11

Introduction 2

Games Mastering Ambush at Altair 3

Shore Leave 8

Missions 9

License 32

WriterGreg Lynch

EditorRichard Ford

Cover ArtAnne Stokes

Internal ArtSam Hart, Danilo Moretti, Philip Renne

RPG ManagerIan Belcher

Production DirectorAlexander Fennell

ProofreaderRon Bedison

PlaytestersAmelia Carter, Daniel Haslam, Mark Howe, Daniel Scothorne, Michael J Young

Special ThanksSpecial thanks to the citizens and UCF agents of Sony Pictures Consumer Products.

Starship Troopers: The Roleplaying Game – Ambush at Altair is TM & © 2006 TriStar Pictures, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mongoose Publishing Ltd Authorized User. Starship Troopers: The Roleplaying Game – The Arachnid Empire is released under version 1.0 of the Open Game License. Reproduction of non-Open Game Content of this work by any means without the written permission of the pulisher is expressly forbidden. See page 32 for the text of this license. With the exception of the character creation rules detailing the mechanics of assigning dice roll results to abilities and the advancement of character levels, all game mechanics and statistics (including the game mechanics of all feats, skills, classes, creatures, psychic abilities and combat) are declared open content. Printed in China.

CREDITS CONTENTS

AMBUSH AT ALTAIRSa

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INTRODUCTIONThe Mobile Infantry has many tools and weapons at its disposal. Carried throughout the galaxy by the power of the Cherenkov Drive, armed to the teeth with the most advanced weapons and heavily armoured, the Mobile Infantry is a devastating force indeed. Yet these advantages pale in comparison to the one thing that makes the fi nest soldiers in the history of humanity so very effective – support.

A Mobile Infantry trooper has access to a logistical support system of nearly perfect effi ciency. All the ammunition, weaponry, supplies and vehicles he needs for any mission are automatically supplied to him. He need not worry about ammunition shortages, about his armour running out of power, about any damage done to his vehicle. SICON provides him with a safety net of more ammunition, more armour, more vehicles. In Ambush at Altair however, the troopers must learn to work without the usual safety net.

Ambush at Altair is an extended series of missions for a squad of Mobile Infantry troopers, taking place entirely on the planet of Altair V. At the beginning of the scenario, the Player Characters leave their ship, the William Travis, for a few days of shore leave on the one colonised world of the Altair System – Tango Urilla. The William Travis is part of a larger task force of four SICON vessels, here in the system to fl y the fl ag and enforce security. While the William Travis orbits Tango Urilla, the remaining three vessels embark on a survey sweep through the system, beginning with Tango Urilla’s closest planetary neighbour, Altair V. SICON believe the entire system is devoid of any Arachnid activity. SICON are very wrong.

As the three ships settle into orbit over Altair V, a sudden bombardment of fi re from plasma bugs on the surface brings swift and unexpected destruction. Only one of the ships survives long enough to send a message to the William Travis before it too is consumed in fi re.

Altair V is infested with Arachnids, who have managed to keep their presence secret with the aid of the Tango Cloud, the ionic nebula surrounding the entire system. Now that their presence has been discovered, the Arachnids will surely act soon, and only the Player Characters stand between the invaders and the 155,000 colonists on Tango Urilla.

Outnumbered, outgunned and cut off from all SICON support, the Player Characters face a series of terrible battles on the inhospitable surface of Altair V. The William Travis has only limited supplies of weapons, ammunition and vehicles, and the troopers must fi nd a way to make them last. In Ambush at Altair, every shot counts. The troopers are up against a powerful enemy on unfamiliar terrain and they are the only line of defence the system has. If they fail, the entire Altair system will fall to the Arachnids.

Ambush at Altair is intended for a group of four to six Mobile Infantry Player Characters of 6th to 7th level. Any kind of cross training will be helpful, with the exception of neodog handler (the atmosphere of Altair V is toxic), but the Player Characters will have their best chance at survival if there is at least one fi eld medic and one engineer in their number.

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GAMES MASTERING AMBUSH AT ALTAIRAmbush at Altair is designed to be even more tense and exciting than a normal session of Starship Troopers. The Player Characters have extremely limited resources and are pitted against a seemingly unlimited number of Arachnids. As equipment begins to fail, as ammunition begins to run low, the players should begin to feel the same levels of desperation their characters are feeling.

SHORTAGESAmbush at Altair requires little extra work on the part of the Games Master. The Player Characters must work with extremely limited resources throughout the scenario, and in large part it falls to the Games Master to keep track of what the troopers have available to them. At the end of this chapter is a Quartermaster’s List, a complete inventory of everything the William Travis has on board that the troopers may need. In short, if it is not on this list, it is not on the ship. The troopers must learn to make do with what is available to them.

