for clarifications on certain points.

Hearsay sources may come from parents, siblings, children, or other more distant relatives. Information
may originate with friends, gossipy neighbours, casual acquaintances, or work colleagues. Former comrades
may be able to offer insights. Merchants, traders, bartenders, or serving staff may recall the target, as may
workers such as technicians. Officials such as police officers or starport staff may have encountered them.
Drivers or delivery persons may recall them. Kids playing, barflies, or down-and-outs may have noticed
them. Prostitutes or underground suppliers may have met with them. They may be being sought by petty
criminals or debt collectors, who may not like the idea of having competition.

Locations

Gathering information identifies locations where the target is likely to be or is known to frequent. This
allows the characters to intercept and detain the target.

Locations may include their current home, an address where they are staying, an official forwarding
address, a postal box or secure drop location, a vehicle parking lot, or a lockup storage unit. It may be a
hotel or boarding house, their place of employment or a location where they volunteer. They may attend a
school or college or a church or temple. They may have preferred bars, pubs, clubs, or restaurants, or shop
regularly at certain stores and boutiques. They may be members of gyms or libraries, or relax at theatres,
entertainment centers, or parks. They may frequent a sporting venue.

When tracing a vessel, information might include the target following a known trading route or a filed flight
plan, always using a certain bay within a starport, or having refuelling preferences such as purchasing
refined fuel or skimming a gas giant. It may provide schedules regarding maintenance or contracts to
deliver cargoes to specific locations. It may reveal some kind of notable sensor signature emitted by the
ship, allowing the vessel to be more easily located.

You can run, but Tracker will get you! Hide yourself away, she'll sniff you out of your bolthole. Try
to get away, she's hot on your heels. She's relentless, she's unstoppable. And she's on your trail.
Jane Tracker, Freelance Hunter.

Data Gathering

The primary skills for gathering additional information are Admin and Streetwise.

Admin skill (paired with Education) may be used to go through records and information and extract
relevant data from it. Admin is a relatively danger-free method of gathering data.

This data may be provided in an electronic format, in the form of memory storage devices or contained
within a data-packed virtual computer network. Alternatively, it may be in the form of printed data (held in
a records archive or a library). Use of Admin skill will mostly yield Official Sources of information.

Streetwise skill (paired with Intelligence) allows the character to operate within an inhabited area and
interact with its population in order to gain information and insights. Streetwise inherently carries more
dangers than Admin.

Using the skill involves checking locations associated with the target, listening in on conversations,
discreetly observing individuals and routines, and asking questions, all without arousing undue suspicion.
Using the skill involves moving around a neighbourhood, watching, listening, entering premises, and
conversing with people. Streetwise skill will mostly yield Hearsay Sources of information.

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 Other skills may become relevant while doing research. It is suggested that they only be used occasionally,
in order to add variety and interest to the process of information gathering.

Computer skill (paired with Intelligence) may be used to track the location of devices such as vehicle
transponders or to pinpoint locator signals from communicators. It may be used to uncover hard to find
electronic data or gain access to restricted or protected data. It can be used to access sensor data, such as
footage from security cameras. Computers can also be used to browse social networks, which are very
much Hearsay Sources.

It is possible to get access to multiple sensors (typically cameras) in various locations. Switching between
them may allow the investigator to track a target as they move between their various fields of view. This
would qualify as an Official Source of information.

Carousing skill (paired with Social) may be used to create an air of bonhomie and good cheer, often via
drinks and intoxicants, snacks, wit and humour, and entertainment. It may be used to court individuals or
groups identified by the use of Streetwise skill. In a relaxed environment people tend to let their guard
down and may let slip additional snippets of info. Carousing will almost exclusively yield Hearsay Sources.

Liaison skill (paired with Education) may be used to gain additional information from officials or those in
authority encountered while using Admin skill. Typically, the character will gain access to new sources of
data or gain a useful technical insight. Information may also be garnered from informal chatter, perhaps
around the water cooler or in the canteen, or from gossip heard over internal communications. Liaison
typically gives Official Sources, but any overheard gossip is likely a Hearsay Source.

Establishing Identity

It is likely that the target will adopt an alibi, a false name, or adopt a new identity, and will use that rather
than the name given in the warrant. If this is the case, the characters should attempt to positively identify
the target as their first act of information gathering: no other reliable information can be determined until
the target’s identity is firmly established.

Depending on how good the fake identity is, the referee may choose to make the task harder (perhaps
setting the difficulty one or two levels higher than the amount of research done would normally produce).

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A successful search for information indicates that the target’s real identity has been established, or that the
fake identity or false name they are currently using has discovered. If it is failed, the task may be retried as
often as desired, but the consequences of Taking Too Long (see below) should be kept in mind.

Specific Subject

The player may decide to search for a specific subject such as an address: this increases the difficulty by one
level but does not change the amount of time it takes. If successful, the first piece of relevant information
gained will give information on the chosen subject (provided that the info exists in the first place). Any
additional information gained should be randomly determined.

Difficulty Level
Generally, the more thorough the research, the more information it yields.

The player states the level of detail they wish their character to go into, which gives a difficulty level, an
amount of time the research takes, and the costs involved. Refer to the Cepheus Engine rules for further
information,

Level of Detail Difficulty Time Increments / Descriptive Cost

Exhaustive research and referencing
Easy (1D6+1) x 12 Hours / a couple of days 2D6 x Cr200
Extensive surveillance
Detailed study and research
Routine (1D6+1) x 6 Hours / a day 2D6 x Cr200
Thorough observation
Basic study and cross-referencing
Average (1D6+1) x 1 Hour / half a day 2D6 x Cr100
Basic questioning and legwork
Referencing obvious sources
Difficult (1D6+1) x 30 Minutes / a few hours 1D6 x Cr100
Following a few clear leads
Perfunctory study, skimming data
Very Difficult (1D6+1) x 10 Minutes / under an hour 1D6 x Cr100
Asking around in likely locations

Time and Expense

Time increments are given, but it is suggested that the passage of time is kept vague (after a couple of days
rather than 48 hours, the whole afternoon rather than 6 hours, about half an hour rather than 30 minutes).
This vagueness fits with the imprecise and non-scheduled nature of information gathering. The process can
be reversed, with the player stating the broad amount of time or the amount of effort they wish to take
and the referee judging the difficulty accordingly.

The time increments given provide sufficient time to retrieve the necessary information, observe things,
move around an area, or interact meaningfully with individuals.

Costs are kept equally vague and generalised into a single overall amount. They include charges for access
to databases, site registration fees, prices for printing out hardcopy, snacks and sodas, dining and
entertainment costs, bar bills, tips, buying someone a beverage, or giving a few coins to a down-and-out or
an observant kid.

Taking Too Long

If the characters take too long over information gathering the target may be alerted that they are being
sought. They may go to ground, try and disappear, or flee to somewhere beyond the warrant’s jurisdiction.
This will make tracking them down again substantially more difficult and may make detaining them
impossible.

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It is common for more than one bounty hunter to pursue a bounty: if the characters spend too long
researching, there is a real chance another agent could swoop in and try to take the target. Having other
bounty hunters actively involved lends a sense of urgency to the search.

If the characters are struggling to find the target, it may be possible to follow or track other bounty hunters
who have had more luck in their attempts at tracing. If the target manages to somehow evade or escape
from these other hunters, it may be possible for the characters to intercede and claim the target (and the
bounty) for themselves. The other bounty hunters are unlikely to take this lying down: see the notes on
Hunters under Value of the Bounty, above.

Making the Roll

The target number for success is 8 or more on 2D6.

• The roll may be made once the appropriate time has passed.
• Add all appropriate positive and negative DMs.

Levels of Success

An expanded results table is provided below:

Total Score Level of Success Outcome

2 or less Exceptional Failure No relevant information is gained. The character faces an
immediate hazard.
7 or less Failure No relevant information is gained. A character using
Streetwise faces an immediate hazard.
8 or more Success 1 piece of relevant information is gained.
11 or more Notable Success 2 pieces of relevant information are gained.
14 or more Exceptional Success 3 pieces of relevant information are gained.

Immediate Hazards

A character using Admin may get thrown out of an archive or data center and is perhaps roughly handled
by security on the way out (consider inflicting 1D6 damage to a random characteristic). They may be denied
further access to the archive or lose an item of personal equipment (weapons or a computer confiscated).

A character using Streetwise may get into a shouting match or a scuffle or a find themselves on the wrong
end of hired security (consider inflicting 1D6 damage to a random characteristic). They may draw the
attention of local law enforcement (who may have an interest in the bounty) or run afoul of a street gang
or organised crime. They may lose an item of personal equipment such as a weapon or communicator.

Information Types
Roll 1D6 to randomly determine the kind of information that the character has obtained. The referee is
encouraged to keep in mind the origin of the information: is it an Official Source or a Hearsay Source, and
as such how dependable is it?

For example, the characters are trying to find the current residence of a target. A recently dated fully
addressed tax demand drawn from a government data archive might produce the same information as a
snot-nosed street kid who noticed the target going in and out of a certain property every day. The players
must judge which source they trust most. If both official and hearsay sources provide matching
information, all the better.

The referee should combine the information gained from the tables below with the notes and details
contained within Types of Gathered Information, above.
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1. Residence

The information gives an address or abode for the target.

This may be the current address of the target, the address of an acquaintance with whom the target is
staying, a hotel or boarding house where the target has taken a room, or the location where their vehicle is
currently parked up. The target may have a forwarding address, or information about the target’s residence
may also be gained from identity cards, licenses, legal notices, polling forms, or official notifications. Useful
information may be included in port records, including fee and charges incurred by a vessel. Less commonly
it may be a defined region of a worlds surface, a district within a town or city, an isolated community where
the target has connections, a compound deep in the wilderness, or a particular part of the starport. The
target may have no fixed abode at all.

2. Locale

The information provides a particular location, other than their current residence, that the target frequents
on a regular basis.

This may be the place where the target works if they have a regular job, a favoured bar or drinking
establishment, a club, a preferred store or a particular restaurant or diner, a public park, a data library, a
gym, or a large shopping mall. It may be a warehouse or lot where they have some sort of interest. It may
be a hospital where they or an ill associate are receiving treatment, a gambling establishment or casino
with underworld connections, or a pool hall, holographic suite, or other suitably shady form of
entertainment or social centre.

3. Acquaintances

The information names and locates a relative, friend, or casual acquaintance who may have useful
information regarding the target.

The target may visit the acquaintance or keep in regular contact with them via communications, perhaps
providing clues to their whereabouts in the messages. They may be traceable through the communication
devices they use if they do not show up in person. The acquaintance may be restricted to a particular locale
(they may be housebound, in a permanent job, locked up in jail, or in a hospital). They may not actually be a
friend of the target and may be keeping tabs on them or trying to find them for their own reasons.

4. Gear

The information provides additional details about the target’s equipment and tools.

This may include the weapons they carry, communications equipment they use, or devices such as sensors
that they routinely employ. It may be that they use devices or equipment of a higher tech level than
standard (or, rarely, older technology such as crossbows). It may describe the vehicle or ship they use,
including its registration number and make, and any modifications that have been made to it. This may
include distinctive features that allow a given vehicle to be more easily detected such as dents and dings,
different colored body panels, unusual after-market extras, or a characteristic EM signature.

5. Habits

The information provides insights about the routines and preferences of the target.

They may always order food from a particular restaurant at a particular time, always shop at a certain store
on a set date, or regularly travel to a particular location. They may purchase unusual goods or services at
regular intervals, such as house cleaning or the attentions of a preferred partner. Unusual items of
equipment or supplies may regularly be delivered to a ship. The target may belong to an online dating
service and meet prospective new partners at a neutral location, they may attend a school or college or be
37
an active member of a religious group. They may be members of a club or society. They may engage in
sporting activities or follow a certain team.

6. Secrets

The information provides details about a secret associated with the target.

A secret is something that is not generally known. It may be unusual features of their residence (like secret
spaces or escape routes) or knowledge of smuggling compartments or illegal devices within vehicles or
starships. It may be details about a disguise or alibi the target commonly uses. Mention may be made of
odd tastes or interests that the target exhibits, or addictions or "deviancies" they have. It may reveal debts
to underworld figures, offspring resulting from affairs, spurned lovers, or a serious criminal record.
Alternatively, the target may be a benefactor or altruist, they may have a secret fortune, hold a noble title
that they do not use, they may have impressive abilities or talents, they may have authored a book, or even
be a former celebrity.

Referee’s Information

The End Result

The purpose of information gathering is to provide leads for the characters to follow in order to find the
target and make an arrest: multiple dead-ends are frustrating for players and slow down the game.
However, it is also important to note that the information being sought may not actually exist.

It is incumbent on the referee to make the process of information gathering as interesting as possible,
adding details and touches as inspiration takes them and allowing the players to jump into the action as
desired.

Stake-Outs and Getaways

Having got one or more locations for the target, it may be necessary to wait for them to show themselves
or physically turn up: this is the classic stake-out. This can take a while and they may need to get snacks or
drinks while waiting. It is almost a trope that the target, if they turn up at all, shows up at the most
inconvenient moment possible (for example, when a character has slipped away to relieve themselves). A
stake-out is often necessary because of local laws preventing access to private premises: see Obeying the
Law and Taking Too Long, above, for additional details.

If the target becomes aware that they are being sought – they may hear about it through friends or
acquaintances or perhaps they spot the characters or other bounty hunters – they may try and make a
break for it. The referee is encouraged to allow gruelling foot pursuits or exciting vehicle chases, which may
involve taking dangerous shortcuts, driving through piles of empty card boxes, or racing towards the
nearest border.

Sanctuary

Sanctuary is a place where a target is outside the jurisdiction of a Bounty Warrant. Sanctuary is generally an
"island" within the local law level, typically a building or region that has some kind of special legal status
that does not permit a bounty warrant to be executed within its boundaries.

Sanctuary typically comes in two forms: political and religious. Political sanctuary can generally be got from
crossing a border (most commonly into the territory of another nation or perhaps into a politically
autonomous region within the law level) but may also occur if the target can get into a foreign embassy or a
starport. Religious sanctuary typically takes the form of a church, temple, or sacred compound where local
laws are respected but arrests may not be made.

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If the target can get to somewhere appropriate, they can try to wait it out in sanctuary. At some point the
bounty hunters will call it a day and move on to other jobs: hanging around waiting is time-consuming and
costs money. Bounty hunters may also feign departing in order to tempt the target to leave sanctuary. The
target may only have a limited time within sanctuary or may only have limited vital supplies such as air or
water available: eventually they may be forced to leave.

Tugging on the Heart Strings

Opportunities exist for the referee to add additional layers to the plot, such as sentimental or emotional
elements. The referee is encouraged to improvise data of this kind opportunity arises.

For example, the target may prove to be a nightmare to keep hold of, with an almost magical ability to
escape captivity and desire to get to some location to visit a dying relative or deliver desperately needed
money to an orphanage. They agree to come quietly if only they are allowed to complete their personal
mission first. Such things never go smoothly, and if the characters agree they will likely end up as the
target’s bodyguards and protectors rather than their arresting officers.

Collecting the Bounty

Once the target has been detained and is safely in custody the scenario is effectively over. Unless the
referee plans to stage a last-minute rescue attempt by allies of the target, it is a matter of taking the target
back to the authority that issued the warrant, handing them over, and claiming the reward. Targets of
corporate bounties should be returned to corporate security.

Bearing Grudges

The target or their allies may hold a grudge against the characters. Revenge is a dish best served cold, as
the saying goes, and they may attempt to settle the score at a later date. Such developments are left to the
discretion of the referee.

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Jäger Class Hunter.

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Bystro Class Fast Courier.

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Air Raft / Runabout.
The Senat Class Runabout is a mid-range model from Arkturus Manufacturing Corporation. It is a
conventional small vessel intended for planetary travel and surface to orbit operations. It is fully
enclosed and pressurised, relying on standard “sealed for life” solid state anti-grav modules for lift and
propulsion. It has a cruising speed of about 100kph, with a range of about 40,000km on a single fuel
cell.

The vehicle masses about 4 tons, and can carry a comparable payload. It is configured for 4 passengers
with a limited amount of storage space for luggage or cargo. There is storage for 4 fuel cells as
standard (1 x orbital take off and up to 4 landings from each cell), and they can be removed and
recharged from standard industrial 50kWh power outlets, in about 3-5hrs depending on the age of the
cell and the environmental conditions.

Standard instrumentation includes a smart head-up display for GPS and inertial navigation equipment,
collision avoidance radar, speed, trip computer, environmental controls, fuel levels, auto-pilot, system
monitoring, and emergency beacon. There is a small survival and first aid pack located under the
driver’s seat and a slot for a standard personal data terminal, providing entertainment and
communications.

The vehicle is equipped with advanced security locking and 3 x biometric key fobs as standard. These
include the popular “summon car” feature as standard with a transmission range of 20km in open
areas and 5-7km on closed terrain or cities. The vehicle body and transparasteel canopy are protected
against impact from ice, hail and small calibre handgun ammunition.

Safety features include a titanium frame with a silicate carbon-lace reinforced external shell, an
automatic fire suppressant system, and a comprehensive smart bodyform foam bag deployment
system in the event of a high-speed impact.

