UPDATE: Because of my love of this classic adventure, I reached out to Mongoose Publishing to see about updating it for the current edition. They not only agreed, but gave the project to me. The new edition is out as part of a double-adventure book 'Mysteries on Arcturus Station' featuring a revised version of this adventure as well as a separate adventure 'The Hunt for Sabre IV' which can be used as a prequel mystery adventure. You can find it on DriveThru RPG: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/350034/Solomani-Adventure-1-Mysteries-on-Arcturus-Station?affiliate_id=1017650 or on the Mongoose Website: www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/solomani-adventure-1-mysteries-on-arcturus-station.html
journal of the Traveller's Aid Society Issue 18 had a scenario called 'Without a Trace' This was the Scenario that is the Prequel I have run these two together in Traveller and as part of a Firefly campaign to good effect
'Without A Trace' didn't fill the details that 'Murder on Arcturus Station' required such as introducing Marja Aguilar and the way the adventure should end to create the setup. It was only a 2-page Amber Zone adventure outline, rather than a full scenario. Matt Sprange and I discussed using elements from it in the new adventure such as ship names, but ultimately decided to make the new prequal fully separate, that way 'Without a Trace' might be able to return in one of the future Mongoose JTAS volumes. 'The Hunt for Sabre IV' is a full and complete adventure that weaves in multiple ties to the revised 'Murder on Arcturus Station'.
Not sure whether to praise you or curse you for the remake, Seth. The former because it's amazing, the latter because it got me on a murder-mystery kick and I ended up binge-watching the first thirteen seasons of Midsomer Murders (only stopped because Amazon Prime doesn't have any of the later ones available to Aussie users yet). Either way; I now feel like, if I ever end up running this, I'm gonna need a theme tune played on a theremin for it. :P
Having sold security cameras in the past, I have another suggestion about getting around that issue. Make most of the cameras be dummy cams. A company or individual cutting costs, yet still trying to give the impression that everyone was under surveillance, would buy dummy CCTV cameras. They often attested how well those fake but realistic looking cameras worked in keeping customers honest because they thought they were being watched at all times. At far less investments of money and time.
There's a Game Stop in my town that had a dummy cam. What's more, a roof leak filled the camera's dome with water and no one bothered to do anything about it. One of the employees there would point this out to any customer who mentioned the camera.
You're right on target! I've worked security for a long time and I can swear most places want the impression of having security much more than they want real security!
I was going to mention that one too, glad to have been beaten to the punch. I'd like to suggest reviewing the prequel, as an Amber Zone, it needs a certain amount of work to make it a fully fledged adventure.
I know what you mean. It's been so long since I had a role-playing group. I know there is online avenues, but I like the round-table in-person setting with friends.
I think you have to play it 'the right way': green-lit computer screens audible noise when lines appear on screen and that hard IBM Model M keyboard sound :D
On the security camera question, I feel like you could throw in a little bit of real life detective work in there. Namely, you could say that the security camera footage was of poor quality, the cameras were pointed in bad places, or they simply weren't on. You'd be surprised how often detectives run into that problem.
While realistic, I think it might come off too much like you didn't prepare ahead of time. Whereas if you work in the defaced cameras, disgruntled employees and union troubles during the prequel adventure, when it looks like it's just mood-setting, you'll look like you planned it all along when it comes back around.
Hello Seth Skorkowski. I am going to enjoy your new video while I also enjoy my dinner. I have found many Traveller adventures are awesome to convert to Star Wars (my players had a blast with High And Dry), so I am looking forward to this.
What i love 'bout Arcurus Station is the fact that, with a little setting change, you could run this Nine different times in Nine different Sci-fi systems and get Nine different Murderer's(Ten if you count the PC one) and all for the price of a Taco Bell Big Box!....
