SFS #2-21 Illegal Shipment GM Thread

[Zoomba]

Running this next week looks good, but I have a few questions:

For the final warehouse (Area C), the map seems off. The in-map compass indicates that north is to the 'right' of the map, but the description of C2 and its mention of an office indicates that the west-side would be on the left, meaning north should be 'up'. This would seem to match the intent of the digestive sac hazard in C3 - they are by the west entrance of the chamber, but according to the compass on the map there is no entrance to the west, just a solid wall.

Relatedly, where exactly are the dangerous digestive enzyme sacs meant to be? Are they just the bright green sacs on the map?

Finally, while the idea of a possible wandering Swarm patrol sounds cool, the actual size of the warehouse seems very small for it. I'm having a hard time envisioning any place within the warehouse where 1-2 swarm and multiple PCs could engage in a fight without alerting everyone in C3: they're only about 50 feet away at most.

We'll also see how my party react to Fitch and Ziggy's debate over Zelrai, but just reading it myself I'm surprised it's expected to be a debate. this isn't a case where she wasn't paying attention to her cargo or turning a blind-eye to a mysterious box: she intentionally and knowingly brought multiple xenomorphs swarm into a contained and populous metropolis. Though I suppose this is also the first time I've certifiably checked and seen Fitch in Chaotic Neutral so...

[Doctor Mono]

So the map... When I first drew the map, I had it in profile with the front of house at the bottom. this meant that north was the back of the building. That's what got sent to the cartographer. I left out most directionals in the description, but that was likely added during an editing pass. During the editing pass, the assumption would have been that the map was in landscape and North was up, so that's why the directions are off.

TLDR: I should remember to draw half page maps in landscape rather than profile.

Enzyme Sacs:

The digestive enzyme sacs are the bright green with the more olive green in the back representing the egg sacs.

The idea is that with the rubble on either side of it, and the programmers passing through without a problem, the enzyme sacs seem a viable entry point to that egg chamber. Of course they're not...

Wandering Swarm:

The wandering patrol is really your chance to put monsters where you like in the quiet office area (I usually put them in the cafeteria or one of the front storage areas to keep the players on their guard). Yes, it's a small warehouse so theoretically it could inform other swarm- but programmers are self involved unless defending the egg chamber, the curator of the egg chamber doesn't leave the eggs, and the swarm in the loading dock are otherwise occupied. BUT- if you think it will help suspension of disbelief, make the old generator loud and sputtering smoke on its last legs. Even though swarm KNOW what's going on with others of their hive, it gives players the fallacy of being sneaky here no matter what they do.

The Great Debate:

Okay, Ziggy's side in this argument is obvious. But Fitch is more nuanced. To Zelrai's credit, she has been able to contain and move creatures far scarier than Swarm- often for Fitch and the Society. Had one of her crew not planned on making a fast buck behind her back, it would have been fine since her stasis pods were more than up to the task. Illegal? Oh yes. But a threat? Not to her point of view. Fitch has two motives here. 1) Zelrai is a friend, and the matronly Fitch will often make exceptions for those under her care. Is it wise? No, but it speaks volumes about her and why it's good to be close to her. But more importantly, 2) The Society very often has to do things under the station's radar. They are good guys, sure, but often have to stoop to nefarious methods away from the prying eyes of station security and the Stewards. If this gets out it will further impinge on the Society's reputation, and cause a lockdown of station docking procedures that will make it VERY difficult for the Society to do it's normal activities.

Hope that helps.

[Zoomba]

Wow that was a fast author response :)

And yes, all those things are quite helpful, especially outlining Fitch's side. That should help me shade in her arguments/case when I'm presenting it to the players.

Again really liking the scenario 'as-read' and prepping it. Fogtown is an especially nice touch: a cool and flavorful new area of the Station to explore while also leading to a very interesting and moody combat.