The seat configuration can be modified to allow any or all seats (except the pilot seat) to be removed
to maximise cargo space, the forward passenger seat to face the rear, the two rear seats to be folded
flat for additional cargo/luggage, or the forward passenger and rear passenger seat on the passenger
side to be configured as a single full-length bed/stretcher.

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Body Armour.
Bounty Hunters will normally expect to wear body armour when
approaching their target. The amount of armour worn will depend on the
threat level, the degree to which the Hunter wishes to be discreet (so
perhaps wearing armour underneath street clothes) and the amount of
freedom of movement they require (if they think they will need to run fast,
climb obstacles or squeeze through small gaps, they may need to
compromise on total protection). Higher Tech levels will permit lighter and
thinner armour to be worn, if it is available and they have the budget for it.

In some cases, it might be appropriated to wear a helmet, but most Hunters

prefer to maintain situational awareness and do without.

Ballistic Eye protection and HUD.

One sensible level of protection for a Hunter to wear is a
set of ballistic eye protection glasses. These are
polycarbonate high impact glasses capable of absorbing
the impact of fragments and low velocity projectile
weapons, such as shotgun pellets, and safety ammunition
used to ensure projectiles don’t puncture the hull or
compartments.

At higher tech levels these can be integrated with personal computers, to provide a Head Up Display to
permit hands free communication, navigation, optical face recognition, and other functions such as
silent text communication.

The lenses of most models are reactive to wavelengths or brightness levels that might harm the user’s
eyes. In addition, they can be set to be as dark or light as required for the purposes of hiding where the
user is looking, or the dictates of fashion.

Expandable Baton.
For non-lethal suppression, self-defence and destructive entry through
glass windows or similar materials, the expandable baton is extremely
useful and versatile. They are normally made of steel, are very robust, and
cheap to manufacture. They can be made of more exotic materials, such
as coiled spring steel (to prevent shock to the user when striking a very
hard surface) or high-density polycarbonate materials to be transparent to
sensors in very high law level societies.

Shockstick.
The shock stick is simply a baton, with a couple of electrodes fitted to the
end and a powerful battery. If switched on and pressed against an animal
or person it can deliver an electric shock causing considerable pain and
involuntary muscle spasms. Care should be taken using a Shockstick near
electronic, flammable or explosive material, as the sparks can cause
unwanted damage.
60
Blinder.
The Blinder is a powerful light emitting tool used for non-lethal
target suppression and self-defence. It has three modes of
operation:

The “Blinder” setting from which it is named, where the two

lenses emit an extremely powerful flickering light designed to
cause either temporary blindness, or severe discomfort and
pain, along a narrow axis aimed at a specific target up to 30m
away.

The “Self-Protection” setting operates in a similar manner, but over a wide arc, and is intended to prevent
observers or hostile personnel from being able to focus in the vicinity of the tool. Anyone attempting to
shoot at the operator using optically acquired weapons would have their effectiveness considerably
reduced, and any observers or bystanders would find it difficult to see what actions the operator was
doing while it was functioning.

The final setting is a “Stream-light” mode, where the tool is used as a portable searchlight, with variable
focus and power output. This can be set to strobe or flash slowly to attract attention in the event of an
emergency.

Taser.
The Taser is generally used in the same manner as the Shockstick, but
at a distance, firing a projectile with pins to pierce clothing, and thin
wires connected to the battery in the Taser’s case. These will deliver a
shock to the target, for as long as the trigger is depressed, sufficient to
cause muscle spasms, and cause them to fall to the ground.

Tasers are generally permitted at higher law levels, where projectile

weapons are banned, but there are often local regulations restricting their use. In many cases they are
required to also fire micro-dots detailing the authorised user, and the date and time of firing, so the
operator can be traced in the event of illegal use.

In most cases ammunition is restricted to a maximum of 3 shots, and while the thin wires are relatively
easy to break, in order to avoid causing a cutting hazard, care should be taken using a Taser near
electronic, flammable or explosive material, as metal contact and sparks can cause unwanted damage.

At higher tech levels, Tasers can fire smart projectiles that include the battery in the projectile itself.
These are intended to strike a target and stick to clothing, delivering a charge sufficient to immobilise the
subject without permanent injury. These are not supposed to activate in contact with electronic,
flammable or explosive material, but the results are variable.

Tranq.
Tranquiliser weapons fire darts of some kind to anesthetise the
target. They tend to be less popular than Tasers, due to the
difficulty in ensuring the correct dosage is applied, and the
dangers of side effects or unwanted synergies with other
medications. At higher tech levels reliability, magazine capacity,
and range increase; and the size of the darts decrease. Smart
darts will automatically inject the correct dosage, albeit after a slight delay, which may not be optimal.
61
Restraints.
Restraints may well be used to secure prisoners, if it is desired to permit them to
move, but prevent escape or at least make it far more difficult. They can be
available in metal or various plastic materials to allow them to be lighter, carried
more easily and more difficult to detect using sensors.

Many Hunters prefer to secure prisoners by using drugs, so would only use
Restraints if the prisoner needed to be moved under their own steam.

Tagger.
A Tagger is a small, hand-held weapon capable of shooting a
projectile designed to fix itself to a target. The projectile is fitted
with a tracking device that will provide a location signal, but also
record the movements of the target for transmission to the user
(in case the signal is temporarily blocked). Firing range is about
30m, transmission range will depend on the tech level, the local
communications grid and the environment (so will be reduced if
the target enters an all-metal building or Starship hull).

It is not intended to be fired against bare flesh because, although it will probably function correctly, it
will cause a lot of pain and discomfort to the target. The target may also be able to pull it off.

The tags are designed to stick to metal, plastics, clothing and body armour. They are not designed to
stick to glass or similar materials, although a number of polycarbonate panels are soft enough to be
adhered to. At high tech levels, the projectiles are smaller, capable of being used at greater ranges,
and programmable to reduce the chance of detection.

Drones.
A wide variety of drones are available, with different form factors,
intended for reconnaissance, surveillance, engaging the target with
some sort of weapon or immobilising system (such as a Taser) and
the transfer of small items of cargo.

They can also be equipped with communications monitoring

equipment, advanced thermal and audio sensors and occasionally
signal jammers to prevent the target from summoning help.

Armed drones are subject to strict controls in most societies, and those controlled by AI systems,
especially so. At higher tech levels they increase in range, endurance, and autonomy/programming; as
well as decreasing in size and becoming quieter.

Self-Protection Drones are a sub-class in their own right. They are

designed to hover near the user, monitoring the local area for threats,
and alerting the user if something matches the programmed threat
profile.

At higher tech levels some of these drones will come with counter-
measures built in, such as detecting incoming projectiles and activating a
Blinder to dazzle the firers.

62
EMP Immobiliser.
Electromagnetic Pulse Immobilisers are designed to induce
a flash pulse of energy in electronic components to cause
them to function incorrectly. Using a low power pulse, they
can be used over greater distances to cause electronic
system to re-boot, causing interference in equipment
operation and creating a temporary window for action
when the system is not operating.

At higher power, protected systems will shut down to prevent damage, and standard systems will blow
safety fuses or circuit breakers. In some cases, circuits could be damaged and memory modules could
be compromised. At even higher power levels, systems can be destroyed, circuitry fried, memory
wiped and electrical fires started.

In most cases hand-held Immobilisers will need to be touching the system to be affected, or at least
very close to them. Larger units can be used over distances of a few yards, but at higher tech levels the
range and power available can be increased.

It should be noted that EMP systems can have unwanted side effects. They operate by inducing a
current in circuitry and wiring looms, which can occasionally activate systems, rather than causing
them to fail. For example, any explosives with wired detonators will almost certainly explode, and
electrically powered doors in public buildings may be designed to fail safely (i.e., to open) in the event
of power failure.

In addition, EMP systems normally have very high-capacity battery systems linked to extremely
powerful capacitors to generate the sudden electrical fields needed. This means they are very
dangerous to attempt to modify or disassemble, and the power density of the materials means that
they can cause very energetic fires if they overheat.

30mm Launcher with Selectable Ammo.

This is a standard Police or Military hand-held
grenade launching system, but equipped with
additional specialised ammunition. These systems
are heavy at lower tech levels and the range is
normally limited to about 600m.

Standard offensive ammunition is available:

• Explosive • Buckshot
• Solid-Shot • Riot Baton
• Small Game • Smoke

More specialised ammunition for Hunters can include:

• Rock Salt • EMP • Paint Marker

• Riot Gas • Micro-Drone • Tranq Gas
• Taser • Flare • Tagger

At higher tech levels, the weapon sights become more accurate, the weapons are lighter (with recoil
compensating technology), and have a greater range.

63
Biometric Scanner.
With widely available medical services, including cosmetic surgery, it is often
relatively easy for a target to change their appearance. A Biometric Scanner is
used to ensure that the correct target has been secured and identified.

At low tech levels, fingerprints and retinal patterns are used. At higher levels,
DNA pattern matching technology is available, and at the highest levels,
brainwave scanners match the unique personality of the target’s brainwave
patterns to ensure that the person arrested is correct.

Body-Bins.
Body bins are used by some Hunters as a means for safely and securely transporting fugitives, rather
than using restraints and getting the prisoner to move under their own steam. They may be more
inconvenient, but they are far less susceptible to the prisoner escaping - but in a number of societies
their used is banned.

At low tech levels they are merely padded containers, fitted with wheels to allow them to be moved
easily, in which the target can be locked. It is common to drug the prisoner as an added layer of
security, and to prevent them panicking or hurting themselves trying to escape, but this can be
dangerous for the prisoner.

At higher tech levels, particularly involving gravitic technologies, they can be moved far more easily
and, in some cases, programmed to autonomously return to a designated point when activated. If
drugged, the prisoner can be continuously monitored and fed intravenously if necessary.

Alternatively, a fully functioning Low Berth can be used, fitted with internal batteries and medical
supplies to ensure the long-term safety of the prisoner.

Thermal Camera.
A portable version of an extremely sensitive thermal camera capable
of being adjusted to detect minute changes in temperature. Useful to
detect if personnel are present in parts of a building, or if parts of a
Starship show that it is powered up and ready to launch. Degraded
by armour plate, thermal radiators and ablative thermal coatings. At
higher Tech Levels it is capable of replicating the discrimination of
Starship sensors.

64
Body Camera.
Many Bounty Hunters will wear a body camera to record their
activities, usually to prove their innocence if their target claims
impropriety. They have a rechargeable battery power pack, a
microphone to record audio, and enough memory to allow up to an
hour of footage to be saved. Higher Tech levels give much smaller,
lighter cameras, with vastly more memory and longer battery
lifetimes.

A body cam can be switched off for storage. If it is switched on, it is in

a dormant mode but is still filming: typically, 30 seconds of footage
are retained within its memory buffer. When the camera is activated, it saves the 30 seconds of
buffered footage to give context to the active recording. Body cams can be activated by a switch or by
being smartly tapped. They will be automatically activated by sudden violent movements, such as the
wearer being struck (typically by a blow or a weapon impact) or by a vehicle crash.

Media companies may be interested in purchasing exciting or dramatic body cam footage.

Compartment Stethoscope.
A powerful acoustic amplifier, linked to an artificial intelligence
powered filter algorithm. Capable of being magnetically attached
to a compartment wall (or placed against a non-metallic surface)
and filtering out constant background noises, leaving it possible to
discriminate voices, flaws in mechanical systems (worn bearings,
structural vibrations, etc) and match them to a database of known
acoustic signatures. This can recognise voice prints or drive
signatures, but the available, on-device, database is small when
away from data nets. Degraded by random acoustic patterns, such
as running water and masking pre-recorded sounds.

Disc Cutter.
A heavy duty, self-powered, disc cutter, capable of cutting through
compartment walls, brick, concrete and steel. The diamond tipped,
tungsten carbide disc, rotates at very high speed in order to be
effective against hard materials such as carbon-silicate lace, and
ceramic plates. However, if the disc shatters due to the user
exceeding the recommended use parameters, extremely high
velocity fragments are likely to be ejected.

Degraded by hardened armour plate and some ceramic

composites that can cause such a thermal build up that the disc
edge melts and becomes ineffective. The high speed of the disc also causes considerable gyroscopic
forces, making it awkward to use without experience. Personnel with Mechanical or Heavy Weapon
skills are most like to be the most competent and safest in operating this equipment.

65
Thermic Lance.
The thermic lance is capable of generating vast temperatures,
concentrated on the tip of a fuel rod (that is consumed when
cutting). It will cut through practically anything, but at different
rates depending on the material and composition. It uses fuel
rods and pressurised cannisters of pure oxygen to generate the
required temperatures. The cannisters can, however, be
recharged from standard Starship Lox offtakes and reused.

While it is capable of cutting material relatively easily, there is a jet of molten ejecta behind the surface
being cut which can be extremely dangerous and it requires a skilled operator.

Breaching Charge.
While access can be achieved over time using a cutting disc or a thermic lance, the preferred method
of entry to a ship or secure location, is by the use of a breaching charge. This is designed to detonate a
shaped cutting charge, making an instant hole in the surface large enough to permit an individual
wearing a spacesuit or full combat gear, access to the space behind. The partially flexible carrier and
shaped charge explosives are fixed to the surface being attacked with heavy duty sticky pads.

Alternative charges are carried as a flexible ring of explosives. This is easier to carry and can be more
precisely set, but takes longer to place with a number of individual sticky pads or a roll of duct tape.

Care should be taken when exposing the sticky pads as the material is extremely adhesive and
inexperienced users have been known to accidently fix the charge to themselves, others, their
equipment, or railings alongside the surface it is intended to attack. A pressurised de-bonding spray is
available, but this dissolves the pads completely, and an alternative method of fixing the charge to the
surface will then be required.

At higher Tech Levels the charge units are equipped with

basic sensors and coloured tags to warn users as to what
may be behind the surface they are being attached to:
Green being a void space, Amber being a space with some
structural elements such as a beam crossing the area of the
charge, Red being that the space is filled with machinery,
and finally Blue when the space behind is assessed as a fuel
tank.

The effectiveness of the charge is degraded by armour plate,

some composite materials, and if it is unable to be placed in
intimate contact with the surface being attacked. The
charge can be operated with a mechanical delay, a pull
chord, or via a coded transmission unique to each charge.

The charges can be defeated by enough armour plate or

sufficient thicknesses of composite ceramic armour. The
sensors in the backing plates have been known to be fooled
by sufficiently advanced computers to register what the
target wants them to show as being behind the attacked
surface.

66
Equipment Statistics
Name Base TL Wt Price
Ballistic Eye Protection 6 0.05 kg Cr200
HUD add-on 7 — Cr800
Biometric Scanner 8 1.0 kg Cr1500
Body-bins 7 20.0 kg Cr4000
Body Camera 6 0.2 kg Cr300
Breaching Charge 5 1.0 kg Cr800
Compartment Stethoscope 5 0.5 kg Cr500
Disc Cutter 5 4.0 kg Cr1000
Spare / Specialist Cutting Disks 5 0.2 kg Cr20
Expandable Baton 4 1.0 kg Cr250
Restraints 4 0.5 kg Cr50
Shockstick 6 1.0 kg Cr750
Thermal Camera 6 0.5 kg Cr500
Thermic Lance 7 2.5 kg Cr200

Items purchased at a higher tech level typically have one or more important aspects of their function
modified, at the discretion of the referee. They may be lighter, they may be more robust, have a longer
battery life, or have improved technical aspects.

Drones
Base Max Max
Name Wt Flight Wt End Speed Cost
Lightweight Camera Drone 0.25 kg 0.5 kg 10 mins 40 kph Cr100
Professional Camera Drone 1.5 kg 3.0 kg 40 mins 70 kph Cr1,800
Light Commercial Lifting Drone 10 kg 20.0 kg 30 mins 50 kph Cr6,000
Medium Commercial Drone 25kg 50.0kg 60 mins 60 kph Cr10,000
Heavy Commercial Drone 75kg 150.0kg 90 mins 70 kph Cr20,000

Endurance indicates the time the internal batteries will last if the drone is not carrying a payload: the
closer it is to its maximum flight weight, the shorter its endurance, and cold weather or thin
atmospheres reduce endurance. Drones that run out of power will automatically land as they start to
lose power. The control range of any drone is roughly half of the maximum range (maximum speed
times endurance).

The price of a drone includes the cost of a handheld control unit. The control units of professional and
commercial models include a small display screen that links to the drone's onboard cameras, or can be
linked to a Head Up Display. At higher tech levels, drones generally can carry higher payloads for
longer, per unit price.

All drones are able to hover. Most drones that move beyond their control range will retrace their route
to where they were last under control. If they lose control (for example if the control unit stops
transmitting, or the signal is jammed) they will stop, descend to an altitude of around 5 meters, and
hover in place. If control is not restored, they will land and power down their engines to save power in
case control returns. Some models have location transmitters to help find them.