Hey Seth, your videos actually got me into Traveller. I'm enjoying the Cygnus Crucible war stories and your other module reviews way too much (and Jack, of course, he's a big part of this as well) and I really hope to see more Traveller stuff and Cygnus Crucible stories. I love your characters and all of these videos must have been a lot of work to make, and it shows. I have some gripes about the Traveller system here and there but I'm really digging it. I really love the unique character creation mini-game. Rolled randomly looking to make "just a medic for the ship" to see what that would be like and I somehow rolled up a scarred, tortured genius who lost her medical researcher position after her involvement with morally-questionable research got several people seriously injured and a score of enemies, so now she needs to find a new way to pay her debts on account of her anagathics addiction. I'm keeping that sheet for sure. Another time, I had a barbarian from a post-apocalyptic world who got picked up by a crew of space corsairs (first term event as well!) and eventually becoming one of the pirate captain's trusty lieutenants... until he was betrayed by a fellow lieutenant that the barbarian thought was his best friend. This system is *insane*.
Glad you've been enjoying it. We recently started a new campaign with a new crew in The Rift. Started with Flatlined, then on to Islands in the Rift, which will be the backdrop as we do several various adventures through the sector. Traveller has been good for us. Not a perfect system, but better than most. The character creation system is insanely fun.
Blast from the past. Played this adventure "back then." It isn't just "passwords" that are "quaint." The issues with computers in general were obvious even then. My Commodore 64 had more smarts than the best computers in the core rule books. Security cameras were certainly known in the real world, but were much larger and not distributed with anywhere near the current density of appearance. Despite common familiarity with security cameras, they seldom appeared in adventures. And I'm not sure who convinced Mr. Miller that gauss guns lack recoil and can be used in zero-G combat, but whoever it was knew nothing. Another major missing component, that is common now, is DNA. But original Traveller wasn't all "backward." For example, the "short range communicator" that relies on a planetary infrastructure to work is a pretty good analog for the modern cell phone. So while some technical details are dated or outright wrong, the game is still fun.
Actually Gauss weapons have considerable recoil. (Every action creates an equal and opposite reaction) Zero-G combat is best don with either snub gun or an accelerator weapon. Of course there's always the laser weapon option.
The obvious way to head this sort of thing off is to have the guy press a button under his desk when the players look to be getting ready to murder him, summoning some guards to escort them out. If the PCs plan to murder him later, they should be allowed to make all the plans they want...only to burst into his room and find him already dead. Cue the mystery, as the PCs now have considerable need to find the killer, to avoid being blamed (even though they intended to do it themselves). On the other hand, if the PCs succeed in killing him someone, that just turns it into a different kind of adventure. It'll become very important to hide their crime, and then try to find a scapegoat. This, in an of itself, could lead into the "investigation", except instead of finding a killer (they know who killed the guy, it's them), they're looking for enough circumstantial evidence to pin the blame on one of the suspects. The GM should impress upon the players that if they're not subtle about murder, they'll be caught. At best, they'll be able to get away but become fugitives. At worst - if they don't have a way off the station, for instance - they'll be trapped and caught eventually when space patrol or whatever comes to investigate.
Yeah, this is exactly the problem I have with my group. Give them a raid or an assault, and they are happy as clams. Give them a mystery? All the witnesses end up dead.
I had the same thought! Then the adventurers would need to defend themselves vs the scenario’s suspects and frame one of them before the inspector arrives....
Everyday I look to see if you've put a new vid up! So thanks for this. I'd even started rewatching all your older vids! Nothing comes close to your RPG vids. For me online (as an experienced Pathfinder, D&D, Traveller player) I can't find anything that comes close to your informative, entertaining reviews. You tell a story and analyse and inform. More please! Give up the day job! ha!
Hey Seth, I’ve said before and I’ll say again here. I always get so excited when I see a video from you pop up in my feed. Also, lucky strike that it’s a traveler adventure, this seems like a good second adventure for the traveler game I’m about to start in a couple weeks. Pretty sure I can figure out an adventure about retaking an ore hauler.
As posted by the user Howard Kingston in the first comment : "Hello Seth, journal of the Traveller's Aid Society Issue 18 had a scenario called 'Without a Trace' This was the Scenario that is the Prequel" You have already the road opened ahead of you! Have fun!