[Mom Norveg]

Rapid fire chittering in ysoki:

Look fitch, its not like I haven't bailed my own kids out of a couple of drunk and disorderlies.. ok. MORE than a couple. But bio weapons!?!?! SWARM bio weapons... on Absolom station itself? You're talking about running the risk of EVERYONE on Absolom station being fed to those things, not to mention the ensuing collapse of the pact worlds because Absolom station is what holds them together all to.. right.. SELL BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. To someone willing to unleash the swarm. She's ruthless enough to sell bioweapons and arrogant enough to do it on Absolom station instead of out in the Armada where you can set your ship to self destruct if the swarm get loose and kill you all. Oh right... this is while we're in the middle of a smear campaign from Datch. This will go over GREAT on the news...

[Mom Norveg]

paranoid suspicion:

Fitch is trying to get us to violate station security big time AND didn't get interrupted by her kids ONCE? Datch wouldn't have to disguise much to do a Fitch impression would she...

[Partizanski]

Timeline wise, when does this scenario take place?

It seems to talk like it is before attack of the swarm, but that AP canonically started over a year ago?

[BigNorseWolf]

Milan Badzic wrote:

Timeline wise, when does this scenario take place?

It seems to talk like it is before attack of the swarm, but that AP canonically started over a year ago?

Well, the swarm attacked 30 years ago? So I'm not sure what would place this before attack of the swarm?

[Partizanski]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Milan Badzic wrote:

Timeline wise, when does this scenario take place?

It seems to talk like it is before attack of the swarm, but that AP canonically started over a year ago?

Well, the swarm attacked 30 years ago? So I'm not sure what would place this before attack of the swarm?

Attack of the Swarm Spoilers:

The intro talks about Zelari capturing Swarm creatures on the "fringes of the ongoing Swarm battlefield", a feat only capable if it happened before Book 1 of the AP ends, which takes place in early to mid 319 AG, or about a year ago, and ends very shortly afterwards (matter of days). The Life Scient/Prof(mercenary) check implies the same time span, before the end of Book of AotS.

[Doctor Mono]

Timey-Wimey:

So this isn't a terrible question. Zelrai would have had to get the swarm from Suskillon early in the war (which had been ongoing for months before Attack of the Swarm starts). Later in that AP, Suskillon is too infested and shut down by the SDF to make it feasible for the Stoic Refuge to get in and out easily as is her modus operandi.

So, a year ago for getting the creatures on Suskillon makes sense, putting it squarely in 319 AG. Since this is a one shot, and not tied to the rest of the season's meta plot, that could work right? Theoretically, this scenario could easily act as an Attack of the Swarm GM's chance for a neat little side adventure showing the repercussions of the war on Absalom Station or maybe give low level PCs a reason to leave the Pact Worlds to join the SDF after their call for help... This season technically started in 319 AG. And maybe Zelrai had them in stasis for a long while looking for a buyer? Yes? WELLL ABOUT THAT...

2-16 A Scoured Home ruins this theory. As the Starfinders are leaving for Izalraan, the see the Stoic Refuge leaving for Suskillon. it even sends a message: "The ship only replies to hails with a prerecorded messaging touting an upcoming sale of audacious and wild creatures from Impressium’s Humble Menagerie, coming to the Pact Worlds in only a few months." A Scoured Home requires that the adventure take place AFTER the Scoured Stars Invasion- mostly in reference to the izalguun.. so that window is small.

In my best estimation, 2-16 A Scoured Home happens around Erastus or Arodus of 319 with 2-21 Illegal Shipment in Neth or Kuthona of the same year.

[GM Blazej]

I'm looking for some clarity because it feels as though I'm missing some critical part of the text regarding area C3 of the warehouse.

While the room itself is labeled with CRs I would expect from an adventure of this level, once it lists the creatures themselves it is an array that seems as though it would be difficult for level appropriate parties to succeed or even not suffer character deaths without a lot of luck or GM fiat.

The room is listed as CR 3 for the 1-2 subtier, but then CR 6 listing the creatures within the room including two CR 3 creatures. The high subtier has the same sort of issue. None of the creatures seem to be listed as inactive or non-participants.

Asking elsewhere it was suggested the intent was that the Ettercap forklift in C2 is meant to participate in the encounter and (effectively) fight against the swarm, but I'm not seeing the text that indicates that it would do so.

My instinct reading this is meant to be a more narrative threat in the background than these creatures all attacking the party in a single combat. Maybe the party fights off one of these threats at as a time as they erupt or engage with the party. I wanted to see how others ran this encounter.