67
Ranged Weapons
Damage /
Name TL Wt Cost ROF Range Effect Recoil LL
Blinder 6 2.0 kg Cr800 1 50 m Blinded No 5
EMP Immobiliser 8 2.5 kg Cr1200 1 5m EM Pulse No 5
Grenade Launcher 7 6.0 kg Cr400 1 600 m — Yes 3
Baton Round 7 — Cr25 — — As Club — 3
Buckshot / Salt 7 — Cr25 — — As Shotgun — 3
EMP generator 8 — Cr450 — (5 m) EM Pulse — 3
Explosive 7 — Cr200 — — As frag grenade — 3
Flare 7 — Cr50 — (12 m) Illumination — 3
Gas / Tranq 7 — Cr100 — — As Tranq Gas — 3
Paint Marker 7 — Cr25 — (3 m) Paint Splatter — 3
Smoke 7 — Cr90 — — As smoke grenade — 3
Tagger Round 8 — Cr150 — — Tracking tag — 3
Tagger 6 0.5 kg Cr600 1 15 m Tracking tag No 5
Taser Gun 5 0.5 kg Cr500 1 10 m Stun Damage No 6
Tranquiliser Gun 4 0.3 kg Cr150 1 15 m As Tranq Gas No 5

Baton rounds are plastic rods that impact the body and are designed to cause blunt trauma and non-
lethal damage. A baton round that strikes an individual in the wrong spot (such as the head) is capable
of causing serious damage.

Blinders temporarily affect the eyesight of an individual. The intense flash (or laser light, depending on
the model of weapon) from a Blinder causes the targets retinas to release massive amounts of
signalling chemicals, effectively overloading the optical nerves. A brief exposure to an intensely bright
light source renders the target unable to see clearly for a few minutes: longer exposure will
permanently damage the eyes. Ballistic eye protection renders a Blinder ineffective.

EMP (an Electromagnetic Pulse) is a wave of energy projected towards a target. EMP generators are
area effect devices, while EMP Immobilisers have a cone of effect, allowing them to be directed against
specific targets. The effect affects every unshielded electronic device within a radius of roughly 5
meters. Most commonly, the EMP source is physically placed against the target.

Flare rounds consists of a chemical flare suspended on a small parachute: when the round is fired the
chemical – typically a magnesium compound – ignites and the parachute deploys. A flare round
typically burns for around 30 seconds and illuminates an area with a 12-meter radius.

Paint Marker comes in a variety of colours and creates a broadly circular splatter with a 3-meter
radius.

Taser range is limited by the length of the wires connecting the target to the weapon.

Tranquilizer darts (Tranq darts) deliver a dose of sedative contained within a small aerodynamic
needle-tipped round. When it strikes the target, the tranq round automatically injects a measured
dose of sedative into the body of the target. Being hit by a tranquilizer dart forces an Endurance check
each round, with a –1 DM per previous check. The relatively low velocity of the round limits its
effective range.
68
69
Regulations
Laws and regulations concerning Bounty Hunters vary widely across charted space and is left to local
Polities to interpret. Exact interpretations are very difficult as many systems employ licenced security
and Police organisations operating at least partially for profit. The difference between a freelance
Bounty Hunter and a fully authorised and approved Police officer, operating on behalf of a
Government Agency, can be very small. It is important to understand these details, which is why most
Bounty Hunters tend to limit their operations to systems that they are experienced with, that they
know and understand.

In general, however, most Polities will permit the arrest and removal of a wanted criminal, to a place
where they will face a fair trial, providing that a number of conditions are met:

• The Bounty Hunter is properly licenced, with up-to-date credentials.

• The local officials are informed about the intentions of a Bounty Hunter in order to ensure that
unfortunate mistakes are avoided.
• The Bounty Hunter restricts themselves to tactics, techniques, equipment and procedures that are
legal within the local Polity.
• The offence is one that is recognised as such by the local Polity.
• The likely treatment of the wanted criminal is justifiable and proportional to the alleged offence.

Law Levels, Government Types and Cultural Differences

The differing Law Levels, Government Types and Cultural Differences between Polities may offer some
indication as to whether Bounty Hunters are likely to be legal or accepted.

The Law Level will give a reasonably clear indication as to the types of equipment that could be legal in
the apprehending of a criminal (which is why there are so many non-lethal items of equipment in a
Bounty Hunter’s arsenal). As a rough guide Law Levels 0 to 4 are likely to permit some sort of Bounty
Hunter to operate, without special authorisation from the local authorities.

Government Types are more difficult to interpret, requiring the Bounty Hunter to do their research
before landing and attempting to go after their target. The Types most likely to forbid the operation of
Bounty Hunters are Company/Corporations, Self-perpetuating Oligarchies, Captive Governments, and
Impersonal Bureaucracies. The Types where Bounty Hunting is most likely to be permitted are worlds
with No Government, Feudal Technocracies, and Balkanisation.

Cultural Differences also need to be researched. Ritualised societies may permit Bounty Hunters to
operate, but only following highly formal codes of behaviour, or could ban the practice outright.
Xenophobic cultures, and Peaceful societies are unlikely to be supportive, and those with Unusual
Customs relating to off-world visitors may well generate difficulties. In all cases, however, it is normally
best to register and liaise with the local authorities, understand the local culture, obtain permits, pay
for licences, and generally be respectful if misunderstandings are to be avoided.

Travel Zone Codes

Travel Codes and why they are applied are also important – worlds with extreme atmospheres,
requiring excessive measures to be able to survive (domes, environmental suites, etc.), for example,
are very likely to make a Bounty Hunter’s job far more difficult.

70
71
Wanted Dead or Alive
It is extremely rare for a fixed price bounty to be offered for a target “Dead or Alive”, as it is usually far
more difficult to return a living fugitive than it is to return a dead one (or an identifying part of a dead
one). The majority of warrants stipulate that the target must be returned alive: many offer a bonus if
the target is uninjured

Acting as a paid assassin employs most of the skills of a Bounty Hunter, which is why it is not
uncommon to be offered work of that sort. The restrictions on the operations of Bounty Hunters are
difficult enough, but if the authorities suspected that they were merely a hired killer, they are likely to
be far less helpful (except in rare cases where dealing with a particular brand of criminal is culturally
unacceptable, so instead they hire off-worlders to deal with them).

Acting as an assassin, where such contracts are legal and issued by the local Government is one thing,
but accepting private “kill” contracts from corporations or wealthy individuals is quite another. Bounty
Hunters who accept that sort of work will quickly gain a reputation which will make them less likely to
be offered “normal” warrants, and they end up having to take the more unpleasant and dangerous
alternatives.

Of course, proof of death can be a little difficult. If the Hunter was to bring the body back intact, or at
least the whole head, this would be more convincing than most other body parts given the access to
high quality medical facilities on many Starships. However, more than one Hunter has tried to deliver
the head to one agency, and the body to another, claiming that the explosive ammunition used
completely beheaded the target/destroyed the body, so that they could claim the bounty from both.

Starship Recovery
Where things are a little less clear cut is in the areas of Starship recovery. When a crew fail to make the
mortgage payments, and the mortgage owner believes that they have no intention or ability to pay,
they may elect to have the ship recovered. In these cases what happens to the crew is irrelevant
(unless the mortgage owner is particularly ethical or responsible) and they don’t care if the crew lives
or dies; other than to grumble if the ships fittings or furniture are bloodstained or damaged in a
firefight.

Some mortgage owners, however, will want to set an example – and the bloodier the better – in order
to encourage other owners with a mortgage to make more effort paying what they owe on time.
Legally, failing to make the mortgage payments could theoretically end up with a formal charge of
piracy, but most “civilised” Polities don’t regard an owner missing a couple of payments because times
are hard, as a murderous pirate. Accepting this sort of work will quickly get the Bounty Hunter treated
in the same way as an assassin, and make any future crew more likely to fight to the death.

The alternative of marooning the crew on the nearest world, is more trouble to go to, but is likely to
get an alternative reputation for humanity and business-like efficiency, which may well make future
repossessions less dangerous and more profitable.

Note
The bounty warrants presented within this book are of the "bring them back alive" variety, in order to
encourage more thoughtful play and to help deter bloodthirsty "murder-hobo" gaming.

72
73
Two worlds, just off a small group of systems, named the Bounteous Cluster1, are provided to allow
context for the adventures below. Both systems are briefly described and their trade characteristics
are detailed. The systems can be used as-is, as an interesting and varied playing area with a pair of
developed worlds and systems. Hex locations for star systems are not provided – if desired, the referee
can incorporate individual systems or even the whole cluster into an already existing region.

Each star system has a system diagram, a map of the mainworld, a description, and details about the
various secondary worlds that form the system. A secondary world is any world that isn’t the
mainworld – it can be any rocky world, planetoid belt, gas giant, or moon. No statistics are provided for
these worlds, allowing the referee to choose their nature and characteristics as needs or taste dictate.

Orbital distances in astronomical units (abbreviated to AU) are noted within the system diagram. These
can be used to plan interplanetary journeys between different worlds located within the same star
system.

System Charts Key:

1
See: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/355358/Mainstay-Class-Freighter for details of the other systems.
74
Star System

The Miranda system is centred on a solitary yellow star. It retains a family of three rocky
worlds, a planetoid belt, and four gas giants, along with their various moons. The safe
jump distance from the star is approximately 1 AU.

Orbit Orbital
AU Diam Name UWP Remarks Period
Primary Sun G1 V —
0.38 Umada Y500000-0 84.7 d
0.71 Tolgan YC20000-0 Desert world 216.4 d
*0.90 Safe Jump Distance
*1.05 Chamivar FBB2216-8 Fluid seas, habitable zone 1.07 y
*15 Miranda C762776-8 Mainworld, satellite world (12.8 d)
*1.84 Planetoid Belt G000204-8 Independent miners 2.47 y
5.12 Lox LGG Diameter 145,000 km 11.5 y
6 Thero Y202000-0 Sub-ice oceans (5.3 d)
11 Elsibas H401000-0 Ice capped, emergency shelter (13.1 d)
8.95 Ardlan LGG Diameter 133,000 km 26.5 y
2 Ring YR00000-0
10 Artuna G411212-8 Corporate facility (11.4 d)
17.1 Perri LGG Diameter 136,000 km 70.0 y
15 Ring YR00000-0
20 Galjor Y200000-0 Scout Base (32.0 d)
31.2 Sallet SGG Diameter 41,000 km 173 y
9 Mesto Y5A1000-0 Fluid seas (9.8 d)

Mainworld

Miranda is the habitable moon of Chamivar. It is temperate and heavily vegetated. The
equatorial regions are dotted with narrow seas and countless lakes, some connected to
one another by river systems or artificial canals. The polar regions are covered by
expanses of desert and arid badlands. The world is noted for its diverse native species
and the beauty of its landscapes.

Society

Miranda is divided between two rival factions. The dominant power is an industrialised
oligarchy, ruling around 15 million citizens, that lives in luxurious communities around
the shores of the seas. Industrial sites are located away from settlements and have
associated worker towns. Backlanders, a confederation of primitive warlike tribes
descended from the original colonists on the world and numbering in excess of 50
million, inhabit inland regions and the polar deserts.

Although it is largely undocumented, a guerrilla war is raging on Miranda. Tribes are

being supplied with advanced weapons by shadowy supporters and are fighting
incursions into their ancestral lands. The oligarchy has declared trade with the

75
Backlanders to be illegal, and troops from Shenu are operating on the world as peacekeepers, undertaking a
large-scale police action in support of the government.

A corporate mineral extraction facility is located on Umada, the innermost world of the system, and a gas
harvesting plant is sited on a volcanic region of Tolgan. A corporate mining operation and a small population of
independent miners vie for extraction rights within the planetoid belt. The scout service maintains a research
facility on Anzo, the inner moon of the gas giant Lox, and a commercial refuelling station orbits above the
gigantic world. An abandoned military base is located on Thrist, the only major moon of the gas giant Perri.

Trade

Miranda is a major producer of equipment, tools, machinery, and vehicles, and is self-sufficient in food
production. Novelty decorative items (produced by the skilled hands of Backlanders) are highly sought but rarely
available. There is a constant demand for exotic goods and luxuries, as well as raw materials for its growing
industrial base. The world produces fine stone and large quantities of aggregates from huge quarries, complete
with their own spaceports, located in the polar deserts. The local tribes are appalled at the desecration of their
lands and seek to halt it.

76
Miranda World Map

77
Miranda Regional Map

78
The Nations of Miranda
The Association

While there are a number of nations on

Miranda, The Association is the only true The Association - Capital: Jellicoe
country: all other areas are tribal regions with Population: 15 million
Government: Impersonal Bureaucracy (Code 9)
nomadic populations and shifting borders,
Laws: A (Extreme, possession of weaponry prohibited)
governed through a network of alliances and
treaties.

The Association is the primary industrialized region of the world, with a thriving economy, a growing
population, and a high standard of living. The name originates from a treaty of cooperation between
settlements of offworlders who arrived long after the Backlanders had settled Miranda. Although it
functions as a bureaucracy the state is technically an oligarchy, with unelected religious figures having
the final say on all government policy and legislation.

The state practises a form of radical Triquetranism, a belief system centred around rights, equality, and
fairness, and the removal of those rights as a punishment for sin. The church is based upon divinely
guided interpretations of the Book of Unity and has a strong missionary fervour. Within The
Association, church and state are not separated and spiritual matters have a strong impact on national
governance and law. Church attendance is mandatory for citizens – visitors are advised to show
humility.

Association Territories

The Association controls four isolated territories, labelled A-1, A-2, A-3, and A-4 on maps: the A stands
for Administrative District.

A-1. Known unofficially as Rovina, it is the holy land of The Association. Here the deep inner truths of
the Book of Unity were revealed, and the Mothers of The Church were given divine guidance on their
interpretation. The rugged, unspoiled lands are home to a few fortified monasteries and farms and the
region is defended by warrior monks. Being laid to rest in Rovina is considered a particular honour.

A-2. Known as Foundation, this is a region of rugged mountains and arid deserts that The Association
has "purchased" from The Enlightened. Mineral extraction is carried out at isolated facilities, and large
scale stone quarrying is ravaging the landscape in southern areas that the Backlanders consider sacred.
Nomadic Lastmen, appalled by the desecration, frequently launch attacks. Small military units from
Shenu, a nearby world, are deployed across the area.

A-3. Known as Gandor, this area is marked by rugged uplands and dense forests. The Association has
leased the territory from The Enlightened for the coming century. Gandor is a brutal penal colony, with
prisoners undertaking construction projects, forestry, and mineral extraction in isolated camps while
overseers and administrators inhabit pleasant coastal towns.

A-4. Locally known as Proviso, the southern holdings are a fertile but largely unsettled area that The
Association has "purchased" from The Enlightened. The territory has long been shared with the elusive
Lastmen peoples, so the Enlightened’s right to sell it in the first place remains questionable. Proviso is
being developed, with settlers moving into the region and large ranches being established on its broad
plains. Nomadic Lastmen tribes occasionally move across the territory, and when they do they
inevitably clash with the immigrants. Military units from Shenu, a nearby world, are deployed across
the area.

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Gandor and Proviso are linked by an isolated maglev monorail system. Construction is underway to join
this to the main network.

Shenu Expeditionary Force

Shenu (UWP A311998-B) is a high population world that lies three parsecs from Miranda. It has a large
standing army and has dispatched a number of military units to support and assist The Association,
largely to ensure regular shipments of foodstuffs to the homeworld. The Expeditionary Force is
deployed throughout Association-controlled territory in battalion-sized formations, where they guard
settlements and facilities and maintain the peace.

The personnel for the Expeditionary Force are largely drawn from the poorer elements of Shenu
society, and equipped to TL-8 standards by The Association using locally manufactured vehicles and
gear. The troops themselves earn excellent pay, are generally well motivated, and see offworld service
as a chance to better their position in life. A number of small elite formations from Shenu are also
present, equipped to the highest standards of their homeworld.

Backlander Tribes

The Backlands is a slang term for any region not under control of The Association and is generally taken
to mean an unexploited area. The vast majority of Miranda’s population are Backlanders, made up of
tribes descended from settlers who arrived during the earliest days of spaceflight. These pioneers gave
up advanced technology to embrace a simpler lifestyle, choosing to subsist at about TL-3.

The Backlanders are all the same people ethnically, but are divided into three major groupings based
largely on their resources – Herder People who live around the equator, Northers who inhabit the
northern hemisphere, and Lastmen, who inhabit much of the southern hemisphere. Individual
Backlander tribes have their own unique customs and traditions but all share similar core beliefs and
speak related languages. Each tribe is a confederation of smaller family clans and has its own
government and laws.

Those tribes who have embraced Triquetranism and adopted Association ways are known as The
Enlightened.

The Association, who regard the non-Enlightened tribes as naturally "sinful" and therefore lacking
rights, do not deal with them at all fairly or equitably. As friction and hostilities between The
Association and the tribes has increased, military forces from the nearby world of Shenu have been
moved in to help protect Association interests. Many Backlanders, deeply wronged and determined to
preserve their lands and their ways, have begun a guerrilla war against The Association. They been
receiving weapons and equipment from shadowy, unnamed offworld interests.

The Enlightened

The name given to a group of Backlander The Enlightened - Capital: Parasil

tribes, largely drawn from Herder peoples, Population: 18 million
who have accepted the truths of Government: Captive (Code 6)
Triquetranism (they have become Laws: 6 (moderate, open carrying of firearms prohibited)
enlightened). They are governed by
bureaucrats from The Association who administer their tribal territories and collect taxes. Most
Enlightened live very similar lives to the Herder Peoples. Though they receive better treatment than
other natives, they are still regarded as "naturally sinful" and as such are regarded as second-class
citizens by The Association. Armed resistance to Association rule has sprung up in Enlightened areas:
troops from Shenu bolster the defences and help maintain order.
80
Northern Alliance

Norther peoples are semi-nomadic Northern Alliance - Capital: Soolin

tribesmen who migrate between seasonal Population: 8 million
fortress-villages, hunting large grazers and Government: Representative Democracy (Code 4)
practising basic farming for their upkeep. Laws: 5 (moderate, open carrying of firearms allowed)
They live in extended multi-generation family
clans, governed by a chief chosen and educated by their predecessor but elected to the role by the
members of the clan. The chieftains come together every few years to resolve their differences and
confirm alliances and understandings. Northers are regarded as stoic and resolute in their beliefs –
very few have become enlightened.