11:11 That would be the perfect opportunity for a player to state "if I killed him, I'd be gloating about it" because this the perfect opportunity to make that joke.
I used this in my game last weekend. They were smuggling 25 tons of trade embargoed beef to a resort planet, and decided to take on high passage tourists to pad their bottom line. Had the confrontations and arguments happen on board as pre-shadowing, preplanned names, back stories, clues, then two weeks into into the three week trip, I had the target murdered on board. Players almost just put the body on ice then "handed it to the authorities". LOL. I had point out they had illegal cargo on board and two of the characters had pirate backgrounds to motivate them into playing the game. Sometimes the best laid plans don't survive contact with the PCs.
Would like to see a review of the old-school Traveller adventure Death Station. It's a great opportunity to add some survival horror elements to Traveller.
Your review of this as a sort of mystery template has long fascinated me. I think I might finally pick this up and adapt it into a Star Wars one shot. Edit: I did it! I ran this as a one-shot in the FFG Star Wars system, and it worked great. It was my first time GMing, and I had three players, two of whom had never played a ttrpg before. It took us six hours to run it (I used three suspects), and it was a blast.
On the timeline at the start of the adventure: Ringiil doesn't make them wait a week, but the wording in the book is somewhat confusing. He makes them wait 2 days, which means that they missed the inter-system shuttle back to Wainwright Station which happens every week. The shuttle drops him off, he makes them cool their heels for 2 days (during which time the shuttle has moved on), so even after they talk to him they have to wait 5 more days for the shuttle to return. This is why Marja comments about them having 5 days.
Hey Seth, just dropping by to thank you for bringing this module to my attention. I just finished running a Legend of Five Rings session where I'd used the structure and resources of this adventure to plot out a murder mystery, and following the prep steps listed here (writing out the suspects, determining who the murder is, making some rolls to see who had modifiers, that sort of thing) and your advice about security cameras which I then applied to the serving staff around the castle, as well as the really simple advice to just write out the timeline of events, really helped get the adventure prepped on short notice. Bonus plot twist though: everyone involved (except the PCs) is actually the Rokugani equivalent of the federal police and they're putting on a show to test the PCs. Nobody was actually murdered and they're all in on it, including their "local guide" who is actually their boss in disguise!
Okay, is it Urshukaan, like you have written, or Urkashaan, like you keep saying? Just wondering if it's a typo or a mispronunciation. Either way, love the video, Seth. Really enjoy the Traveller stuff
Great episode, will definitely pick this up and use it in every possible setting 😛 But blast it, Seth, writing Ur-SHAK-aan everywhere and saying Ur-KASH-aan every time made me tic every time either happened. I don't mind, which, but please, please stick to one. 😇
Man, I love the way you say Skorkowsky at the start of every video. There's so much character in such a simple intro. That's got to be like your catchphrase or something.
It's a great scenario and is useful for other systems. I once ran this as a "Victorian Cthulhu" game and set it in an isolated mansion. Agatha Christie would love it.