The Quartermaster’s List is quite detailed, even going so far as to list the total amount of ammunition available for the troopers’ Morita assault rifl es. If the Games Master would rather not be quite so detail-oriented, he may feel free to ignore this number, allowing the troopers as much assault rifl e, pistol and shotgun ammunition as they wish. However, a large part of the drama of Ambush at Altair is the fact that resources are so very limited, so the Games Master should be careful with just how much latitude he wishes to give the troopers in this regard. For more powerful weapons, such as missiles and grenades, the Games Master should keep the troopers confi ned to the numbers listed on the Quartermaster’s List.

DEPLOYMENT, RE-SUPPLY & RETRIEVAL

The fi rst mission of Ambush at Altair requires the Player Characters be hot-dropped in capsules from the William Travis. Most of the troopers dropped this way will be killed by a plasma bug barrage, though obviously not any of the Player Characters (see page 9).

Additionally, the Player Characters will not always be able to leave the planet after a mission. There are far more Arachnids on Altair V than there are troopers and the William Travis

cannot risk entering orbit or sending down its lone Viking Landing Boat if there is plasma bug activity anywhere near the troopers’ position.

Getting on to and off of Altair V is one of the most hazardous parts of this scenario and, unfortunately for the troopers, it is a hazard they can do little about. At the end of every mission in Ambush at Altair (unless directed otherwise in the specifi c mission), the Games Master should roll on the table below to determine whether or not it is safe for the troopers to be extracted. If the Player Characters have been extracted to the William Travis, the Games Master should roll on the table to determine whether they can be reinserted on the planet with the Viking. The table should also be used if the Player Characters request an emergency re-supply during a mission.

Plasma Bug ActivityD20 Roll Plasma Bug Proximity Effect1-4 None Nearby Viking can land safely.5-8 Small Group at

DistanceViking has 10% chance to be destroyed on approach.

9-12 Large Group at Distance

Viking has 20% chance to be destroyed on approach.

13-15 Very Small Group (1-2) Nearby

Viking has 50% chance to be destroyed on approach.

16-18 Small Group (3-6) Nearby

Viking has 90% chance to be destroyed on approach.

19-20 Large Group (7 or more) Nearby

Viking will be destroyed on approach.

If there is any chance the Viking will be destroyed on approach, any Player Characters aboard the William Travis must be capsule-dropped to the planet below. In order to protect the troopers, the William Travis will simultaneously drop a number of empty capsules, which will soak up the plasma bug fi re and allow the Player Characters to reach the ground safely (they are Player Characters, after all, and dying in a capsule drop is a poor death for them). However, the ship has only enough extra capsules to do this three times. After the third such drop, the Player Characters will not be retrieved from the surface under any circumstances until the end of the scenario.

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If there is a 10% chance the Viking will be destroyed, the commanding offi cer of the William Travis may send it down anyway, depending upon the situation. For example, if a number of the troopers are wounded and all of them are running out of ammunition, the boat will likely brave the plasma bug fi re to come to the rescue. If the situation is less dire, the Viking will likely be kept on board and any supplies dropped in capsules, if at all. The Games Master should use his discretion in this. In truly desperate circumstances, the Viking may even come down if there is a 20% chance of destruction.

In the case of a very small or small group of plasma bugs nearby, the Player Characters may be tasked with eliminating them to allow for a safe landing for the Viking. Again, this will depend upon the health and current equipment levels of the troopers, for which the Games Master must use his best judgement. In the case of a large group, the troopers will certainly be ordered to fl ee the area.

RECHARGINGAmbush at Altair requires the Player Characters to remain on the surface of Altair V for days at a time, far longer than the power supply of their power suits and Chickenhawks will last. This makes recharging power suits, something many troopers never need to consider, a concern of paramount importance to the Player Characters. Fortunately, there are several ways for them to recharge their suits while on the planet’s surface.

9 GK-12 Gecko Armoured Personnel Carrier. Equipped as a mobile command station, the Gecko is able to recharge the M-1A4 suit (as well as a Chickenhawk suit, when the time comes). Recharging a suit with the Gecko takes one-quarter the amount of time the suit’s power reserves are down. Thus, if a suit has been used for two hours, it will take 30 minutes to fully recharge. If it has been used for its full eight hours, it will take two hours to recharge. The Gecko can only recharge one suit at a time.