Like all other tribal groups, the Norther people are treated poorly by The Association. Those regions
that abut Association territory are lightly populated and Association interests regularly intrude into
them to harvest resources. Patrols and security operations, described as police actions to counter
threats, are regularly carried out.

Herder People

Herder peoples are the largest cultural group

on the world and also the most varied. They Herder People - Capital: Mar Kasa
Population: 18 million
are semi-nomadic tribesmen who drive vast
Government: Representative Democracy (Code 4)
herds of large herbivores between seasonal
Laws: 6 (moderate, open carrying of firearms prohibited)
grazing lands. They carry all their possessions
with them and live in multi-generation family clans that are governed by a chief-for-life who is chosen
from among its elders and confirmed by popular vote. The chieftains come together every few years to
resolve their differences, pledge alliances, and renew understandings.

Herder People cities resemble vast chaotic markets, with animal pens occupying as much of the land as
human housing. The centres are sprawling complexes of temples, abattoirs, and processing plants,
while the infrastructure is chiefly geared towards animal husbandry and transporting goods.

Lastmen

The Lastmen, legend has it, were the final

Lastmen - Capital: Gordo
group of the first humans to arrive on Population: 6 million
Miranda, and when they got there, they Government: Charismatic Dictatorship (Code A)
found all the good spots had been taken. Laws: 5 (lenient, open carrying of firearms allowed)
They were forced to live in the cold wastes
of the south, subsisting on the meagre resources they could glean. Lastmen are secretive, reclusive,
and fiercely independent, and are considered to hold an ancestral grudge against other tribal groups.
They largely avoid contact with outsiders, though some trade is conducted through Gordo, their only
major city. They are particularly known for producing jewellery that fetches high prices in offworld
markets.

The various clans of Lastmen are united under a single shadowy leader, referred to as the Khan. This
warlord orchestrated a coup, striking during a Council of Chieftains. Those who opposed him were
summarily killed: fealty was demanded from the others. The Khan has proven to be an able leader and
despite his despotic beginnings has united the clans. Under his stewardship, Lastmen regularly raid the
interests of The Association with the aim of looting weapons and portable equipment.

81
System

The system is centred on an unremarkable orange main sequence star locally

referred to as "The Sun". The hot inner system contains two small rocky worlds,
Caliban is designated as the mainworld and orbits within the habitable zone,
while the cold outer system consists of a rocky planetoid belt and two small gas
giants. Caliban has two moons and the outer gas giants retain a few major
satellites. The system contains above average amounts of cometary debris.

Orbit Orbital
AU Diam Name UWP Remarks Period
Primary Sun K0 V —
0.21 Moran Y300000-0 38.5 d
0.33 Allet Y610000-0 76.3 d
*0.68 Caliban B766974-8 Ga Hi, habitable zone 225.5 d
25 Sycorax F201667-8 Multiple national outposts (21.5 d)
30 Alonso H100000-0 Emergency shelter (28.7 d)
0.96 Safe Jump Distance
1.04 Belt G000368-8 Murican outpost 1.17 y
1.52 Suman SGG Diameter 52,000 km 2.07 y
9 Herret Y202000-0 (10.0 d)
15 Signal G312313-8 C-Corp facility (21.6 d)
3.71 Anistor SGG Diameter 39,000 km 7.87 y
8 Juno H5A1000-0 Emergency shelter (8.3 d)

Mainworld

Caliban lies 0.68 AU from its star, within the habitable zone, and completes one
orbit around the primary every 225.5 standard days. It rotates once every 23.5
standard hours. It is a relatively large world with a diameter of around 11,400
km and a surface gravity of 0.85 G. It has a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere rated as
standard, with a surface air pressure of 0.95 bar and no significant taints. The
mean surface temperature is 12° C. Around 60 percent of the surface is covered
in oceans of liquid water, with small permanent ice caps at the poles. There are
two major continents and many smaller islands. There is extensive, abundant
native life, much of which is edible by humans. Caliban is categorized as a
Garden World.

Caliban has a moderate axial tilt and experiences four seasons over the course of
the local year, each 56 days long. Seasons in the northern hemisphere are
opposite to the seasons in the south – northern winter is southern summer.
Spring is cool and wet, summers are warm, fall is damp and stormy, and winters
are cold and icy. Each season has associated weather systems that sweep
around the globe. Weather is spectacular and powerful, with huge electrical
storms, torrential rains, and intense winds.

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Population

Caliban has an estimated population of 4.3 billion inhabitants, making it a High Population World. The
majority of the population lives in the southern hemisphere, with significantly lower population
densities towards the north. There is no overall world government: control is divided between five
major powers. The world is dotted with large cities, sprawling urban areas, and vast tracts of cultivated
land. Monorail networks link most of the major cities, with multiple spurs running off to smaller
communities and industrial centers.

History

In the early days of spaceflight isolationist settlers inhabited the empty garden world, claiming the
heart of the largest continent as their own. They chose to live a simpler life, foregoing most modern
forms of technology and exploiting the natural riches around them. Their numbers grew rapidly and
over time they formed into two distinct tribal groups, the Forest Folk and the Plainsmen.

Modern settlement began centuries later, with the first outposts founded by the Caliban Corporation
and placed in areas well away from native territories. The population expanded exponentially, the
pleasant climate and economic opportunities encouraged heavy immigration, and over time the
government evolved from corporate control into a bureaucracy. As regions grew and prospered, they
asserted their right to self-governance and eventually became independent. In some instances this was
through diplomatic processes, while in others it involved insurgencies and armed uprisings.

The northern regions of the world remain under C-Corp control while the south has become an
important regional agricultural and industrial producer. Settlement has begun to encroach into
traditional tribal regions, inevitably leading to conflict with the various tribal groups. Tensions also
continue between nations over territorial claims.

83
Caliban World Map

84
Caliban Regional Map

85
The Nations of Caliban
Caliban is divided into four large independent states, a corporate-controlled territory, and traditional tribal lands.
Each has its own laws and enforces them vigorously.

Aristo
Aristo - Capital: Zurifa
Aristo was the first region of the world settled in Population: 500 million
modern times. It is heavily forested and is dotted with Government: Civil Service Bureaucracy (Code 8)
bustling cities and bucolic towns. The nation is lightly Laws: 6 (moderate, open carrying of firearms prohibited)
industrialized, has extensive agriculture, and is one of
the most technology advanced regions on the planet.

Aristo is considered cultured and wealthy and has a reputation for gourmet food. Aristo is the site of the world’s
primary starport, which lies a few hundred kilometers from the capital city. The Landin Monorail Bridge, joining
Aristo and The Territories and completing the "Great Loop" around the Central Sea, is lauded as a triumph of
Ariston engineering.

Diplomacy
Aristo has good diplomatic relationships with The Territories and the United Provinces, including extradition
treaties with both. It is neutral towards Murica and hostile towards Ormin, maintaining a standing army along the
border. It has no direct contact with tribal regions.

Murica Murica - Capital: Westington

Murica is the most heavily industrialized nation on Population: 1.2 billion
Caliban and is technologically developed, though it is Government: Representative Democracy (Code 4)
behind Aristo in terms of advancement. It is heavily Laws: 4 (moderate, open carrying of firearms)
populated, with different regions experiencing
differing population densities and as a result vastly different standards of living. Cities and urban areas lie along
the coasts and are sprawling and overcrowded, while vast ranches and occasional towns occupy the rolling
grasslands of the interior.

Murica has annexed a large region of tribal lands on the large continent and has incorporated it into the nation.
There is a large amount of internal dissent to the Murican government, with issues centering around voting
methods and fair political representation. Depending on the nature of their crime, criminals are given the choice
of serving time in prison or living as settlers in the Murican territories across the Northward Ocean.

Diplomacy
Murica maintains an isolationist political policy and is neutral towards all other nations on the world. Murican
settlers frequently have violent clashes with tribes, who oppose their expansion into traditional territories. The
nation maintains a relatively small standing army.

Ormin Ormin - Capital: Oristad

Ormin is divided into provinces run by politically Population: 900 million
Government: Non-charismatic Dictatorship (Code B)
appointed governors. It is controlled by the First Family,
Laws: 9 (very strict, frequent checks of papers)
an entrenched hereditary dictatorship backed by the
military. It is a rump state: the United Provinces were
formerly an important part of its territory. The nation is considered to be technologically backward and has a
largely agricultural economy, but is gradually industrializing. The south-eastern city of Opis, a former possession
of the United Provinces, was captured in a regional war decades ago.

Ormin is oppressive and militaristic, with an extensive secret police that keeps a close eye on citizens and visitors
alike, and cracks down hard on troublemakers. The government strictly controls all media and feeds the
population a steady stream of propaganda: foreigners are distrusted at best. Identification papers must be
carried at all times and presented on demand.

86
Diplomacy
Ormin has poor relations with Aristo and the United Provinces, maintaining standing armies along its borders and
frequently conducting military exercises. It is neutral towards the Territories and Murica, though it trades with
both. Though it has little direct contact, Ormin deliberately cultivates good relations with tribal groups.

The Territories The Territories - Capital: Prophet

Population: 100 million
The Territories are controlled by the Caliban Corporation
Government: Corporation (Code 1)
(C-Corp), the company that originally sponsored modern
Laws: 3 (minimal, trespass and theft are prosecuted)
settlement of the world. The region is considered to be
agricultural and contains vast tracts of virgin wilderness,
though settlements are technologically advanced. Large scale resource extraction and harvesting is undertaken,
primarily consisting of logging and mining. The Territories are divided into large administrative districts run by a
Regional Manager and protected by their own internal security forces.

Diplomacy
C-Corp has good diplomatic relationships with Aristo and the United Provinces, including an extradition treaty
with Aristo. It is neutral towards Murica and Ormin though it trades with both. It has a tense relationship with
tribal groups.
United Provinces - Capital: Leedo
United Provinces Population: 600 million
The United Provinces are a region that broke away from Government: Representative Democracy (Code 4)
Ormin a few centuries ago to form their own Laws: 4 (moderate, open carrying of firearms permitted)
independent state. Technically, each province is an
independent sovereign nation that delegates its national powers to the Union. By working together, the
Provinces were able to resist a military intervention by Ormin and secure their independence and that spirit of
unity remains strong. The region is advanced and relatively heavily industrialized. It is a major purchaser of raw
materials from The Territories.

Diplomacy
The United Provinces have good relationships with The Territories and Aristo, including a long-standing
extradition treaty with Aristo. It is neutral towards Murica and hostile towards Ormin, maintaining a large
standing army along the border. It has a mixed relationship with the tribal regions, for the most part enjoying a
peaceful co-existence, though over recent years tensions have been rising and violent incidents have occurred.

Unruled Lands
Unruled Lands - Capital: None
While much of this huge region is wilderness, it is Population: 1 billion (estimated)
divided into vast tribal territories: nomadic groups move Government: Anarchy (Code 0)
between seasonal sites over the course of the local year. Laws: 0 (local laws are enforced within claimed areas)
Broad areas of the region's southeast have been
colonized by Murica. The wilderness has been transformed into ranches and farms, owned by immigrant settlers
and worked by convicts paying off their debt to Murican society. Clashes between settlers and tribes are frequent
and violent. The city-port of Shansu, located far to the south-east, is an incorporated territory of Murica. An
unfinished monorail link runs west from the city.
Tribes
The tribal peoples are divided into two broad groups, known as the Forest Folk and the Plainsmen, who are in
turn divided into large clans, each with their own native language and characteristic beliefs. The clans are made
up of individual tribes who occupy traditional territories, which often cover thousands of square kilometers.
Clans generally maintain a lower level of technology (around TL-3), though most are happy to use more advanced
weapons if they can get hold of them. Plains tribes are extremely traditionalist and conservative, while the Forest
Folk are more willing to accept new concepts.
Diplomacy
The tribes enjoy good relations with Ormin and The Territories, they are generally neutral towards the United
Provinces, and hostile towards Murica. There is little or no contact with Aristo.

87
Garra are large creatures found on worlds across the Bounteous Cluster. They are farmed for their
meat and hides and are used by primitive cultures within the region as riding beasts and beasts of
burden. Garra are known for their strong musky odor and their loud bellowing calls.

Garra are herd animals. In small groups they are generally calm and passive, spending much of their
time grazing. Their primary instinct is to flee from danger. If a Garra cannot or will not flee, it attempts
to intimidate with calls and displays of strength. If it fights it lowers its head and charges, attempting to
smash into a foe with its horned, dense-boned forehead, then attempts to trample and throw the
target around. Garra may occasionally bite or kick without provocation. A Garra is trainable. They use
the mouth and tongue to manipulate objects.

Weight Type Speed UBP Weapons Armour

2000 kg Grazer (H) W 12m G7C16D Horns Fur and Hide (5)
Equivalent Skills: Athletics 0, Recon 2, Survival 1

The Universal Beast Profile (UBP) provides characteristics for an average adult female of the species:
males are generally larger and stronger. Instinct is relatively low (the herd act as a unit rather than
individuals) but Pack is very high, with strong social hierarchies centred around senior males.

Description

Garra are large herd animals that evolved in clear terrain. The animal is a walker and has a bilateral
body form with a large solid head mounting the brain and primary sensory organs, a stocky torso, and
three pairs of relatively short thin legs. Its primary weapons are huge horns mounted on the head. The
body is characterised by a bony interior with blue-coloured copper-rich blood as its internal fluids,
dense layers of muscle and fat, and is covered by a thick furry pelt. A typical adult is around 3.5 meters
long, around 5 cubic meters in terms of physical volume, weighs around 2000 kg, and typically stands
around 2.5 meters tall at the shoulder. A typical Garra has an Endurance of 12 (code C).
88
Life Cycle & Reproduction

There are two genders: bulls and cows, with a ratio of around five cows to every one bull. Calves are
born after a gestation period of approximately 8 months. Calves are able to stand within minutes of
birth and can gallop within a day. A Garra grows from a calf to an adult-sized animal in around a year,
and continues to strengthen and develop until it reaches sexual maturity at around 3 years of age. A
Garra will typically live for 15–20 years in the wild, though domesticated animals may live for more
than 30 years.

Diet & Tropics

A Garra is classified as herbivorous gatherer. Garra are grazers and spend much of their time-
consuming grasses or similar area-producing vegetation: the species are known for their hardiness and
their digestive tolerance for a wide variety of plant types. Calves consume regurgitated plant material
provided by the mother. In addition to their natural grazing, they will happily eat grain, fruits and other
plant-derived foodstuffs, processed food such as candy, and even carrion, which provides valuable
trace minerals. Herds of Garra slowly migrate in order to avoid exhausting the local flora.

History & Background

The original homeworld of the Garra remains uncertain – they were brought to the Bounteous Cluster
by the earliest human settlers in the area and have thrived on habitable planets such as Miranda and
Caliban. There are no exact figures regarding their numbers, but estimates indicate billions spread over
multiple worlds. Many large native carnivores on worlds they inhabit are digestively tolerant of their
biological makeup and predate them.

Derived Products (Goods)

Garra flesh is not edible by humans unless it is processed; in its bluish raw state it tastes coppery and
unpleasant and will cause copper toxicity, with symptoms including diarrhoea, headaches, and in
severe cases kidney failure. With processing and strong flavourings, it can be made palatable. The hide
can be used to make leather, and the horns and the fur are used for a variety of purposes.

Trained Garra

Garra are relatively easy to train and are generally placid and docile, though their temperament and
cooperativeness varies with individual creatures. The time that an animal can perform an action is
based on the average endurance: beasts with different characteristics will have different stamina.

Garra are commonly trained to at least three purposes: As a pack animal a Garra can be comfortably
loaded with up to 500 kgs and can carry its burden at a speed of around 5 kph for up to 12 hours. As a
draft animal a Garra suitably harnessed to a wagon can pull a load of up to 1000 kg for up to 12 hours.
Teams of two or more Garra hitched together can pull correspondingly greater loads. A wagon-hitched
Garra is capable of a burst of speed (up to 20 kph) for around 10 minutes every few hours. As a riding
animal a Garra can carry a rider and their personal equipment (to a maximum of 500 kg) for up to 12
hours. A ridden Garra is capable of a burst of speed (galloping, at up to 25 kph) for around 10 minutes
every few hours, or may be trotted (at around 15 kph) for up to an hour every few hours or so.

Garra may be trained to attack (by slamming with their body or pushing or butting with their horned
head), though during such actions the rider can do little more than hang on. Garra do not jump
particularly well, though they may vault obstacles up to a third of their height, depending on the local
gravity, a Garra is more likely to smash through and obstacle rather than leap over.