For anyone who is interested in looking at the other 'Amber Zone' scenarios published in the Journal of the Travellers Aid Society (Which survived as an internal magazine in early issues of it's successor Challenge.) here is a full list, including details of where it takes place if given. Orphans Subsector is a location on the Traveller Map website where systems from GDW published material (and some issues of Space Gamer) that didn't end up forming part of the OTU have been gathered. Amber Zone Scenarios by Journal of the Travellers Aid Society Issues (Issues 1 - 26) 1. Rescue on Ruie (Issue 1, Ruie, Spinward Marches) 2. The Ship In The Lake (Issue 2, Cocta, ?) 3. Planetoid P-4638 (Issue 3, Rabwhar, Spinward Marches) 4. Salvage on Sharmun (Issue 4, Sharmun, Orphans Subsector) 5. Foodrunner (Issue 5, Roup, Spinward Marches) 6. The Werewolf Disease (Issue 5, Taldor, Orphans Subsector) 7. Ticket to Swords (Issue 6, Joyeuse, Spinward Marches) 8. Loggerheads (Issue 6, Ranther, Orphans Subsector) 9. Scam (Issue 7, No specific location.) 10. Pursue and Destroy (Issue 7, Pynchan, Orphans Subsector) (Striker Scenario) 11. Crystals from Dinom (Issue 8, Dinom, Spinward Marches) 12. Dagger at Efate (Issue 8, Efate, Spinward Marches) 13. Soft Bunk (Issue 9, Tionale, Spinward Marches) 14. Rule of Man Commemorative (Issue 9, Regina, Spinward Marches) 15. Geria Transfer (Issue 10, Cyris, Pesek Subsector) 16. Coup D'Etat (Issue 10, No specific location.) 17. Thunder on Zyra (Issue 11, Zyra, Spinward Marches) 18. Work of Art (Issue 11, Fornice Spinward Marches) 19. Tarkine Down (Issue 12, Tarkine, Spinward Marches) 20. Royal Hunt (Issue 12, Krajraha, No specific Sector or Subsector) 21. Lockbox (Issue 13, No specific location.) 22. Thoughtwaves (Issue 13, 899-076, Spinward Marches) 23. Aces & Eights (Issue 14, Malefolge, Orphans Subsector) 24. Foxhound (Issue 14, Sverdan, No specific Sector or Subsector) (Striker Scenario) 25. Chill (Issue 15, Sainte Foy, Orphans Subsector) 26. The Drannixa Gambit, (Issue 15, Azun, Solomani Rim) 27. Last Flight of the Themis (Issue 16, Gwydion, No specific Sector or Subsector) 28. Day of the Glow (Issue 16, Purfyr, Orphans Subsector) No Amber Zone Scenarios appeared in Issue 17. 29. Chariots of Fire (Issue 18, Gatina, Orphans Subsector) 30. Without a Trace (Issue 18, Banasdan, Solomani Rim) (*. Precursor scenario for Adventure 11: Murder at Arcturus Station.) 31. Pride of Lions (Issue 19, Grizel, Orphans Subsector) (Also called Pride of the Lion in the issue.) 32. Small Package (Issue 19, Karin, Spinward Marches) 33. Critical Vector (Issue 20, Vendetierre, Orphans Subsector) 34. Raid on Stataorlai (Issue 20, Stataorlai, Dark Nebula) (Not on the Traveller Map.) (For Aslan PCs) 35. Homesteaders Stand (Issue 21, Lorelei, Orphans Subsector) 36. Ventures Afar (Issue 22, Denotam, Spinward Marches) 37. The Thing in the Depths (Issue 22, Sturray, No specific Sector or Subsector) (Can be found in Pesek Subsector on Traveller Map.) 38. The Birthday Plot (Issue 23, Efate, Spinward Marches) 39. Roadshow (Issue 23, No specific Sector or Subsector) (First appearance of the band Veedback.) 40. Embassy in Arms (Issue 24, Aramanx, Spinward Marches) 41. The Lost Village (Issue 24, Gadden, Solomani Rim) 42. Siege (Issue 25, Launfall, Orphans Subsector) (Internal Magazine in Challenge Magazine, Issue 25.) 43. Tournament (Issue 26, Thalia, No specific Sector or Subsector) (Internal Magazine in Challenge Magazine, Issue 26.) 44. The Tuktaar Connection (Issue 26, Tuktaar, Kaa G!'kul ) (Internal Magazine in Challenge Magazine, Issue 26.) (For K'Kree PCs...!) After Issue 26, Amber Zone scenarios appeared in Challenge Magazine in the Traveller Section.
You can definitely excuse the lack of security cameras in a number of ways. EDIT: Wrote that before your spoilers...I think the idea of the murderer disabling the camera is just lovely.
From the onset this adventure seems like a great tool to pick up and adapt to any other rpg system for running a murder mystery. On the flip side every time you said the dead guy's name I heard David Urshon and my mind went to random scenes in the buddy cop comedy "The Other Guys." Aim for the bushes. Walk in pairs. We're coming for Urkeshon, and when we get him we're locking him up in the federal reserve! I'm a peacock Captain! You gotta let me fly on this one.