9 Hephaestus Station Power Core. In Mission 4, the Player Characters fi nd Hephaestus Station, a volcanic research facility on the planet’s surface. The station’s power core, run on geothermal and solar energy, may be used to recharge the troopers’ M-9 Marauder ‘Chickenhawk’ Assault Armour and M-1A4 power suits. Recharging a suit with the Hephaestus power core takes half the time the suit’s power reserves are down. Thus, if a suit has been used for two hours, it will take one hour to fully recharge. If it has been used for its full eight hours, it will take four hours to recharge. The power core can recharge up to two suits at a time. Unfortunately, the power core has only limited excess power to expend this way. When at full capacity, the power core can recharge up to 50 hours of operational time. Once the excess power in the power core is depleted, it will take two full Altair V days (76 hours) to replenish itself.

9 MAC Hauler. Hephaestus Station has a single MAC Hauler that may also be used as a mobile recharging facility. Recharging a suit from the MAC Hauler requires one hour for every hour that has been drained from the suit’s power supply. Thus, if a trooper used a suit for three hours, it would take three hours hooked up to the hauler to restore the suit to full power.

TRAVELObviously, use of the Plasma Bug Activity table means the troopers will often be forced to remain of the planet for several missions in a row, which requires them to travel from one mission area to the next. On a planet full of Arachnids, this is hardly a safe trip through the countryside.

For every hour the Player Characters spend travelling between mission areas, the Games Master should roll 1d3–1 to determine the number of Arachnid encounters they have during that time. Of course, the Games Master may throw any amount

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or kind of Arachnids he wishes at the Player Characters, but the following table offers a quick and easy way of determining encounters.

Arachnid EncountersD20 Roll Encounter1-3 1d3 hopper bugs4-5 1d4+1 hopper bugs6 1d2 tanker bugs7-8 1d8 cliff mites9-10 1d4 blaster bugs11 1d6 blaster bugs12 1d2 plasma bugs13-15 1d4 warrior bugs16-17 1d6 warrior bugs18-19 1d3 rippler bugs20 Roll twice and combine results

LAYING LOWBecause of the potential problems of putting the troopers back on the surface of Altair V, they will often be ordered to remain on the surface of the planet and lay low between missions. This downtime both allows wounded troopers to heal some of their injuries and recharge the ever-draining power reserves of their armour. So long as the Gecko is intact (or the Player Characters have some other means of recharging their suits – such as Hephaestus Station or the MAC Hauler) and the troopers are not wounded to the point of incapacity or running woefully short of ammunition, this is the preferred method for passing time between missions.

If the Player Characters remain on the surface of Altair V between missions, they can attempt to hide their presence and reduce the risk of Arachnid encounters. A successful Survival skill check (DC varies with mission) will reduce the chance for an Arachnid encounter to 1d3–2 every four hours. As these encounters involve a mobile group of Arachnids coming across a stationary group of troopers, the Games Master should disregard encounter roll results of plasma bugs.

REPLACING PLAYER CHARACTERSAmbush at Altair is a dangerous adventure, even for the Mobile Infantry. Vastly outnumbered and low on supplies, the troopers on Altair V are in for the fi ght of their lives. For some, it will likely be the last fi ght of their lives. The death of a Player Character is always unfortunate, but in Ambush at Altair, it is all but certain the Player Characters will suffer casualties.

Normally, fallen Player Characters can be replaced with ease, but on Altair V, the situation is rather different. There are

no incoming squads of MI from whom to draw new Player Characters. Obviously, no player should be forced to sit on his hands and watch his friends have fun if he was unlucky enough to have his character die in the early stages of the adventure. Fortunately, the Games Master has several sources from which he may draw new Player Characters when and if the need arises. The William Travis has a detachment of Light Troopers aboard, some of whom can be sent down to bolster the ranks of the MI (though these Light Troopers, having no power suit training, will be at a disadvantage). Likewise, the guards and personnel at Hephaestus Station would make viable replacement Player Characters, though they too will lack the superior training of the Mobile Infantry. Lastly, the Games Master may allow another trooper to have survived the plasma bug bombardment in the fi rst mission (Omaha Beach), struggling alone across the surface of Altair V before joining with the remaining Player Characters.

PACINGIn some of the missions of Ambush at Altair, the amount of time that has elapsed since the previous mission is explicitly stated. In others, no time elapses at all as one mission segues into another. However, there are a number of missions that do neither.