89
90
The Baron.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local (surface of the mainworld only). Extradition agreements allow the target
to be taken offworld when in custody.
Bounty Value: Cr50,000
Target: Baron Rhysor Nog, UPP C8B95C, Age 52
Wanted For: Debt, fraud, money laundering.
Notes: Head man of a mountain territory (planetary law is in force). Known assets
include The Hold (a substantial mountain fortress) and a militia force that
includes family members. The target has equipment, weapons, and a variety of
transport assets at their disposal.

The target is the self-styled Baron Nog, Chieftain of a small region of the surface of the world. He is a
powerful, heavily built man, smart and shrewd but cheerfully uneducated. He has adopted the noble
title for himself rather than being granted it and habitually wears the flamboyant traditional costume
of a nobleman of the region. The Baron resides in The Hold, a fortress sitting atop a craggy outcrop of
rock that overlooks a narrow pass.

The dossier mentions that the Baron has very considerable debt (largely got from bad investments and
gambling), a conviction for money laundering, and is also wanted for questioning in regard to related
criminal activity, including insider stock trading and transporting illegal weapons. Recovery is on behalf
of his creditors. Once he brought into custody, he is likely to be further arrested by subsector
authorities regarding the other criminal charges.

Intel about the man's routines and other useful notes. Documentation and so forth provided.

The World

The world where the Baron resides is going through a regional war, a major civil disturbance revolving
around traditional territorial rights and local autonomy in a remote mountainous region. The separatist
movements (and there are many) have formed small militias and warbands and engage in guerrilla
warfare and raiding against one another and their supposed oppressors, the world’s government. Units
of government troops are actively engaging separatists all across the region and have moved
significant military assets into the area.

Baron Nog and his domain are nominally loyal to the government, paying lip service to the official line
and ostensibly working against the various groups of separatists and rebels. The Barons home region
has been notably peaceful since his accession to power: it is widely believed that he is playing both
sides in the conflict to achieve this. He is certainly shrewd and cunning enough to pull it off.

The planetary government is signatory to a number of agreements, including extradition rights for
individuals guilty of certain crimes such as financial misconduct. They will not actively arrest Baron Nog
– removing him from power could destabilize the region – but will not interfere if legitimate outside
authorities, such as bounty hunters, pursue him.

91
The Mountain Territory

Landing

Most of the region is covered by military sensor nets (based around radar technology) linked to
powerful vehicle-mounted surface-to-air missile systems. These present a significant hazard to aircraft
and space vessels. The military operators are skilled and experienced, and have shot down intruding
craft in the past. Military aircraft patrol the skies, sleek jet interceptors that are extremely fast and
manoeuvrable and carry powerful missiles capable of badly damaging a ship.
92
Orbit to surface landings outside of the primary surface starport (many thousands of kilometers
distant) are expressly forbidden. Ships breaking this rule are assumed to be running weapons and
supplies to the insurgents and as such are considered legitimate targets. This restriction includes
landings at The Hold's local starport: only specific vessels following agreed schedules and using unique
passwords are permitted to touch down there.

Flying craft are subject to the same restrictions as spacecraft: grav vehicles flying at high altitude and
aircraft will likely be spotted by the sensor net, and intercepted and shot down by missiles or fighter
jets. They may be challenged, but it is not unknown for flying craft to be shot down without warning. A
grav vehicle flying at Nap-of-Earth (NOE) altitudes and speeds is permissible, barely.

Though the world has a relatively low-tech level its military is more than up to the task of enforcing the
no landing rule. However, there are gaps in the military sensor coverage caused by the difficult terrain,
and the turbulent mountain weather further hamper their operations. A skilled pilot can, if they are
careful, slip through the sensor net and dodge the air patrols, drop to the surface, and touch down
without being detected – a suitable spot a few tens of kilometers from The Hold can easily be located.

On The Ground

The landing zone is in a large area of badlands, with plenty of cover that hides the vessel from
patrolling aircraft and lonely enough for it not to be discovered by nosy locals. The area is dominated
by towering mesas divided by deep flat-bottomed ravines, with crumbling rock walls, fallen boulders,
and dusty gravel flats.

Chilly local environment (significantly colder than the world's average temperature). The whole area
gloomy and miserable, with low heavy cloud and freezing banks of mist. A few large predators inhabit
the barren wastes, though they are rarely encountered, and there are occasional small herds of large
free-ranging grazers that are the core of the local economy. Winged scavengers circle far overhead.

Getting from the ship to The Hold requires using an appropriate vehicle. It should be large enough to
accommodate the characters and also have room to hold the prisoner on the return journey. The
journey is over treacherous terrain but unless risks are being taken can be done relatively easily.

93
Baron Rhysor Nog

94
Getting Into the Hold

The Hold is a medieval-looking walled town built atop an isolated outcrop of grey stone and is home to
a couple of hundred individuals. The citadel, an ancient fortification, looms over the town and provides
sanctuary in times of conflict. A cleared region of solid bedrock a few kilometers off serves as a Class E
starport. It has a landing beacon and hard standing but little else.

The Hold is a strange mixture of ancient buildings and modern technology, with aerials and dishes,
environmental controllers, power relays, and other technological components built onto monolithic
stone structures that face onto narrow cobbled streets. Carts drawn by Garra Beasts stand side by side
with modern vehicles very similar in design to the character's own.

The town is noisy and a riot of activity, far more activity than the intel suggested there would be. The
air is filled with the din of music and is heavy with the scents of incense and cooking food. Strangers
are everywhere – getting in is easy. The armed but casually dressed guards at the gates barely
acknowledge anyone unless they are flagrantly breaking local law level restrictions.

The Wedding

There is a big wedding taking place and the characters have arrived during the final preparations for
the ceremony. Baron Nog's youthful nephew, culturally a member of a neighbouring tribal territory, is
marrying a local girl, the daughter of one of his senior henchmen.

The Baron is the host of the proceedings but takes a back seat in the activities. He will be present
during the complicated and colorful ceremony but once that is done he retires to his chambers to
attend to his affairs, intending to return to the festivities for a grand banquet later in the day.

Within the town there are plenty of opportunities to get side-tracked, perhaps by questions from
family relatives, dragged into some awkward dance, or challenged to a contest of some kind (all of
which the referee is encouraged to play for comedy). The characters may decide to adopt a disguise
(perhaps acting as a member of staff), allowing them to blend into the throng of guests and servants
and locals.

Getting into the Citadel

The citadel is guarded but there are individuals regularly entering and leaving, mostly servants. The
citadel guards are more attentive than those at the settlement gates, but they have seen an endless
stream of people coming and going. They won't pay much attention to the characters as long as they
seem to have a legitimate reason for being there (carrying something in, perhaps tagging onto the end
of a larger group that has already been waved through).

The Baron’s private quarters lie at the eastern end of the citadel, on the upper floor of a structure
called The Residence that is nestled between the massive keep and the thick hollow-topped curtain
walls. The Residence dates from a later phase of the citadel’s construction, having been added long
after the original fortification was built. While it is more modern than the surrounding sections and has
a different architectural style, it is centuries old and utilizes simple materials.

It is centred around an enclosed courtyard dominated by a carved staircase and balcony made from
reddish-coloured local timber. The walls are constructed from large blocks of pale stone and can be
more than a meter thick, while the floors, rooves, and doors are made of solid, aged wood. There are
few external windows, although there are some facing into the courtyard – most internal lighting
comes from dim electric lamps hung from antique-looking wall sconces.

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Doors into and out of the Residence are generally secured, while internal doors are usually unlocked.
Those desiring entry knock on a door and a servant (eventually) opens it.

The upper floor rooms are large, sparsely decorated, have few fittings, and contain only minimal
amounts of furniture (typically items such as tables, chairs, chests, bureaus, four-poster beds with

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draw-round curtains, dressers, or large cabinets, depending on the function of the room). The
exception is the harem tower, which is sumptuously appointed and has fine furniture. The ground level
floor has a similar arrangement of rooms to the upper floor but consists of scrubbed kitchens, soap-
scented sculleries, and dusty storage rooms.

The entire citadel is gloomy, draughty, musty, and cold. While it has the feel of TL-1, it contains vehicle
garages, workshops, and technological items such as power generators, communications gear, and
entertainment systems. Denizens use items like computers, sophisticated tools and devices, and
modern weaponry in their everyday lives.

Within the Citadel

The great hall of the citadel is full of people celebrating the Barons’ nephews’ wedding ceremony.
Guests fill both the great hall and the keep. They drink and eat and sing and dance, servants scurry
back and forth, children shriek and run and parents scold them, music fills the air, and good-natured
chaos reigns. The Residence is a sanctuary of quiet amid this, and Baron Nog retreats there as soon as
decorum allows.

Within The Residence a few servants go about their duties, typically transporting food and drink or
undertaking cleaning. If trouble occurs, they will avoid getting involved and will flee at the first chance,
alerting wedding guests and causing a commotion.

Once inside, the characters should work their way towards the Baron's personal chambers, which are
located towards the eastern side of the keep on the upper floor. The Baron has a small cadre of guards
with him – the characters should deal with or sneak past them in order to capture the man. Baron Nog
does not have much by way of technological security, instead relying on thick stone walls, heavy
wooden doors, and his cadre of guards to protect him. He has a small cadre of guards with him – the
characters should deal with or sneak past them in order to capture the man.

The guards base themselves in the trophy room and have thoroughly entered into the celebrations,
making sure they have plenty of food and alcohol. They occasionally conduct half-hearted patrols, and
will respond to any commotion (unless it sounds like the harem are involved, in which case they will
send in a servant first, just to be on the safe side…)

The Baron

The Baron spends much of his free time in the parlour adjacent to the harem, relaxing in the company
of his current preferred odalisque. The harem has four female members at present, who are there as a
result of understandings and alliances – although they are not being forced to stay or engage in non-
consensual acts, the Hold’s remoteness makes leaving difficult. Some may desire to escape their
circumstances and they may look to the characters to aid them, especially with the wedding providing
cover for their departure. Guests, given their relationship to the Baron, are unlikely to help them.

The Baron will try and get to the Great Hall once he is aware what is going on, via whatever route he
can find – he knows the upper floor best. He is more than capable of defending himself and will do, if
necessary, but his primary aim will be to reach his allies. If he succeeds, he will charge back at the head
of an armed and drunken mob with the aim of capturing the characters. Subsequent events are left to
the referee.

Once they have captured the Baron, they should make their way back to their vehicle, without drawing
undue attention, and make their escape. The Baron will not make this easy. He will shout for help and
try to escape unless the characters can restrain him.

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The Getaway

The characters have successfully captured Baron Nog and now need to get him to justice. The Baron
won't make this easy and will try to escape his captivity. As is standard he shouldn't be harmed or
badly treated.

The Baron will of course take advantage of any opportunity to get away. Unless he is somehow gagged
or has a gun held to him, he will likely call for help. If he sees the chance he may attempt to wrestle or
overpower a character, perhaps trying to throw them out of the vehicle, though he has brains enough
to not try anything stupid while guns are being pointed at him.

Meanwhile... Pretty soon the alarm is raised within the Fortress.

People going in and out and will discover things, and at some point, survivors will emerge and recount
what happened. It quickly becomes clear that the Baron is gone, taken by a bunch of off-worlders who
were seen in the town earlier in the day (possibly drinking and dancing). Word of the Baron's
abduction will spread like wildfire among the wedding guests and townsfolk, and as soon as he hears
of it Baron Nog's nephew acts fast.

He declares himself the new Baron of The Hold, with his dominion beginning immediately. His
extended family, present for the wedding and armed to the teeth, declare their support, while Nog's
supporters, caught thoroughly off guard, melt away or declare allegiance to the new Baron in order to
save their own skins. A number of horrible "accidents" befall the Baron's most loyal supporters (one
mysteriously trips and falls from a high window while attempting to flee), which very effectively
encourages the others to shift their support.

An opportunistic coup has taken place.

The Broadcast

As the characters and their furious captive depart The Hold, an open communication is broadcast. The
Baron's nephew addresses the population and informs them of the beginning of his reign. He declares
the former Baron an outcast and a fugitive, and declares that it wasn't a kidnapping at all. The former
Baron, he announces, planned these events all along, working with the offworlders to steal his citizen's
treasures. A substantial bounty (a term's wages easily to the average citizen) is offered for the capture
of these thieves and their return to The Hold. They needn't be alive.

Baron Nog is apoplectic with rage, though it is now directed against his scheming nephew rather than
the characters.

Suddenly he can't do enough to assist them. He's keen to get off world as fast as possible, and right
now they are pretty much his only means of escape.

Vehicle chase

With the declaration of the bounty, a number of vehicles crewed by guards and hotheads depart The
Hold and set off in pursuit of the characters and the Baron. These are effectively the same as the
vehicle the characters are driving, though knowledge of local terrain and conditions gives them an
advantage that allows them to catch up fast.

A single Drive roll determines the nature of the chase. The referee is encouraged to flesh this out into
an exciting action sequence, with a drive through rugged terrain filled with dusty gravel flats, steep-
sided hills, spires of rock, boulders, and large hollows and ruts.

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Results

Catastrophic Failure (snake eyes) - the characters vehicle breaks down or crashes at some point during
the chase, and is (briefly) inoperable though by no means destroyed. It can be rapidly fixed (perhaps
Mechanical Repair to restart it or simply Strength to get it out of a ditch), but in the time this takes the
bad guys will get very close indeed. The villains have their choice of action, such as dismounting from
their own vehicles and attacking, attempting to board the characters vehicle as it begins to move, or
trying to ram it or stop it.

Failure (below required drive roll) - the bad guys get close to the characters moving vehicle and can try
to initiate a situation such as boarding or ramming. The nature of the terrain - narrow areas and
obstacles - makes this difficult and dangerous, but the bad guys are determined. At least a few will
make it.

Success (above required drive roll) - the characters stay ahead of the bad guys, using the rugged terrain
to its best advantage. The bad guys are hot on their tail, however, and will at one point get close
enough to exchange gunfire.

Exceptional Success (three or more above required drive roll) - the bad guys get excitingly close at one
point but the characters are able to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers. The
bad guys likely loose off a few optimistic long-range pot-shots.

The Baron will assist in whatever way he can. He is a brute of a man and will gleefully engage in close
combat if given the chance, punching and kicking foes and throwing them off of the moving vehicle.
The characters really need him alive, though, to be able to claim the reward on his head.

If the characters do get seriously out of their depth, perhaps facing being overwhelmed, consider
having another vehicle of bad guys show up and attack the villains threatening the characters. These
newcomers are keen on seizing the bounty for themselves and have no qualms about taking out the
opposition to do so. This should give the characters better odds or perhaps an opportunity to slip
away.

Back to the ship

Depending on how the chase goes, the characters and Baron Nog will either race up to the ship with
the bad guys in hot pursuit, limp back fighting a desperate rear-guard defence, or arrive with a few
moments to spare.

When the bad guys see the ship (and whatever weaponry she is carrying) their courage entirely deserts
them, particularly if the turrets show any sign of turning. They're not fools, they aren't any match for
starship weapons and they know it. They turn their vehicles and flee with all possible haste, quickly
disappearing among the rugged local geography.

Launch to orbit or travel to the starport. Avoid military sensors and air patrols.

Jump back to home.

The Baron is affable and good-natured during the jump. He seems unconcerned about his upcoming
appointment with justice: the charges are largely financial, and he has allies and contacts and assets
still available to him. While he may spend a little time in confinement, that will give him time to
organize retaking his territory and overthrowing his treacherous nephew.

He may need mercenaries.

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A Train of Events.

Two suspects need to be detained. They have a substantial enough bounty on them to make it
worthwhile. They must be brought in alive (and healthy enough to stand trial) in order to claim the
reward.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local (surface of the mainworld only).
Bounty Value: Cr12,000
Targets: Yennah Taluka (UPP B7A566)
Aminta Dingler (UPP 7A8977)
Wanted For: Assault, theft with violence.
Notes: No criminal record in The Territories.

The World.

Caliban is a high population world divided between different governments and native tribes. The
northern part of the planet is known as The Territories and is controlled by C-Corp, the Caliban
Corporation, which exploits the resources of the region. C-Corp acts as the local governmental
authority, imposes its own laws, and enforces them with private security forces. The regions it controls
are off limits to anyone except corporate personnel, though some tribal groups have special
dispensations related to animal migration.

The company runs its operations out of the port-city of Prophet and has important facilities at Arrol,
lying some six thousand kilometers to the east. The two centers are connected by a monorail link that
moves vast quantities of raw materials and processed goods and runs along the poorly defined border

100
of the tribal territories. Small Corp towns, communities built around processing and refining facilities
and including residential and leisure facilities, lie along the monorail's route.

On a map, the border regions controlled by C- Corp appear to abut one another, but in reality there are
narrow corridors a few kilometers wide and hundreds of kilometers long separating them. These
corridors follow natural features such as valleys and ridges and are subject to mainworld (rather than
corporate) laws.

Local Law

An arrest conducted within C-Corp territory is considered to be illegal – the company will not tolerate
outsiders operating within The Territories. If the characters are caught doing so they will be arrested,
tried, and put to work to pay off their debt to the company (most likely logging in a remote subpolar
camp). If they make an arrest within The Territories and manage to flee the region with the suspects,
C-Corp will initiate complex legal proceedings. This will cause ongoing issues and problems, including
frequent demands to appear in court, and could result in the characters being arrested retrospectively.