Ran this adventure 2 sessions ago, we had a blast. I took Lukargik as the killer and threw in a lot of other suspects. On the matter of security cameras, I made it hard for them to access it since they are technically only civilians, and the cameras not able to look inside the Company Offices where Urshukaan was killed. Surprisingly, after figuring the mystery out, my players actually befriended Eayakhueal.
Awesome to hear. Glad you all had fun with it. It requires a good deal more to prep than a standard module adventure, but I really dig it and its versatility.
Seth, you're the fucking best. I haven't played anything since 1984, but i love these videos. I used to buy D & D modules just because they fascinated me.
I remember refereeing this and I did the Without a Trace amber zone adventure in JTAS 18 first and when I got to the "You're not getting paid" bit they killed him.............. Bring on Prison Planet!!!
17:00 - Like the twist. You could even make the PC murderer not be acting by their own volition; maybe some form of programming, or psychic interference. That would expand the whole 'convicted of a crime they didn't commit' angle.
If you like that, then you're going to love one of the changes I made to the Mongoose 2e update I did for Mysteries on Arcturus Station. I added a 10th suspect who is a psion with the ability to implant suggestions and then wipe the memory of what they did from the victim's mind. So the PC gets tasked with solving the murder they have no memory of doing.
Gotta love old stories where the authors hadn't thought up stuff that's commonplace today. I listened to an audio book a few years ago that took place on a spaceship hundreds or years into the future and the author kept hamming up how everyone on the ship had a tablet that could be used to send text messages to each other (and apparently nothing else) and I'm sitting there, looking at my smartphone like "Oooh hi-tech!" [sarcastic hand-waving].
the last time i ran a super high roleplay adventure, it was a traveler adventure i made where my players wound up turning a banquet designed to uncover who is the co conspirators of a planetary prince's assassination into a massacre where they wound up causing the prince's death via gunshot to the throat
Seth is going to singlehandedly convince me to run a murder mystery scenario. When you run these types of adventures do they often break out into combat once the jig is up?
"The only issue was the clunky opening. I didn't handle that that well." Yeah, you handled it so poorly that Mongoose had you make a whole scenario to fix it. Love that Seth just has RPG publishers tripping over themselves to have him write adventures for their games! Peak nerd cred right there.
Indeed sounds like this module was inspired by Cluedo (as you said), but minus the option that the PCs are the killers and just "kinda forgot", like when you play Cluedo and find out it was your character all along, to the point where you accuse yourself and win the game by essentially admitting guilt, that's the weirdest part of the game (works better in an RPG like your suggestion with playing the suspects because of the ability to coordinate with the GM instead of the character just having memory loss because the player doesn't know). Sounds amazing and you totally sold me this one for inspiration and potentially adaptation, it sounds perfect for Dark Heresy as well after changing the backdrop and setting. Thanks. :) Fun Fact: If one types "Traveller: Murder on Arcturus Station" into Google, this video comes up as the first result. Belatedly it occured to me that you might have supplied a link for buying the PDF (hadn't completed the video at that point but was already convinced to buy, so I hadn't seen the recommendation for it at the end). Well, at least I found your Patreon that way still.
I don't know anything about Traveler but I think it if I were to run the adventure I would have the murderor be secretly a android on the run and the victim found out then threatened to reveal. The android not wanting to find out kills the victim using his tech and possibly three the body out a airlock Gives it a nice blade runner feel and a moral greatness cause what if the Android is running from a network that treated it horrible like a slave I love the name to. Reminds me of Murder On The Orient Express
This reminds me of the Crimson Letters scenario from the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Keeper's Guide. Very similar set up- with the GM having to make the call as to who did the murder and how.
