Gaming Style in the Redshift Campaign

Shown above are my "GM Merit Badges," I found on Strange Magic, via the My GMing Style sidebar on Dice Monkey. 

Although, I think some players may consider these more hazard and warning signs than merit badges.

Of the 18 badges created by Stuart, I've selected 6 which I think is most appropriate to my style of gamemastering. 

The definitions of the above arcane symbols are, from left-to-right:

1. Character death.

2. Character development and drama.

3. Rolling dice openly.

4. Pre-made maps and scripted contents.

5. Telling an interesting story. 

6. Use of tactics. 

Okay, now for some caveats, disclaimers and qualifiers:  I don't go out of my way to kill-off player characters (PCs) , but we've already seen one PC fall in this campaign.  I roll dice openly during combat and other open actions, while keeping my die rolls hidden, when events the PCs are unaware of are transpiring.  (Think "wandering monsters").  I do create detailed maps and narratives, but this is an attempt to figure out all the possible courses of action the PCs might take and to be ready when the deviate from the script.  In this process, I hope an interesting story is created out of our efforts.

Finally, tactics are a critical element in this game.  The Redshift Chronicles is a military-based campaign.  So in order to win any engagement, employing effective tactics will be vital the PCs' survival.

And by the way, the icons are listed in alphabetical order according to the abbreviated title of the icons--not in any order of importance.

Intelligence Summary #13: Pierson Station Defenses

Stardate:  Thirday, 074-130 ABY/Tarsan Intelligence Service (TIS)

Subsector:  Shannekam

TAg Market Island Defenses

The Zenyan Mainland, the Tau Tau Archipelago and the TAg Market Islands

Milquoor Island and Pierson Station

Pierson Station is a Class-D Starport, located on Milquoor Island near the geographic center of the Tau Tau Archipelago.  Milquoor, Kulovaan and Vandalla Islands were leased to Tarsan Agricultural (TAg) Market several years ago by the Zenyan Mainland Union Government (Z-MUG).

Pierson Station Starport

Pierson Station is TAg Market's shipping center on Zenya for it's seafood products.  There are 8 open docking bays capable of handling one light freighter each.  Medium-sized vessels can land, but require two bays.  Anything larger is required to land at Zenya's Class-A starport in Kairobi, the planet's capital city. 

The company maintains it's own fleet of freighters, which include several GR-75 Medium Transports.  Other shipping companies, free traders and high priority transports make planetfall at Pierson Station to exchange cargo and take-on passengers. 

A portion of the starport is reserved for military use and houses 12 landing pads for fighters.

A small fishing vessel transits the Vandalla Narrows

Outside the starport's perimeter, Pierson Station is also home to the smallest of TAg Market's seafood processing facilities.  Larger centers are located in Vianda, Ooverton and Kul'kva.

One of Pierson Station's X-Wing Fighters

The starport and all three cities are protected by medium deflector shields and light ion cannon batteries.  Five X-Wing Fighters perform security and escort for vessels transiting the Zenyan System.  There were 6 fighters, but one was lost during an unsuccessful pirate raid last year.

X-Wings take-off from Pierson Station

Ground defense and law enforcement is conducted by the Market Islands Constabulary.  This para-military organization is a reinforced company of security troops, with a platoon stationed at each city and the starport.

Grav Patrol Boat #255 races through the Milquoor Strait

A small flotilla of armed grav boats patrol the waterways, with two boats assigned to each island. 

Assessment:

The forces listed above are designed primarily for anti-smuggling operations and serves as a piracy deterrent.  It is doubtful these forces could hold against a 2-3 cohort/battalion-strength onslaught, before reinforcements arrive from Tarsus.

Game Master's Notes:

The buildings and vehicles seen in Pierson Station's Starport are from Ground Zero Games.

The X-Wings in flight are part of Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Miniature collection, while the other vessels came from various Micro Machines sets. The landing pads were scratch-built.

Intelligence Summary #12: The Sith Enigma

Stardate:  Tuday, 073-130 ABY/Tarsan Intelligence Service (TIS)

Subsector:  Shannekam

Motives of the Sith?

On 061-130 ABY, Diplomatic Security Team-3 (DST-3) was nearly overrun by several hundred Sith mutants.   According to Gobar Been, the Force adept of the Tau Taus, these creatures are created from unfortunate captives through a combination of genetic manipulation and Sith alchemy. 

DST-3 discovered piles of animal bones strewn about several cargo containers.  Later, they observed a flight of Lambda-Class shuttles air-dropping new containers on to the island.  The mutants, which are carnivorous and even cannibalistic in nature, may have outstripped the island's natural food supply.

However, not all the mutants faced by DST-3 were savage cannibals.  During the team's harrowing ordeal, a squad of rifle-armed mutants disembarked from a flight of Sith Infiltrator starships. 

This squad was led by a Force-user, possibly a Sith Adept or Sith Acolyte.  No one on DST-3 engaged this individual at close-quarters, prior to their evacuation.  So the scope of his Force powers--along with his identity--are unknown at this time.

The present of the Sith in this subsector is both puzzling and disturbing, to say the least.  Last year, the Sith and Fel Empires concluded their war in order to defeat the Galactic Federation of Fee Alliance at Caamas.  And yet, according to Lt. Naguza, his squad of battledroids was attacked by the mutants while they were escorting Damathon Cohain back to their camp.  (It was later discovered the camp was ransacked by the mutants). 

It's possible the Sith handlers may have little or no control over their abomidable creations.  Or, it may be the Sith are preparing to renew their conflict against their nominal ally. 

What the Tau Taus response to the Sith Mutant infestation on Gadnek Island will be, is unknown at this time.  Another concern is that public knowledge of the Sith operating so far from their empire could cause widespread panic among the worlds in this subsector.  (The galactic map above, illustrates the relative polical-military situation as of seventy days ago).

Recommend this information remain classified TOP SECRET.