Problems like these will, in the long term, harm the reputation of the bounty hunters and create huge
legal headaches for prosecutors. This leads to criminal evading justice fleeing to C-Corp recruitment
offices and signing on to long company contracts in order to avoid extradition or arrest.

An arrest conducted within tribal territory, however, is perfectly legal.

The Suspects

Taluka and Dingler have been convicted of crimes and have fled to The
Territories, working in the huge processing plants of Promise. They
have been immune to extradition and punishment for their crimes, but
a window of opportunity has opened up.

A maglev train is scheduled to move between Promise and Arrol, and

according to its manifest the two suspects are going to be aboard: the
intel even indicates their assigned seating within a particular passenger
car.

For part of its course the maglev rail lies within one of the narrow
border corridors between two corporate zones, and while it is within
this area, the train itself is considered to be under tribal rather than
corporate law. This affords a chance to apprehend the two targets. The
train only runs along the corridor for a limited distance before the rail turns back inside corporate
territory.

The train must be boarded, the suspects must be apprehended, and everyone must be off and clear
before it crosses the border back into corporate territory. The trains schedule means it will pass
through this region late in the local evening, when light levels are low, which makes it unlikely that the
characters will be spotted as they approach and board.

Getting Aboard the Train

The train is composed of a variety of cars.

• Hopper wagons are large, grubby, open-topped metal boxes filled with raw ore. They can be
clambered onto via end ladders, but the treacherous stony cargo must be crossed on foot to

101
 get to the next car. These cars form the majority of the train and have a loaded deadweight of
about eight hundred metric tons each.

• Box wagons are enclosed and contain animals, crates, tarpaulin-wrapped industrial machinery
and manufacturing robots, spools of cabling, drums of fluids, tools, rolls of heavy fabric, and
other assorted supplies and materials. They are gloomy and poorly lit and smell of oil and
ozone. They can be accessed by end doors and have sliding side loading doors.

• Flatbed wagons may be empty (being returned to a depot) or may have vehicles or bulky
machinery stowed on them, usually covered with a heavy tarpaulin that rustles and flaps in the
slipstream.

• Passenger cars are lined with windows and contain seating along a communal central aisle.
Each has a a communal fresher. At least one car in the train is an "executive" model with far
plusher furniture and nicer fixtures and fittings.

Getting On and Off the Train

It is assumed that the characters will attempt to board the train using
a grav vehicle such as an air/raft or a gcarrier. An empty flatbed
wagon is a good potential site to touch down, but it will require the
vehicle's driver to carefully match vectors with the moving train
before landing.

If they prefer, the characters can disembark from their vehicle and
jump onto the moving train – their vehicle can "shadow" the train at a
safe distance, either on autopilot or perhaps under the control of a
trusted NPC. Alternatively, the characters could climb onto the
guideway and attempt to get onto the train at a spot where it is going
slowly enough to be able to board. A suitable site lying just within
tribal lands can be located – a series of tight bends in the guideway.

The logistics of getting off of the moving train should also be considered. Hauling the suspects back
through the cars to their landed vehicle is the assumed option. It may result in at least one
confrontation on the way. Another option is to attempt to reboard their vehicle while it flies alongside,
which will be difficult with resisting prisoners and could present considerable danger if things go
wrong.

The characters could attempt to stop the train (for example, using the emergency stop alarm located in
most enclosed cars) in order to make getting off easier. Jumping from the moving train (likely
necessitating that the prisoners are thrown off at the same time) is extremely hazardous, no matter
how carefully it is timed, and will likely to result in serious injury or death.

Aboard the Train

When the characters get aboard the train they should work towards the passenger cars, entering the
one where the suspects are supposed to be. Depending on how the characters plan it (and whether
they can achieve an ambush by perhaps blocking the exits) the suspects will attempt to flee. In the
process of approaching them or arresting them a commotion will happen. A few friends among the
other corporate personnel will stand up for the suspects, maybe giving them a chance to escape.

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The referee decide that the suspects are in a different passenger car – perhaps the intelligence wasn't
quite right about where they were, or maybe they wandered off from their assigned seats to take part
in some gambling. During the commotion that the characters cause searching for them, the suspects
are tipped off and they begin to flee. This will necessitate an exciting chase through the various cars.

Gaps between cars should be jumped, mineral ore should be clambered over, ladders should be
climbed, roofs should be run along, and carriages should be barged through. The wind will tear at
those outside and the motion and jolting of the train will make footing uncertain. The suspects will
assist one another, knocking over luggage and equipment to create obstacles, annoying groups that
they pass, and generally trying to hamper the pursuit. Really, though, they have nowhere to go and
ultimately they should be apprehended.

In a last act of desperation, the pair may attempt to jump from the train, just as it slows to approach a
long curve. Assuming they don't kill or severely injure themselves they will attempt to run for the
nearest bit of Corp territory. If the characters can get off of the train themselves, it should be relatively
easy to locate and detain them.

Passengers

A number of low-ranking Corp personnel are aboard the train, spread out among the various
passenger cars and equipment wagons. They are transferring to a new site and are enjoying the leisure
time that the journey affords, for the most part gambling away the few creds they have on them,
watching movies or media, doing paperwork, or catching up on some sleep.

As the suspects flee along the train and the characters pursue them, the occupants of each car react
differently, especially if the suspects have upset their activities as they pass.

Roll 1D6 on the table below to determine the reactions of individuals or small groups:

Roll Reaction
1 The individuals are panicky and run about, getting in the way.
2-4 The individuals avoid confrontation and stay out of the way.
5 Someone uses the commotion to settle a score with another random NPC, probably over
accusations of cheating at gambling. People pile on or surge in to break up the fight. Characters
may get dragged in or slip past in the commotion.
6 A physically huge man and his smaller-but-tough buddies actively try and engage the
characters, either with in-your-face machismo or an actual physical assault.

Individuals may have access to knives and improvised weapons such as tools but will generally brawl
and throw punches.

A few corporate security personnel are also aboard the train. They are equipped with body armor and
handguns and have communicators: they number one less than the characters. They will show up and
disrupt proceedings at an inconvenient moment. If challenged or threatened they will defend
themselves, but are more likely to approach a situation vocally rather than violently and can be
negotiated with.

If the characters point out that the train is not in Corp territory, it is currently under tribal jurisdiction,
they will back down and "look the other way" during the arrest, provided no serious crimes have been
committed in the process (they really don't care about fist fights). They will tell the characters in no
uncertain terms that they'd better not still be aboard when they cross the border.

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Getting Back to The Transport

As discussed in Getting On And Off Of The Train, above, an exit strategy should be considered. While
hauling the suspects back through the cars is definitely an option, it may result in additional
confrontations on the way. The suspects will not go willingly.

The scenario is considered successfully concluded once the suspects have been detained and everyone
is off of the train. Alternative endings and subsequent events are left to the discretion of the referee.

The Ticking Clock

Although it is left as a vague number, the timer is running throughout the scenario: the train must be
reached at the right time of day, as it leaves The Territories. It will travel through a narrow corridor of
tribal land, taking perhaps 20-30 minutes to cover around 50 kilometers. Eventually it will cross back
over the border into The Territories.

If they haven't been detained by the time the train crosses the border the suspects will be in the clear.
Corporate security will be true to their word and attempt to arrest the characters if they are still
aboard, and the other corporate employees, keen on receiving a bonus, will help them.

The referee is encouraged to be vague about the exact timing. It is better to play it for excitement than
mechanically count every second: a last-minute getaway is always more memorable and satisfying.

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 Additional Monorail Scenarios
A number of outline scenarios based around the monorail system are provided: the referee is
encouraged to add twists or combine situations to create a more interesting or nuanced plot. The
completion fee is a suggestion only: a longer or more dangerous journey may command a higher
charge, and if the characters do a particularly good job they may receive bonus payments.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local security.
Completion Fee: Cr5000
Notes: Protect designated assets between two monorail destinations. All
travel costs, any medical bills, and other incidental expenses are
covered.

The Milk Run

Nothing unusual happens. The asset does not attempt to escape during the journey, items don't get
damaged or stolen in transit. The train travels between destinations, making a few scheduled stops
along the way, and there is plenty of scenery to gaze at through the windows: the most thrilling part of
the journey is inching around a series of loops following the contours of a rugged mountain. The snacks
and beverages available from the vending machines are bland and overpriced, and really don't help the
ride go any more quickly. At the destination, the receiving officer accepts custody of the asset and a
receipt is handed over. Easy.

Most transport jobs are walks in the park, easy creds for taking a ride on the rail. Nothing
happens, you make the delivery, you pocket the notes. But after a few you get complacent, you
take it easy and start to enjoy the view. And when you do, when your guard is down,
guaranteed that's when things get … interesting.
Brooker Gunn, GSF Field Agent

Rescue Attempt

The assets are two members of a criminal gang being moved between holding facilities. Their fellow
gang members will board the train at a point where it is travelling slowly (it exits a tunnel before
passing over a long curving bridge). The gang will board in two groups, one ahead of and one behind
the car the characters are in, jumping onto the train as it exits the tunnel. They attempt to move
towards their comrades and free them, before jumping off the still slowly moving train at the far end
of the bridge and being collected by their transport (a couple of rugged ground cars).

The gang outnumber the characters two to one and are armed with pistols (or weapons equivalent to
those the characters are carrying), though they are not particularly skilled in their use and have no
coordinated tactics. Other people aboard the train will panic, distract the thugs and slow them down,
or may attempt to fight back (helping to even the odds). The prisoners will do their best to cause
trouble and escape. If the gang members can be captured, a small bounty can be claimed on each one
brought back alive.

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Landslide

The asset is a prisoner being moved between holding facilities. She is a timid-seeming middle-aged lady
who backs down from any threat or rebuke. Her resume lists her as a "mechanic" who has been
detained over debt. The asset is, however, a former special forces soldier, and despite her apparent
meekness – which she deliberately cultivates so people let their guard down – she is very capable and
has some unusual skills (of the referee's choice) that may help her to escape.

Along its route, way out in the middle of nowhere, the track passes through a long, forested canyon
amid rugged hills. A rock face has fallen away and rubble and boulders have partially blocked the
glideway that the train rides on. The debris must be cleared and any damage must be repaired – this
will involve cutting away parts of at least one crushed box section of glideway, which is too warped out
of shape for the train’s linear trucks to run over (see glideway notes, above).

The sensors built into the track have alerted a control centre and repair crews are on the way, but the
remoteness of the location means they will take a day or two to arrive.

The characters (and the few passengers and crew who are aboard) can clear the debris in a couple of
hours using tools carried aboard the train – fixing the damage to the section of glideway takes as long
again. It is arduous work and needs every available person to pitch in, especially when shifting box
sections of rail. The asset will of course offer to assist, and if she is allowed, she will be a model
prisoner, right up until the moment the opportunity to escape presents itself.

She will run (and she has a surprising turn of speed): if she can make it to the forest, she can use her
skills to disappear. If the characters cannot stop her, they may be faced with the prospect of hunting
her down amid the wilderness, and unless they can find her quickly the glideway may be repaired and
the train may leave without them. In the worst case she may completely evade the characters and they
may be forced to return to base with no prisoner: there will not be any completion fee.

Bridge Washed Out

The asset is a prisoner being

moved between holding facilities.
He is a balding middle-aged man
who minds his own business and
passes the time reading. The
region the train is passing through
has been experiencing severe
weather, with heavy rainfall in the
highlands. A river swollen by the
rains has scoured out the
foundations of a glideway pillar
right in the middle of a bridge. It
has partially collapsed, leaving the
bridge sagging and impassable.

Fortunately, a loop of glideway branches off of the main track a few kilometers behind the trains
current position, leading to an abandoned mining facility consumed by luxuriant growths of plants. The
rail enters an extremely overgrown marshalling yard where minerals were loaded onto wagons, then
crosses the river on an intact bridge some distance upstream, before linking up with the main glideway
again a few kilometres further on.

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The train can be reversed back to the switch-track and moved onto the loop. The characters will need
to walk the route ahead of the train, clearing back creepers and vegetation with axes and cutting gear
and making sure it is safe to pass, manually setting heavy switch-tracks within the yard to give the train
a route through, easing the train across the metal-pillared river bridge (which creaks and groans
ominously but stays standing), before finally re-joining the main glideway.

The work is exhausting and there are a multitude of dangers lurking. Plant saps or spores may cause
allergic reactions such as skin blisters or breathing difficulties, there are hidden drops and tripping
hazards, and the yard may be home to dangerous creatures such as hungry spikebears, enormous feral
korvu protecting their territory, or swarms of venomous black stingers.

The prisoner remains aboard the train and makes no attempt to get away.

Natives Attack

The assets are cargo – assorted items of carefully packaged antique furniture seized in order to settle
an outstanding debt– that the train is ferrying to a private holding facility. Thick fog blankets the region
the train is passing through, temperatures are chilly, and visibility is low.
The train makes a scheduled stop at an isolated halt in the middle of nowhere in order to pick up a
small consignment of goods, but the place seems to be deserted. The fog lies in dense banks and there
is an eerie silence.

Not long after someone gets inside the buildings muffled whoops and yells can be heard, and then
shots ring out. A raiding party of natives, under the sway of a charismatic leader, charge out of the fog
and launch an attack on the stationary train. They are terrifying-looking, clad in mixture of local
costume and items of modern equipment, riding long-legged scaly beasts fitted with elaborate saddles,
and brandishing antique-looking swords and guns.

A group of raiders quickly board the locomotive and incapacitate the engineer, but make no attempt to
drive or damage the train, instead looting it of tools and trinkets. They attempt to move down the
wagons but the passengers resist, blasting away with personal firearms, distracting and tying down
most of the enemies, who begin firing back. Bullets whizz through the air and ping and ricochet off of
metalwork.

If the characters got off the train to investigate the buildings they can reboard, though a few mounted
warriors, shrieking and waving long blades, emerge from the gloom and dust and charge past them.
They may attempt to trample the characters or chop or slash at them as they thunder by.

The only realistic way out of the situation is to get to the locomotive and get the train underway again.
Haste is important: eventually the raiders will get themselves organized, loot anything of value, set the
train on fire, and systematically gun down anyone who tries to escape the inferno. There are many
more warriors than passengers and crew.

The dense fog allows individuals move along the train without being easily noticed, but it also conceals
a few warriors who are still looking for treasures: they are not suicidal and will flee if things don't go
their way. The train can be started, provided the machinery hasn’t been wrecked in the fighting
(mechanical skill will dramatically speed up the process – the wounded engineer can assist if the
characters are struggling). Once the train is moving the last few warriors will leap clear.

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Hold Up

The assets are the cargo – advanced manufacturing tools retrieved from a factory foreclosure and
packed in large crates – that the train is carrying to a warehouse. The locomotive pulls a mixture of
boxcars and old passenger carriages: the assets are in a boxcar about halfway down the train.

As it winds its way across the landscape the train begins to slow and then stops: a robbery is underway
(an insider has taken control of the locomotive). Vehicles drive up – big off-roaders – and disgorge
masked individuals clad in body armour and wielding advanced automatic weapons. They board the
train at various points and move along it, rounding up anyone they find. The robbers work quickly and
efficiently and seem to have a plan. They have targeted a particular boxcar – the next one forwards
from the character's – and are attempting to crack open a large safe within it.

If the characters try and fight the robbers, they will very likely find themselves outgunned and quickly
overwhelmed. However, the robbers have no idea there are agents aboard. The characters have plenty
of time to see what is happening and can easily hide badges and stash weapons and gear for use later.
Unless the characters give the robbers a reason to suspect who they are, they will be treated as regular
passengers. They will be given a cursory search and then hustled into one of the rear passenger cars,
along with the crew and other passengers, and watched by four guards, two stationed at each inter-car
passage.

Things will start to go wrong for the robbers – the safe is much harder to open than expected so they
decide to use explosives. They set off a big bang that wrecks the boxcar and injures or briefly concusses
most of the robbers, but the safe still doesn't open. All but one of the guards leave to help, and an
argument breaks out about among those still conscious as to what to do next. These distractions can
be used to gain surprise, overwhelm the remaining guard in the carriage, and with luck take out the
remaining robbers.

If things really do start going south the robbers will abandon the heist and attempt to flee in their
vehicles. Saving the train and its cargo will earn the characters a commendation: casualties among the
robbers will be noted but otherwise ignored. If any of the robbers can be brought in alive, they should
earn the characters a decent cash reward.

Breakdown

The assets are cargo – seized high-end vehicles and boxed consumer electronics including state of the
art entertainment systems – that are being carried aboard three flatbed cars. On its route the glideway
goes through a large urban area, one that has suffered an economic downturn over recent years. As it
passes endless dilapidated buildings the trains speed begins to drop – the locomotive has suffered a
mechanical problem (the powerplant is overheating and smells like burning lubricants).

The power cuts off on a long straight section of dual track, one that has gantry walkways along both
sides of it: the train glides to a halt, coming to rest on the metallic glideway. It doesn't take long for a
crowd of locals to gather. More and more people begin to show up, children among them, and a few
begin climbing onto the gantries and trying to board the train, intent on pilfering whatever they can.

Characters skilled in mechanics can assist with repairing the locomotive, if they desire: otherwise they
should guard their flatbed cars. Unless the characters escalate the situation it will likely remain as a
tense stand-off. At most they will need to wrestle the occasional boarder or two, dodge a couple of
thrown rocks, retrieve pilfered goods before the thieves make it off the train, and look threatening
enough to deter the majority of the crowd.