These missions allow the Games Master to give the Player Characters a little extra time to heal, to repair equipment or perform any number of other time-consuming but necessary tasks while stranded on the surface of Altair V. The chance to take an extra day or two in the safety of Hephaestus Station may certainly mean the difference between life and death for the troopers. On the other hand, the Games Master should be careful not to let the troopers become complacent. Altair V is home to a great many Arachnids, and they are not inclined to tolerate a human intrusion on their home ground. The very real fear of being wiped out by superior numbers at any given time is one of the strengths of Ambush at Altair, and the Games Master must balance his pacing between giving the troopers a better chance at survival and losing the sense of fear that makes the scenario so gripping.

ALTAIR VThe planet of Altair V is almost habitable, but has no intrinsic value to make the immense cost of terraforming it justifi able to SICON. Like the rest of the Altair system, it is very young.

Altair V is, essentially, a big brown rock with a great deal of volcanic activity. The planet is slightly larger than Earth, generating a higher amount of gravity. The gravity is not so high as to qualify as a high-gravity environment (see the Starship Troopers Roleplaying Game core rulebook) but it does impose some penalties, as follows:

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9 Carrying Capacity: A creature’s normal carrying capacity is reduced by one-quarter on Altair V. Thus, a character who could normally carry 200 pounds of gear can only carry 150 pounds. In addition, characters take a –5 penalty on any Strength check made to lift or move a heavy unsecured object.

9 Long-Term Effects: A character that spends 200 hours or more on Altair V will take 1d3 points of temporary Dexterity damage upon returning to normal gravity.

The atmosphere of Altair V is thin and toxic with various gasses. The usual penalties for breathing in a thin atmosphere (see the Starship Troopers Roleplaying Game core rulebook) apply. Additionally, anyone breathing the atmosphere must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 14) every hour or suffer 1d2 points of Constitution damage.

The average daytime temperature on the surface of Altair V is 135°F, subjecting exposed troopers to standard damage from hot environments if they are exposed to the elements. Altair V has a slow rotation, requiring 38 hours for a full revolution. Approximately half this time is daylight. At night, the surface temperature averages 70°F.

Altair V has a single moon in low orbit. The moon’s primary role in Ambush at Altair is to provide the William Travis with a convenient place to hide from the plasma bugs on the surface.

ExplosivesGrenades Weapon QuantityM-901 HE Grenade FedCom SW-402 ‘Triple GL’ Grenade Launcher, MW-209 ‘Trip Hammer’

Grenade Launcher, SW-411 ‘Spud Gun’ Grenade Launcher60

M-902F Frag Grenade FedCom SW-402 ‘Triple GL’ Grenade Launcher, MW-209 ‘Trip Hammer’ Grenade Launcher, SW-411 ‘Spud Gun’ Grenade Launcher

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M-909S Fog Grenade FedCom SW-402 ‘Triple GL’ Grenade Launcher, MW-209 ‘Trip Hammer’ Grenade Launcher, SW-411 ‘Spud Gun’ Grenade Launcher

200

M-291 Fragmentation Round FedCom XW-110-G1 Grenade Launcher 100TOAD Charge None 4Missiles Weapon QuantityM-711A1 ‘Scatterjack’ Rocket FedCom SW-403 ‘Thud Gun’ Rocket Launcher 10M-719A1 Plasma Rocket FedCom SW-403 ‘Thud Gun’ Rocket Launcher 12M-666C5 HEAT Missile FedCom SW-404 ‘Javelin’ Missile Launcher 15M-714S2 ‘Firecracker’ Missile FedCom SW-404 ‘Javelin’ Missile Launcher 8M-998A1 ‘Pee-Wee’ Missile FedCom SW-404 ‘Javelin’ Missile Launcher 6

QUARTERMASTER’S LISTThis list represents the entirety of the equipment aboard the William Travis, minus the basic equipment carried by each trooper (see the Starship Troopers Roleplaying Game core rulebook).

WeaponsWeapon Quantity AmmunitionBrunham TW-102-s ‘Peacemaker Pistol’

15 2,000

Brunham XW-103-S7 Shotgun 20 800FedCom SW-402 ‘Triple GL’ Grenade Launcher

3 See Grenades

FedCom SW-403 ‘Thud Gun’ Rocket Launcher

2 See Missiles

FedCom SW-404 ‘Javelin’ Missile Launcher

1 See Missiles

FedCom XW-110-G1 Grenade Launcher

8 See Grenades

Morita TW-202-1 Sniper Rifl e 10 120Morita TW-203-a 50 14,000Voight & Gromann TW-221-f ‘Tinderbox’

10 35 canisters

Voight & Gromann TW-226-f ‘Hel’ Heavy Flamer

2 20 canisters

Wyman Arms CC-176-ER Combat Prod

18 900

Yinimina MW-X29 ‘Scythe’ 2 240

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