You inspired me to run Murder on Arcturus Station adapted for Stars Without Number, but I added a big psychic element. Crazy for a mystery adventure, right? Well the element is that the system is strongly anti-psychic, and they have Witch Hunters with psi-meters who may perform justice in the field. Also one of the suspects is dealing an illegal drug that hides psychic powers from detectors, and another suspect is an unregistered psychic trying to meet the mysterious dealer. But she accidentally reads the mind of the actual killer instead, while a Witch Hunter is looking for both of them. Urshukaan was blackmailing the dealer, and he has incriminating files on his computer. The PCs have just had their meeting with Urshukaan, and the newly-registered psychic in the party is about to be questioned by the visiting Witch Hunter.
John, I run one for my local group, since we cannot run in person right now. They may be willing to give you a guest appearance to see if you fit in. Hit me up at jamesstoneking@gmail.com... I'm still learning the ins and outs of roll20, so it ain't perfect.
This is perfect, I've been looking for murder mysteries I can drop into my settings. I was going to try adapting Sherlock Holmes consulting detective into an rpg setting, might still try. P.s. can anyone recommend a good C'thulu by gas light adventure to me?
Doctor Who: The Robots of Death (hidden madman using reprogrammed robots to murder) or Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang (escaped scientist kidnapping & killing young women to drain their life essence to save his decaying body, & also using science to create giant rat mutants for guards/garbage disposal).
Great video as usual, Seth. Just a quick question. How do you use the Investigation skill when you play? When I was flipping through the Pirates of Drinax books I noticed that Mongoose seem to think it should be used just as a simple roll to investigate a site but I feel it's more fun to let the players come up with an actual investigation and maybe find clues to that investigation with Recon instead. Is there some middle ground here? Should I just remove the skill? How do you do it?
It depends. Investigation is Forensics. I'll give clues discovered for Effects rolled. Depending on the situation, I might give a bonus if they player states something specific that they're looking for. Alternatively, if they have other skills that could apply, they can use those for specific clues. Gun Combat can tell you where the shooter stood, Explosives can tell you about the bomb used, Medic can analyse the body, etc. Recon is more about threat analysis, which means it is more "the sniper was there, because that's where I'd be."
Thank you for the reply. So if I understood correctly, Investigation for gathering general physical clues at a site, with a sprinkle of other skills for specific clues. And Recon is more of a tactical skill than investigative. Do you still use Recon for a simple search area or notice a face in a crowd kind of situation or is it strictly tactical/combat? If not, what skill do you use for non investigative searching/alertness?
A face in a crowd I'd most likely use Recon. I use is as more of a "quickly notice stuff" as that's helpful for tactical situations. It's your general alertness/awareness while also for studying patrol movements for holes or other analysis. In some cases, a quick search/scan could be either Investigate or Recon. A lot of tasks can be completed with multiple skills. It's one of those areas that took us a bit to get used to since we were conditioned to "If you want to achieve X, you must use X skill." Traveller is more, "If you want to achieve X, then X Skill is probably best, unless Y or Z could also be applied." Think of it as being multiple means to achieve the same results. So if I tell my players, "Use Investigate," one of them might reply, "Can I use X instead?" if it can be argued that X would also be appropriate for the situation, then I'll allow it. If it's kinda squishy if X would be usable as a substitute but still helpful, I might give a Boon to the Investigate (or whichever skill was originally asked for).
@@SSkorkowsky Yea, that was my impression of the system as well, and I like it. I just wanted to establish some base line to work from what would be acceptable. Thanks again for the replies, your content is really high quality stuff.
I have a possible solve for the security camera issue that could also add another layer to the investigation (and the replayability). The station has working security cameras, but due to a software glitch (possibly the result of sabotage) they randomly switch themselves off and on over the course of the adventure, and only a certain number of them are recording (in random locations) at any given time. A series of dice rolls could determine which cameras are recording where and when, and what activity around the station is available for the players to view from a security station.
You could play this and throw a real curve ball (but a foreshadowed one) that the killer was an alien lifeform that could shapeshift or possess people like in the original Stark Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold" and it would lead to the PCs having to find a way to contain or kill this alien before it destroys the station to hide its existence.