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The characters could even make a "sport" of it, chasing nimble children around the flatbed cars and
passing them to the adults below when they catch them. This would certainly entertain the crowd and
help defuse the situation, as long as the kids aren't hurt. Firing shots could cause a panic and
overreacting in general will have consequences: there are a lot of people watching and recording
events on their commo devices.

Eventually the crew will fix the train. It will begin moving again and any remaining boarders will jump
off. If things get really out of control prior to that, local law enforcement will show up in force, the
crowd will rapidly disperse, and arrests may be made (including the characters if they have broken any
local laws or caused any serious injuries).

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The Hedonist.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Interstellar (starports or interstellar space).
Bounty Value: Cr20,000
Target: Charlton Frazer Rand, UPP 8876AA, Age 23
Wanted For: Significant debt, trafficking of controlled substances.
Location: Resident aboard 400 Ton Merchant Persephone Star.
Notes: Heir to the Frazer Rand fortune. The target must be returned alive, with a 25%
bonus if uninjured.

Charlton Rand is a young man from a very good family who has accumulated significant debts and
criminal convictions within a number of systems. These include unpaid bills at expensive stores, failure
to meet credit agreements, failure to make payments for cosmetic surgery, trafficking controlled
substances such as alcohol and narcotics, indulging in lewd behaviour, and repeated failure to attend
legal hearings. The debts and fines Rand has accrued are close to a million credits.

While Rand was wanted individually under local warrants on a number of worlds, these authorities
have cooperated to produce an interstellar warrant, allowing him to be seized offworld. This has been
tacitly approved by Rand’s family, who have finally decided to cut his finances and are refusing to
settle his debts. Rand himself is unaware of these developments, certain that he is untouchable just as
long as he doesn't leave ports and their extraterritorial status.

Rand is resident aboard the Persephone Star, a 400 Ton merchant vessel, using her as his mobile
penthouse and as a safe place to indulge his many unsavoury habits. He has been "slumming" his way
around the region, living off of his family's enormous wealth.

The arrangement Rand has with the crew is that he bankrolls the ship – he holds shares in the vessel
and has a large amount of ready cash, kept in a private safe in his rooms, to cover his costs. He has
paid for repairs and maintenance to the vessel and has seen to it that she is suitably clean and
presentable. He has also "upgraded" various elements of the Star, such as the audio system, and has

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outfitted three adjoining staterooms as his permanent suite. Rand hasn't burnt through all his ready
cash yet and tried to get more, so is unaware that his family’s fortune is no longer on tap.

THE STARPORT

The Persephone Star is presently berthed in landing bay 01H, within the worlds surface starport.

Public Areas

The public areas of the starport are large terminal buildings that serve as access points to the port. The
terminals are commercial hubs, filled with large concourses and malls lined with shops and boutiques,
and offering services such as travel agencies, cafes and restaurants, gymnasiums, cargo brokers,
medical treatment, holographic entertainment suites, bars, lounges, and waiting rooms.

A law level of 7 is in force throughout the port.

Access to the terminal buildings is freely given. Public transport and taxis are available outside and a
constant stream of people wander in and out of the enormous structures. Goods such as alcohol and
perfumes may be purchased free of local taxes and duties, and day-trippers keen on getting a few
bargains are everywhere. Armed security is discreet but clearly present.

Controlled Areas

Anywhere contained within the port's perimeter fence, other than the terminal buildings, is a
controlled area. This includes control buildings and hangars, landing pads, parking aprons, stores,
warehouses, and fuel facilities. Access is restricted, multiple security cameras and sensors cover the
area, and patrols circle the perimeter. Security operations are directed from a central office and will
quickly respond to any intruders it becomes aware of.

The Process of Legal Access

The characters should contact the Port Administration Authority and request authorization to detain
the target within the territory of the port. Normally this requires a dice roll, but in this case the port is
agreeable and the process will be surprisingly fast and easy, provided the characters have the correct
documentation. The characters should present themselves to the terminal security office.

• The characters will need appropriate personal identification.

• They need a valid warrant for the target.
• The characters need to state the target vessel and target individual.
• Paperwork, including damage liability agreements, must be signed.

A small administration fee (Cr250 per character) is charged, and at the conclusion of the process the
characters are issued with security passes. These give access to a clearly defined controlled access area
of the port (the landing bay where the ship is berthed, and access to the bay from a public terminal
building). However, there are some caveats that the characters must agree to in order to gain access:

• The characters cannot carry firearms or blades. Non-lethal weapons such as tasers or batons
are considered acceptable, as are disabling aerosol sprays. Protective equipment such as light
body armour is not restricted, and neither are "tools of the trade" such as handcuffs.
• The players will need to consider in advance how they are going to get aboard the ship, and
what equipment they will need to bring along to achieve that. Any specialist equipment, such
as breaching charges, requires additional paperwork and waivers. An additional Cr500
administration fee (total) will be levied.

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 • The characters will be monitored by port security during the duration of the operation. (It will
almost be obligatory watching, with security personnel glued to their monitors).

The port authority understands that some damage may be caused to the vessel (for example an airlock
door may be forced open) when the characters gain entry. This is an accepted part of the job the
bounty hunters are undertaking, plus the port will pick up the work (and subsequent payment) when
the damage is repaired. Excessive damage or collateral damage will not be tolerated.

The referee is encouraged to play up the bureaucracy and make the players feel like they are jumping
through hoops. Signing and initialling multiple pages (all covering liability), an elderly official in charge
of issuing the paperwork slowly crossing everything off the list and offering folksy wisdoms about
doing a job properly, laboriously produced receipts filled out in triplicate, waiting on security passes to
be printed and laminated…

The referee should also note that starport security are aware that a party is planned aboard the Star at
the same time as the characters intend to raid it – the ship's steward has filed permissions and paid
entry fees for various guests, granting them access to the ship. No mention of this is made by the
security personnel. If the characters think to ask around, hearsay sources at various establishments
within startown can provide this information.

Within Controlled Areas

With Legal Access

Moving into controlled areas of the port by official means requires passing through a security
checkpoint. These are manned by unformed and armed guards who have a variety of sensors to scan
individuals. These include magnetometers and x-rays, built into an archway that feeds the results to a
view screen.

• The guards require a good reason to let individuals into a controlled area. Typically, this should
be official business such as a ship’s crew going to their vessel, port staff going about their
duties, or passengers embarking.
• Anyone passing through security will need supporting documentation such as travel tickets,
boarding passes, or passes issued by the port authority (which the characters should have
obtained). Forged documentation, if it looks official enough, may do the trick.
• The guards will prevent weapons such as firearms and blades being openly taken into
controlled areas, though exceptions for ceremonial dress may be allowed. It is normal to place
weapons into a sealed container, to be safely transported to or from a ship's locker.
• The guards will confiscate contraband, if they discover any. They will detain and question
individuals in possession of illegal substances.
While the guards are generally tolerant and will shrug off anything up to angry shouting from
frustrated passengers, a confrontation with them (or a bribery attempt or the discovery of forged
documents) will lead to overwhelming numbers of security personnel showing up in very short order,
rapid detention, and consequent legal consequences.

Clandestine Access

The characters may try to access the controlled areas of the port without going through security.

It is relatively easy to find an access door in a quiet area of a terminal building, though all doors will
either be locked or have keypads. Staff go through them occasionally and generally don't pay much

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attention to their surroundings: it would be fairly easy to observe the key presses, or to stop the door
from closing properly and get access that way.

Another possible means of access are ceiling air ventilation ducts. These can be accessed in a quiet
area such as a bathroom, crawling through them, and dropping down into the controlled area via
another air vent. There are meshes put in place to prevent individuals or pests crawling around in the
ducts (simple tools can be used to cut through). There may be creatures.

Alternatively, the characters may bypass the terminal buildings altogether and jump the perimeter
fence. There are cameras and basic sensors all along the fence and occasional patrols pass by, but
there are certainly gaps in the coverage that the characters can exploit.

Illegally entering the port presents some potential problems. If the characters are caught, they will be
detained, questioned, and face legal consequences (some time locked up and some hefty fines). The
consequences will be worse the further into the situation they are (being caught aboard a ship carries
larger penalties than being caught merely trespassing). Getting away could also be tricky – Rand will
not be cooperative or quiet, believing that port security will "rescue" him. If the characters are caught
with Rand, port security will detain him individually. The port authority will hand him over, claim the
bounty, and all of the security guards involved will receive a substantial bonus in their pay checks.

Moving Within Controlled Areas

If the characters have permission to be within controlled areas of the port, they may move about
freely, provided they stay within the designated zones and don't go interfering with things.

If they are operating clandestinely, wearing obviously civilian clothing will quickly attract the attention
of port security and a visit by security staff. Workwear is easy to find – lockers around the facilities
contain overalls, hard hats, reflective jackets, face protectors, and other assorted gear. These will serve
as an effective disguise.

Utility conduits, maintenance accessways and various structures and shady spots offer potential routes
to get close to the ship without being observed. It would certainly be possible to approach the ship
with a port vehicle, waving random paperwork at anyone who asks questions.

Boarding The Ship

Before they attempt to detain Rand the players should give some consideration to how they are going
to board the Persephone Star. This requires forethought – once they are within the port they may not
retroactively "have" specialist equipment – such gear must pass through port admin and security. As
mentioned, this will require extra paperwork and additional fees will be charged.

Ship anti-hijack program.

It is normal practise for a ship to have its anti-hijack program running in the background and the
players may want to consider how to overcome it.

If the program goes into full lockdown while the characters are aboard, the inner airlock doors will seal
shut, monitoring equipment will be activated, movement will be restricted in all areas except to
authorized personnel (doors won't open), alarms will go off, and local security forces will be alerted.
The anti-hijack measures can be turned off if access to either the bridge or engineering is gained: the
program can also be tricked into initiating emergency evacuation procedures by setting fires, letting off
smoke, or releasing dangerous gases near the atmosphere testers. Such actions are inherently risky
and will likely cause panic.

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(Unknown to the characters, the Star's anti-hijack program is currently locked on a setting that restricts
access to key areas such as the bridge, the computer, engineering, and the turrets, but gives the
occupants open access to the rest of the vessel, including the airlocks: the anti-hijack program will not
go off).

Airlocks

Airlocks are an obvious entry point – they are just paired sets of doors with locks on them, and they
have to be able to be opened by the crew as required. If the outer door is locked, access is normally
gained by punching in a keycode on a pad located beside the door, scanning a pass card, or using a
simple mechanical key. With a little work the door locks could be picked, overridden, or hacked.

Some Polities require the outer doors of airlocks to be left unlocked as a matter of policy – the airlock
can act as a refuge in the event of a disaster. The inner lock door will most likely be locked. When
either the inner or outer door of an airlock is opened, an audible / visible alarm (beeping and a flashing
light) and a tell-tale indicator on the bridge will go off.

Cargo Doors

The big cargo doors and ramps may well be down to load and offload cargo – this is normal practice
within the port and the doors can remain open for extended periods of time. If they are closed, they
are treated as a section of hull rather than a door due to their size. The cargo doors are monitored.

Hatches

Most ships have hatches and openable panels on various surfaces. These might not be locked, perhaps
being open to allow access for maintenance or even to let some fresh air get into the ship. The hatches
are located on difficult to access surfaces such as the top of the fuselage. Opening or closing external
hatches will trigger a tell-tale indicator on the bridge.

Landing Legs

A possible point of access is via the landing legs – the bay the leg folds into is accessible from inside the
ship (to allow maintenance and in case it gets stuck). The panel covering this opening is a weak spot,
and while it is secured from the inside it could be forced open. Opening a landing leg bay hatch will
trigger a tell-tale indicator on the bridge.

Turrets

The turrets are mounted externally but are accessible from inside the vessel via a small removable
panel. While a turret weapon and its mountings are bulky and awkward to work round, the turret
access panel offers a possible means of entry. Opening a turret hatch will trigger a tell-tale indicator on
the bridge.

Breaching Charges

Another option is using a breaching charge. When it is to be used, it is fixed to the hull at an
appropriate location, a fuse is inserted, and it is triggered. A few moments later (just enough time to
get clear) there is a heavy bang and a cloud of smoke and dust, and a neat hole has been punched
through the hull. Armoured hulls are more of a challenge and require a stronger charge (or the charge
placed in the just the right spot). The blown-out section of hull will fall towards local gravity, or spiral
away in zero-gee.

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Alternatively, if the characters feel they have the time, they could always use a cutter...

Hacking

Social engineering or hacking are preferred methods for "quiet" entry. However, these take resources,
skill, and a considerable amount of time. Provided they have access to the Star's schematics, a
computer and appropriate software to work with, and the sheer talent to create such a thing, a specific
"Intrusion Program" may be created. It can be inserted into the ship via any data access device, such as
a computer terminal or a communications port.

The intrusion program cannot access anything other than a few secondary systems (it cannot be used
to take control of the vessel, for example) and it won't work on other ships. If it functions as intended
it will convince the Star's computer and anti-hijack program that a series of tests are being run, and
that alarms and warnings should be ignored.

Aboard The Star

When the characters get to landing berth 01H unexpected things are happening.

There is a party in full swing. The cargo doors and airlocks are open and there are dozens of people
milling around, drinking and chatting and engaging in other less savoury activities. Loud bassy music is
being channelled through the ship's speakers, the ambient lights are set to "night" (a dim red that
provides enough light to allow individuals to see where they are going) and strobing lightshows are
going, synchronised to the music.

The characters can literally walk right on board, completely unchallenged.

The Star's crew have been given leave and are hanging out at a cheap startown hotel, making the most
of their time off. The steward remains aboard as a caretaker and to act Rand's valet.

Rand is in his private suite, along with a variety of guests. These include individuals of negotiable virtue
and a narcotics supplier and his henchmen. When the characters finally track him down Rand is near
insensible and clad only in a long robe, lying on his bed surrounded by equally scantily clad company.
The dealer and his companions are in an adjacent room, getting cosy with some new friends.

When the characters show up Rand will not resist (or indeed react at all). His bed mates will leap up
and shriek and run around, attempting to cover themselves up and escape. The dealer and his
henchmen will become violent and defensive and decide to leave by any means – their rather
intoxicated friends will also panic and scream and generally get in the way. With the strobing lights and
deafening music, it all becomes rather chaotic.

Rival Interests

Meanwhile…

A rival group arrive a few minutes after the characters. These are thugs who have taken the place of
invited guests: they intercepted some partygoers, took their passes, and used them to get through
security. They are criminals who have a score to settle with the narcotics dealer. Like the characters,
they simply walk onto the ship and begin to search for their targets.

The thugs handle other partygoers roughly, spinning them round to see their faces and causing a
noticeable commotion. The dealer and his henchmen, still reacting to the characters, see the trouble
approaching and rush their opposition, and soon a violent brawl is taking place. The combatants are
capable and tough and proceed to beat one another. Other partygoers hide or run around, get caught
up in the fight, or stream out of the hold.
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Detaining Rand

Rand is alive but incapable. He must be got off of the ship as soon as possible, before something
unfortunate happens. The characters could wait it out – the fight will spill into the room and their
target could easily get hurt, but eventually port security will show up and stop the fun.

The characters can carry Rand outside but will have to dodge fights between thugs, lobbed items, trips
and falls, and any other dangers the referee can present on the way out. They may take a moment or
two before they leave to make Rand more presentable, if desired (perhaps they could find him some
pants, though they'd have to get them onto him themselves).

As soon as the characters are out of the ship the cold air wakes Rand up. He figures out what is going
on and starts putting up a fight, yelling and screaming for help. At about the same time starport
security arrive in numbers and break up the fight.

Conclusion

Rand is a famous individual and paparazzi are waiting as he is brought through the terminal – images of
him being led away in cuffs will feature on news broadcasts, and if the characters haven't dressed him
some of those images will be decidedly risqué. The characters will be imaged too, alongside Rand,
unless they specifically hide their identities. People may recognise them in the future.

The scenario concludes when Rand is handed over for detention at a bounty claims office.

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Non-Player Characters

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Non-Player Characters

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Failed Payments
Shortly after the events of the scenario "The Hedonist", a courier vessel enters the system and along
with the mail and the news, the latest batch of bounty warrants is transmitted.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Interstellar (starports or interstellar space).
Bounty Value: 0.5% of ship value
Target: 400 Ton Merchant Persephone Star
Wanted For: Significant debt, trafficking of controlled substances. Unknown.
Notes: May be transporting contraband.

The Persephone Star is a merchant vessel that until very recently served as the flying penthouse of
Charlton Rand, a wealthy playboy and wastrel. Rand has been taken into custody facing a variety of
charges including significant debt and trafficking illegal substances. He bankrolled the Star during his
time aboard, and now those payments, made against his family's accounts, have not been honoured.
The ship is to be seized and secured (the crew are to be removed) and the vessel is to be legally
handed over to approved agents.

The ship has a new value of 97.3 million credits, though due to its age and condition it has devalued to
around 80 million or so. If the characters can recover the vessel, the take is a cool Cr400,000. The
relatively low bounty value relative to the value of the ship reflects ongoing legal claims against the
vessel and its owners. That's what is being offered: take it or leave it.

