K24 Kethos Campaign: Dramatis Personae (PC's and NPC's)

These are the actors in our tale, player and non-player characters alike. 

K24: Kehler Lands Campaign Premise

Adventure Hook: The characters are the survivors of a destroyed merc unit, the Suthlundt Green Company (established in Silverwater). They had been hired by the government of Mismallon to help defend the country against the forces of Tempelhoff and the Ascendant Kehler Empire. The company was based in southern Mismallon in the foothills of the Middlemounts, guarding a hill fort with several local Mismalloni units. The fort was attacked by a mix of Tempelhoffer knights and several cohorts of the Kehler Imperial Legions, including their experienced combat engineers. When the besieged fort fell to the Legions, the PC's escaped on foot with what they could carry, pursued into the mountains by their attackers. The escaping mercs followed the mountain passes into Halleck, where they wound up in Glen Stardecampayne, a Halleck castle town near the border with Nyremi.

2300 AD: Tanstaafl Nights - Mission 2, Day 2 and 3 - Resolution

This is the record of Kingston Kinetics scouting mission beyond Mt. Westlich Feuer and the final resolution of the "Battle of Caldera". 

2300 AD: Tanstaafl Nights - Mission 2 Infodump

The Mission: Investigate reports of Kafer activity around Mt. Westlich Feuer and unsubstantiated rumors of secondary Kafer landings on the “Western Plains” beyond the peak. If true, this would severely threaten Tanstaafl’s western flank and cut off the western communities of Region 3 altogether. The PC’s can travel halfway with a TFL convoy bound for Plateau, easing the fuel situation somewhat. At the devastated city of Westside, the PCs will turn west and travel alone 200km to Farside and another 200km to Caldera. Alternatively, they can travel 100km overland directly to Farside. The town is located on the east side of Westlich Feuer, an active volcano that supplies much of the town’s energy and mineral wealth. It is here that the reports of Kafer activity come from. Once there, the PC’s are to work with the local militia to determine the source of the stories and act accordingly. The mayor will be notified to expect the PC’s, but they have no special authority over local forces.

2300AD: Tanstaafl Nights - Smart Weapons

Players can use advanced weapons that enable direct interfacing, eliminating manual aiming. Players must have a specific cybernetic implant to utilize this technology, which activates the smart targeting system. This system identifies and marks multiple enemies, allowing bullets to follow the targets once fired. The targeting assistance is provided through an ocular enhancement, and the effectiveness depends on the weapon type. Older system versions were connected via fiber optic cables, though modern versions use encrypted wireless micronetworks. This remains one of the great arguments of the cybernetically enhanced murder-hobo world. 

2300 AD: Tanstaafl Nights - The Kafer

Kafers, the main antagonists in 2300 AD, are humanoid insects with mandibles, a beetle-like shell, and technology matching humans, including space travel. Their intelligence, usually low (similar to a human IQ of 40), spikes under stress, enhancing their awareness, reasoning, and creativity. Thriving on danger, they become smarter with repeated stress exposure. Although naturally scavengers, their biology drives them towards ritualized violence and war glorification. Ruled by a few highly intelligent leaders, Kafers see humans as threats and competitors, inspiring their civilization's progress.

2300 AD: Tanstaafl Nights - Pirate Loot List/Your Cozy New Conex Fort

Pirate Loot List

The Conex Fort is centered in a neighborhood that is basically stacks of cargo containers and prefab homes in a jumble. which is located down a dead-end street near Three Points in South Wilson. Most buildings are built up a foot or two to allow for drainage, but the crawlspaces beneath are often used for storage, escape tunnels or as unwanted homes for local vermin. Many of the crates are stacked, with walkways added on. Gaps between the crates are fenced with corrugated roofing, razorwire strung across the top, and more on the ground-level crates' top edge. Demetrius Papandreou has worked a deal where they will set the fort up with an HESCO bastion (+12 Heavy Armor), in exchange for doing a job or two for the TFL for free.

2300 AD: Tanstaafl Nights - The Drones

"Cherry Bomb", the local hacker with whom you all rode back to Tanstaafl City, graciously sold a pair of her old drones to Kingston Kinetics. These include one basic combat drone and one air drone for reconnaissance. They have been stripped of weapons and need some repairs. They were used and abused during the trip through Kafer country and currently have a -2 penalty for performing all Trait rolls until repaired. 

The Tanstaafl Nights campaign will use B. Dean's "Chicago Sprawl" Drone rules, operating in both "Basic" and "Piloted" modes. 

It is possible to control drones without a VCI cyberlink using special gear called a "Drone Rig". This weighs 5 lbs, costs $2000, and is effective out to 50". It includes VR goggles, various control systems, and a transmitter. Using the Drone Rig is less efficient than the VCI, and the drone/jockey team must pull two cards for initiative and use the lower of the two. If the drone is damaged or destroyed, the worst that can happen is that the pilot is Shaken by the experience. Otherwise, it functions the same way as the VCI and similar cyberware. 

NPC Motivations System for 2300 AD

2300AD was one of my favorite settings back in the day, and I have used it as a basis or inspiration for countless campaigns since the mid 1980's. You may or may not be familiar with this ancient bit of gaming tricknology, but it fits well with Savage Worlds and it's own "playing cards for everything" design ethos. It is a simple way to quickly generate motivations and personalities for NPC's, using two playing cards. 

NPC Motivations System for 2300AD

2300AD: Tanstaafl Nights - CP2020 Equipment Lists

Cyberpunk 2020 is (in)famous for its extensive equipment lists, covering all sorts of gear in great variety. Much of that gear fits into the 2300AD setting, with a little modification. This gear has been archived helpfully at a number of sites, including Cybersmily's Datafort. Consult the list for anything you might want. In general, apply the following broad guidelines. 

Price: 90% of the time, the listed price in eB is pretty close to its SWADE equivalent, so use it. 

Bonuses: If gear gives a +1 or +2, treat it as a +1 in SWADE. Higher bonuses give a +2. Where it specifies the skill or attribute, use common sense. 

Weapons and Armor: If you find something that appeals to you, stat it as the appropriate equivalent from the "Near Future" lists I have linked to elsewhere. 

2300 AD: Tanstaafl Nights - Dramatis Personae

These are the PC's, the specialists of Kingston Kinetics. Tanstaafl City's finest military contractors.