(Part of my Relativistic Paladins series.)
(Sortie generation is inspired by the mission generation for Band of Blades.)
Managing stellar conflicts involves the creation of the world(s) in conflict, selection of an antagonistic faction, and the generation of sorties that reflect that context.
World Creation
While creating the astrogation chart as part of the Voyage, the GM creates a world (or worlds) for each star system using the Iterative Worldbuilding tables (Lancer, pp. 274-279). Refer to the results for the created world(s) for context surrounding the conflict.
Select a Faction
Select or create an antagonistic faction with well-defined goals and assets. This will inform the stakes and potential threats of the conflict.
Establish a Resolution Tracker
Conflicts require time and concerted effort to resolve. Draw up a progress tracker with a number of empty segments equal to 2 + twice the Conflict Level. Fill one segment each time the PCs successfully complete a sortie. Filling all segments resolves the conflict.
| Conflict Level | Resolution Clock Size |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 8 |
Roll for Sorties
Upon arriving at a star system in conflict, roll for two to three available sorties (1d2+1). For each available sortie, determine its type and subtype by rolling a d6 on the Sortie Type and Sortie Subtype tables below.
| Result (d6) | Sortie Type |
|---|---|
| 1 | Clash |
| 2 | Intel |
| 3 | Logistics |
| 4 | Morale |
| 5 | Players’ choice |
| 6 | GM’s choice |
| Result (d6) | Clash | Intel | Logistics | Morale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capture a strategic location | Create a distraction for allied informants | Deliver essential supplies | Reinforce allies in a losing position |
| 2 | Protect a strategic location | Protect allied informants | Protect allied supply lines | Protect something culturally significant |
| 3 | Destroy an enemy’s asset | Rescue allied informants | Reclaim lost supplies | Liberate something culturally significant |
| 4 | Seize a enemy’s asset | Capture enemy specialists | Steal enemy supplies | Recruit potential allies |
| 5 | Disrupt an enemy’s specialist team | Find an enemy’s hidden asset | Build allied assets | Rescue or evacuate civilians |
| 6 | Eliminate an enemy leader | Retrieve information about an enemy’s goals | Repair allied assets | Convey a message to unify allies |
Clash
Sorties that involve direct conflict, seizure of strategic assets, or destruction of high-value targets.
- Capture a strategic location: Take control of a major strategic location, such as a mountain pass, a trade route, or an abandoned base.
- Protect a strategic location: Protect an ally-controlled strategic location from hostile forces and saboteurs.
- Destroy an enemy’s asset: Outright destroy an enemy faction’s asset, preventing its future use.
- Seize an enemy’s asset: Take control of one of an enemy faction’s assets for either leverage or allied use.
- Disrupt an enemy’s specialist team: Sabotage or eliminate a skilled enemy team, such as engineers, propagandists, or special operatives.
- Eliminate an enemy leader: Capture or liquidate a commanding officer of the enemy forces.
Intel
Sorties involving the discovery and security of information critical to an ongoing conflict.
- Create a distraction for allied informants: Deceive the enemy into ignoring allied informants (such as spies, scientists, and scouts) while they extract critical intel.
- Protect allied informants: Actively defend allied informants while they extract critical intel.
- Rescue allied informants: Exfiltrate allied informants trapped behind enemy lines.
- Capture enemy specialists: Capture knowledgeable enemy personnel for interrogation or access to classified intel.
- Find an enemy’s hidden asset: Discover details surrounding one of the enemy’s assets, such as a secret weapon or hidden base.
- Retrieve information about an enemy’s goals: Discover details regarding an enemy’s plans, such as their long-term goals, troop movements, supply lines, or the like.
Logistics
Sorties focused upon the procurement, delivery, and defense of essential supplies.
- Deliver essential supplies: Deliver materials essential for allied civilians or combatants, such as food, medicine, spare parts, or ammunition.
- Protect allied supply lines: Defend supply lines and resources from hostile forces and saboteurs.
- Reclaim lost supplies: Retrieve allied supplies previously seized by enemy forces.
- Steal enemy supplies: Seize supplies guarded by enemy forces.
- Build allied assets: Assist in the creation of assets necessary for the conflict, such as bridges, bases, tools, and weaponry.
- Repair allied assets: Assist in the repair or restoration of previously damaged allied assets.
Morale
Sorties oriented towards inspiring allies to endure through the conflict and recruiting new allies to the cause.
- Reinforce allies in a losing position: Be the big damn heroes. Come to the rescue of allied forces in dire straits.
- Protect something culturally significant: Defend an object, location, or person with major cultural significance to allied forces, such as a temple, a relic, or a famous artist.
- Liberate something culturally significant: Liberate an object, location, or person of major cultural significance that has been previously seized by enemy forces.
- Recruit potential allies: Convince uncertain factions to join forces as allies in the conflict.
- Rescue or evacuate civilians: Get civilians out of harm’s way in a place where the conflict is coming to a head.
- Convey a message to unify allies: Broadcast a rallying message, evidence of an enemy’s wrongdoing, or a call for help.
Select Sorties
At the end of each session, the GM provides the players with a briefing of the available sorties, and the players decide which sortie they wish to pursue. The GM then prepares that sortie for the next session.
Resolve Sorties
The next session, players play through their selected sortie. If they are successful, they mark a segment of the resolution track, and the fictional situation changes. For example, if the sortie focused upon eliminating an enemy asset (such as a special weapon), that asset is destroyed and unavailable to the enemy for future sorties; a sortie focused on building an allied base means that allied forces now have that asset at their disposal. Where PCs go, drastic and radical progress can follow.
If the PCs fail the sortie, the enemy faction marks a segment of one of their goals instead. In addition, for each sortie left unaddressed, the enemy faction marks a segment of one of their goals. Where the PCs are absent, the enemy can make slow but steady advancement to their goals.
Restock Sorties
Once all sorties are resolved, if the conflict is not yet resolved, prepare another 2-3 sorties as before and repeat the process of selecting and resolving sorties. Let the new set of sorties reflect the results of the previously-resolved sorties (e.g., assets captured, territory lost, faction goals achieved). Repeat until the conflict is resolved or until the players decide to abandon the conflict.
Abandoning the Conflict
At some point, a conflict becomes a lost cause, and the Albatross must move on to where they are needed most. When the players decide to abandon a conflict in progress, the GM secretly rolls 1d20 while applying the following modifiers:
- +1 for each asset their allied forces possess.
- -1 for each asset the enemy faction possesses.
- -1 for each empty segment of the resolution tracker.
The result of the roll determines the ultimate fate of the conflict:
- 9 or lower: Each PC loses 2 renown. The allied forces crumble, and the enemy faction consolidates its power. Future intervention will be left to others.
- 10 to 19: Each PC loses 1 renown. Allied forces succeed, but at a cost. Examples include:
- Surviving allies fall to infighting.
- Enemy forces maintain a threatening foothold.
- The conflict continues for centuries.
- The world(s) embroiled in the conflict become(s) scarred beyond the native’s ability to repair.
- 20 or higher: Allied forces succeed decisively, with no further complications.
The GM records this result in secret, revealing it only after the PCs perform a nearlight bolt to leave the next star system they encounter.