If the characters made any friends among the port security personnel during The Hedonist, one of
them will leave a commo message. "I thought you might be looking for the Star," he says. "Well, she's
filed for flight clearance and that's working through operations at the moment, and she's still
unloading port repair gear too, that'll take a while yet. She'll be departing soon though."

The Ship

The Star is currently berthed in hangar 01H of the local port. It recently suffered minor damage
(sustained while a suspect was detained) and is undergoing repairs. The crew of the Star became
aware of the bounty at about the same time as the characters and are all currently aboard the vessel.
They have set about requesting flight clearance, loading a few essential supplies, and getting rid of the
repair and cleaning materials littering the decks. The Star is as spaceworthy as it is likely to be and the
crew are preparing to make as fast a getaway as possible.

Port Entry

The characters will need to get passes to enter the port: the Persephone Star warrant is a different
legal document to the Rand warrant, and as such new passes and approvals will be required if any have
been obtained previously. The process will follow the same bureaucratic procedure laid out in The
Hedonist and will be as frustrating and time-consuming as before, although if the characters have
familiarity with the process they may be able to hasten things (requesting the appropriate forms, filling
them in far more quickly, and having payments ready). The security services assure them that there are
no "wild parties" going on.

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The characters are not permitted to carry weapons within the starport. If they gain legal entry to the
port, they are required to abide by the restrictions the port imposes, detailed in The Hedonist.

The characters may, if desired, attempt to break into the port instead. If they do, they face the
difficulties and consequences detailed in The Hedonist. If they can take the ship and fly it to another
system before handing it in, they will be able to avoid any penalties for trespassing within the port.

Getting Aboard

The main doors and airlocks will not be open: the ship is preparing for launch but it is not quite ready.
The situation should be played as a race against time – the characters need to be inside in force before
the vessel gets itself off the ground. The scenario "The Hedonist" discusses a number of ways that
entry can be gained to the vessel.

Once the characters are actively attempting to board, the crew will initiate the anti-hijack program.

It is up to the referee to decide if the crew do have contraband aboard (it was present as a result of
their former resident passenger's lifestyle, it was not something being deliberately transported for
profit). If the crew do happen to have illegal goods aboard, it may give them an additional reason to try
and avoid capture.

Making a Getaway

The ship will get into the air as soon as the characters are inside (which may present a moment of
excitement as the last character is left dangling outside as the Star gains altitude, requiring a helping
hand from his comrades). The ship accelerates to orbit – any holes in the hull or opened hatches will
cause depressurization (light vacc suits are available in emergency lockers, spread throughout the ship,
if the characters don't have their own).

The crew will attempt to get to safe FTL distance and jump clear of the system. Ideally, the characters
will take control of the vessel before that happens. The crew will attempt to defend their ship and are
equipped with weapons equivalent to those the characters have, though the captain has a handgun.
None are particularly skilled fighters and will surrender rather than fight to the death.

The crew have no idea what to do if they manage to overcome the characters – they are very much
playing it by ear. If they do succeed, they will hold the characters prisoner during jump and release
them at the next system, possibly far away from civilization but not dooming them to death (they
won't abandon them on a vacuum moon, for example). Subsequent events are left to the referee.

Conclusion

The scenario ends when the ship is safely docked in a secure berth at a starport, the crew have been
removed, and an agent of the law has taken possession of the ship from the characters. If the
characters take over the ship while it is in space but lack the skills to land it, a commercial pilot can be
sent out to them in a small craft to bring it back.

Only 10% of the bounty (a sum of Cr40,000) can be paid as an immediate cash reward. The outstanding
balance (a total of Cr360,000) will be available once legal processes have been followed and issues
have been settled in the courts (which may involve the auction of the ship). This will take 1D6+6
weeks, and the bounty may only be available in partial payments, if the referee is feeling mean-spirited
or prefers that that characters don't have a sudden huge influx of riches.

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Roanoke Class Merchant

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Starport Map

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Parkbay Map

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135
A maglev monorail system has two main components – a glideway for trains to run on, and the maglev
trains themselves. The monorail network includes all kinds of ancillary structures and elements such as
stations, maintenance depots, goods warehousing, control centres, locomotive sheds, marshalling
yards, bridges and tunnels, and signalling systems.

Glideways

The glideway consists of a single broad guiderail supported on pillars, typically standing about 5 meters
above the ground. The rail itself is made of hollow, heavily built, strongly braced boxes containing
powerful magnets, with a durable, weatherproof outer coating. The hollow interior is used to carry
cabling – typically communications links – and there are regularly spaced sensors that can detect
problems and alert control centers. The gauge (the width of the guiderail) is 3 meters.

Glideways come in a variety of styles, often distinctive to a nation or region. Most commonly the rail is
supported on regularly spaced upright pillars. More rarely, the guiderail may sit atop A-shaped
supports, a feature characteristic of older sections of network.

An unpowered maglev vehicle physically sits on the top of the glideway: friction prevents it from
moving. A powered maglev vehicle floats about 50mm above the rail, using magnetic polarity to
levitate itself and impel itself forward.

Along main routes glideways often run in pairs, with different tracks carrying trains in different
directions. In some areas, particularly cities, multiple tracks may run alongside one another. Trains can
be moved onto different glideways by switch-tracks, moveable sections of the metal guiderail.
Branches, loops, and spurs lead to suburbs, resource extraction sites, factories, and facilities.

Glideways frequently have gantries mounted on them. These may be individual small platforms that
give access to the top of the guiderail or to pieces of equipment, they may support a walkway that runs
for kilometers alongside the track, or they may support equipment such as signals. Gantries may be
accessed by rungs built into the support pillars or may have pull down ladders. They are not safe places
to be – there is a real risk of being struck by passing trains.
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Trains

Maglev trains are made up of wagons linked to a locomotive. The locomotive is usually placed at the
front, though larger trains may have additional locos located centrally or at the rear. Most locomotives
are formed by an engine unit paired with a fuel unit, though some smaller examples of locomotives
may have internal fuel tanks.

A maglev locomotive has onboard powerplants that power sets of linear motors mounted in each
wagon: the couplings between maglev wagons include power connectors. Each wagon has backup
batteries that provide enough power for it to come to a gentle halt. In addition, the batteries can run
any onboard systems (such as lighting and heating, or refrigeration) for a few days.

The linear motors that lift the maglev train are built into trucks that are mounted at each end of
locomotives and wagons. These trucks wrap around the glideway and pivot independently, enabling
curves to be traversed by long wagons. Maglev trains have a listed top speed of 500 kph but rarely
achieve this, typically travelling at an average speed of 300 kph because of the need to slow for
gradients, bridges, and curves. On some sections, the train crawls along at tens of kph.

Maglev trains are made up of a variety of passenger cars and wagons. A vast variety of designs are
available, including many types of specialist vehicles designed for specific jobs.

Damage

Glideways and the pillars that support them are tough and resistant to damage. It would take an
operative with explosives (and the skills to use them properly) to damage the glideway enough to
render it unusable. If the metal guiderail is damaged, sections can be cut away or bent enough so that
the trucks of the train can pass over them. Large gaps in the guideway will need to be bridged with
replacement sections.

Any damage to the trackway will be detected by the sensors built into it and signalled to a control
centre. This will dispatch a repair crew, though it could take days for them to arrive depending on the
remoteness of the location.

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Maglev Train Deck Plans

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Warrant Investigations

A number of warrants are provided below. The referee is encouraged to modify and expand on these
basic situations, adding details and twists as desired. Most will require at least some amount of
investigation by the characters, and tension and a sense of urgency can be added by other bounty
hunters moving in to pursue the same warrant.

Gangland
The target is part of a street gang.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr10,000
Wanted For: Racketeering, larceny, assault.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. The target is known to
have a base of operations and multiple associates.

The target is a member of a violent street gang that controls a small area of a city. The gang have a
defendable base of operations (a solidly constructed main building with a walled compound and
various substructures), a resolute cadre of members, a variety of customized vehicles, and access to
legal and illegal weaponry. They are led by a powerful boss and his scheming henchmen. Locals are
terrorized into submission or paid off to act as lookouts and informers.

The target is a relatively low level member of the gang but is well liked: they have his back and will
fight to protect him. He spends much of his time within the base, tinkering with the vehicles, though he
occasionally heads out (with a sizeable group of gang-members) to drink and relax at a seedy local bar.
If things go bad local law enforcement will let any sort of firefight play out before moving in to arrest
any survivors, characters included.

In the Trade
A former bounty hunter must be brought in.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr15,000
Wanted For: Embezzlement, false imprisonment, fraud.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility.

The target is a former bounty hunter who specialized as a skip tracer. A close relative is in a medical
center in a city receiving palliative care, and the target will not leave the area until they have passed
away and been interred. The target does not have a permanent residence in the city and moves
between a few different hideouts. They know every trick of the trade, have an impressive skillset, and
will use every means at their disposal to try and avoid capture.

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They will lie low, regularly change their appearance, use public transport, and can call on a network of
low level informants who can feed them information. They will periodically visit their relative in the
hospital, adopting disguises such as a visitor, a security guard, a patient, or a medic to do so. If the
characters can track them down and capture them before their relative passes, they will plead to see
them one last time – if the characters agree, they will come quietly.

Tunnel Rat
An elusive criminal must be apprehended.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr5000
Wanted For: Burglary and property theft, assault.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility.

The target resides in a heavily urbanized region and knows the local area very well – they are familiar
with all kinds of potential escape routes and good places to hide, such as alleys and cut-throughs,
tunnels, corridors within residential blocks, and the extensive sewer networks and ventilation systems
within structures. These routes form a multi-level maze that the target will use to evade capture.
Somewhere within the maze the target has a secret lair, where they can hole up and wait things out.

Although they know "their" region of the city intimately, the target will not leave that immediate area
– if they go into more distant parts of the city they have no advantage over their pursuers. They may
also face considerable dangers if they stray out of their patch, including arrest by police officers for as-
yet unprosecuted crimes (a criminal arrest supersedes the bounty warrant), they may face retribution
from individuals they have robbed, or hostility from gangs or criminal enterprises that have previously
been wronged.

The Getaway
Bring back a petty criminal.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr6000
Wanted For: Grand Theft Auto. Selling stolen goods.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. The target has access to
vehicles and equipment.

The target is fairly difficult to find but can eventually be tracked down to an area with vehicle parking.
However, he has had some warning of the characters approach, maybe as a result of them asking
about him. As the characters approach his hideout (a series of decrepit structures with multiple exits)
he attempts to make a getaway. He is driving the equivalent to the characters own vehicle and knows
the area well enough to be able to use difficult routes such as tunnels, underground lots, or similar
hidden short cuts. An exciting chase (and eventual capture) should follow.

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Now You See Me
Find and apprehend an expert in disguise.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr8000
Wanted For: Fraud, counterfeiting official documents.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility.

The target is extremely difficult to find. For the most part they try and avoid leaving their hideout but if
they should need to move around, they do so as cautiously as possible. They stay in busy public areas,
never enter areas where they can be cornered, and avoid being observed by security systems. They
frequently change their appearance and can do so rapidly, often to match someone else in order to get
the characters to pursue that person instead of them. They may don the uniform of a law officer, they
may try to hide, or even convincingly blend into the terrain (using camouflage, perhaps by covering
himself in vegetation).

Who?
A case of mistaken identity.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr5000
Wanted For: Escaping from prison.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. Known to frequent
drinking establishments.

The characters make a quick and easy arrest. Asking around local establishments always indicates that
the target has just left – he can fairly quickly be tracked to his home, where he is relaxing with his
family. It becomes apparent that the characters have the wrong person, and provably so. He has
supporting documentation proving his identity, travel records and purchase receipts that track his
location over many months, including times when the target was known to be in prison, and his claims
are supported by strong attestations from friends and family.

The real target bears a close similarity to the innocent man and has stolen his identity. The two
individuals may be related (perhaps they are siblings or cousins). It is likely that the real target is still in
the local area: the establishments where the characters "just missed him" are locations the innocent
man has never visited.

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My Learned Friend

Dealing with a knowledgeable target.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr12,000
Wanted For: Securities fraud.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. The target is known to
be very litigious.

The target is an attorney with considerable legal knowledge (a skill level of 3 in Advocate). They will try
and deny entry to any premises they are in and tell any companions or assistants to call in legal
assistance, including local law enforcement. If they have not managed to wriggle away during their
arrest they will invoke their right to contact a colleague, which if granted will result in harassment by
the police, a barrage of jurisdictional challenges regarding the legality of the warrant, "stay in place"
orders being issued by a magistrate, and other long winded legal processes

The target will need to be held somewhere secure and neutral until matters have been resolved,
probably requiring victuals and amenities during the lengthy process (which they will make as difficult
and expensive as possible, requiring things like special foods due to "health issues"). If the characters
fail to adhere to the strict letter of the law they may find themselves facing legal proceedings. The
target is vindictive enough to press for large fines and detention: in the worst case, the characters may
be forced to pay the target compensation.

Guards
An individual with good security needs to be detained.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr15,000
Wanted For: Tax evasion, racketeering.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. The target is well
protected.

The target is an unsavoury business mogul who owns a number of companies providing everything
from exotic entertainment to discount vacc suit patches. He is ridiculously wealthy, moves between his
office, his personal club and his penthouse apartment in a luxury vehicle, and is constantly surrounded
by skilled bodyguards. He is a venal and cowardly man and will try and buy his way out of trouble if he
gets caught, offering large sums of money to secure his release.

His bodyguards have legal dispensation to carry concealed handguns, no matter what local law level.
They wear discreet protective armour under their business suits and are in constant communication
with one another. They are professionals, good at their job and diligent. While they will not willingly
give their lives to protect their charge, they will certainly risk injury. They will issue warnings before
taking more direct action, and while they will remain professional and strive to conclude any
confrontation peacefully, they will use deadly force if necessary.

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Still on Duty
A former soldier stands his ground.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr7000
Wanted For: Possession and trafficking of contraband goods.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. Known to possess a
large cache of weapons.

The target is a loner, a former soldier who lives in an isolated compound on the rural outskirts of a city
and makes money from dubious deals. She occasionally suffers flashbacks to "the defence", a large-
scale and blood-soaked action that she took part in during her military service. Although she knows she
has a psychological condition, for reasons only she understands she refuses to get treatment or help.

When the characters approach, she will hole up in a defensible bunker that she has constructed on her
land. She has a significant cache of weapons and supplies and is willing to use deadly force to protect
herself. She is likely to have a detailed plan, including an escape route, and may have set up booby-
traps. She is skilled and experienced, but if bullets start flying she is likely to suffer a psychotic episode
and believe that she is back on the front line. She will rapidly lose control of the situation, believing she
has become isolated from her unit and is about to be overrun by the enemy.

Abracadabra
A stage performer does a vanishing act.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr6000
Wanted For: Fraud, prison escape.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. The target has escaped
custody on multiple occasions.

The target is a professional magician and knows a variety of stage tricks that allow them to escape,
using what appear to be magical means. The target swishes a cloak and as it falls to the ground they
are gone, or there is a sudden flash of light and a puff of smoke and they’ve disappeared. They may
make use of hidden trapdoors, mirrors, secret openings, hollow spaces to hide inside of, or … perhaps
… they have genuine psionic skills. If the magician is caught, he will refuse to show how he managed his
getaways – a magician never reveals his tricks.

154
Not What You Know

Detain an individual with impeccable connections.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr12,000
Wanted For: Tax evasion, false accounting.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. The target is well protected.

The target is a popular and influential political figure who has many friends and allies, including senior
police officers, judges, and even underworld figures. She has campaigned on a platform of social and
legal reform and has achieved much during her career, but she has faced accusations of dubious deals,
backroom agreements, accepting large bribes, and being party to outright criminal conspiracies. Her
adversaries will be glad to see her removed from the political scene.

The target can call on physical assistance very quickly – as soon as any arrest attempt is made a vocal
but disorganized mob of her supporters will show up and try to slow down proceedings, including
blocking vehicles, crowding the characters, and even attempting a rescue if they can get to her. Local
law authorities seem rather beholden to her (she makes substantial donations to police charities) and
while they will keep the peace, they will make life difficult, demanding to see licenses and other
assorted paperwork. The longer the characters are delayed, the larger and angrier the crowd will
become.

The Price of Fame

Bring in a familiar face.

Dossier
Warrant Type: Local.
Bounty Value: Cr5000
Wanted For: Tax evasion, false accounting.
Notes: Detain the target and return them to a secure facility. The target is well protected.

The target is a much loved, larger-than-life showbusiness celebrity who was convicted of tax fraud
some time ago. He has used every legal strategy and plea his lawyers can devise to avoid jail time,
despite his standing criminal conviction. But time has run out and the authorities want him in custody.
He is currently holed up in his rural villa and has repeatedly put out statements declaring his
innocence, claiming he is the subject of a vendetta or the victim of a conspiracy. He is insulted by the
low value of the bounty placed on him.

The target has been the subject of intense media interest. When the characters attempt to detain him,
news coverage will begin fast: news crews and camera drones will arrive to get footage of the events.
Joe public is hungry for news and gossip and as the media discovers their identities, researchers will
trawl through the characters' history and background in search of juicy titbits. The coverage will attract
a vast audience and could make the characters widely recognised. This (short-lived) celebrity status
could dramatically affect the character's ability to work, with strangers asking for autographs, taking
pictures, and generally getting in the way.

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