Pretty sure a Baronet is a title, like a small-time Baron, or holder of lower lands and title than one. Baroness is the term for the wife of a Baron or female Baron.
Baronet is both masculine and feminine. It's the lowest rank you can be to call yourself Sir / Dame. It's a peasant rank, and comes with no lands or duties. It's the one above a knighthood, but does not have the honor attached, but it is a hereditary title.
Hey everybody, I got a quesrions I hope someone can answer: Is traveller and Cyberpunk Red playable as 'theatre of mind'? I mean without any minis? Do they provide rules for that or is it easily 'convertable' because I'm just not into minis. Thanks for the help.
We barely ever used minis in the old CT days and things worked very well. I ended up not liking the 15mm figures favored in Traveller at the time; insufficient detail on them and poor selection compared to 28mm D&D figures. I have started buying 28mm minis this time around but we are forced to play on virtual table tops these days.... I don’t know anything about CP but Traveller provides an excellent backdrop of the theater of the mind.
Going by what I've been listening to so far I'd reveal he had been harassing the daughter of a special forces mercenary who circumvented the security precautions the victim had prepared and basically strangled him before leaving the way he came with no one aware they used the external airlock after noting the maintenance on that airlock meant it wasn't properly secured. However after he had left the next visitor completely unaware he was dead knifed him and stunned they had succeeded fled the apartment unaware the security cameras had been disabled to allow the man's secretary to enter the apartment expecting his employer to be asleep. Discovering him dead he wasn't able to complete the download and delete the records before rushing to announce the murder to avoid suspicion. The PCs arrive as he comes out and all they know is that he was knifed unless they take a medical check to realize he was strangled but without access to a medical bay won't be able to tell if this was before or after he was knifed. A drink left undisturbed on his desk is spilt by the secretary when he picks it up intending to drink it dropping it as he noticed whose glass it was. The records if accessed will be regular blackmail and standard business records the woman who knifed him tries to blow it up, but if she succeeds the PCs won't get their money as the proof he owed them is part of those records which can be printed off if they're quick enough but any attempt to save or transfer those records triggers a routine that deletes the records that the secretary knows about. I wonder how different the new version is?
Short stories you check for publishers, usually magazines and anthologies. There's no big database for them, so you'll have to hunt. If fantasy/scifi, start with the SFWA qualifying market list. After that, check out various groups on Facebook and the like who share submission open calls. Novels are a different animal. For that you'll want to query an agent. You'll need to write a solid query letter, which is the hardest single page of a novel. Then submit, submit, submit. Check out manuscript wishlist and query tracker. Good luck.
Would been funny to have Jack say "You're not paying us for the job? I'll kill you, you don't of a b-" and then cut to him being informed that Ershakahn is dead and going "Oof. I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that!"
I ran this game in my Traveller campaign as a side adventure. Now they are saying that it was my best adventure ever and now I have anxiety about my next session :Y
It’s funny you mention the quirky 80s view of the future, something that can undermine many mystery games is cellular phone technology & particularly access to the internet - PCs can get a lot of information from social media & it’s hard to build a sense of tension when the players can call the cops.
Really been thinking about running this for my current group, the first time since 1988. A big issue I am dealing with is one of my players is a skilled former agent as well as a physician. She is well equipped to manage and use DNA as an investigative tool. I have been thinking I will have to come up with a mcguffin to have destroyed the genetic evidence, the item itself perhaps a bit of evidence to be found in the incinerator of they get to it in time.
hey probably not the right place to do this but, are you going to expand your line up of gaming systems any time soon? pathfinder 2.0 came out recently and it seems like a cool system, add to that the fact that the campaign setting was intentionally designed as a fantasy kitchen sink and it seems like a thing that would have a campaign suitable to adapt for most systems. like you could probably adapt the iron gods campaign to traveler with only a few hiccups. it's just that reading the 2.0 simplified rules it seems like a relatively intuitive system and it has modules that seem to fit most RPG themes and styles of game-play so it seems like a good one to try out, especially during a pandemic that looks like it will last out the year and leaves people with limited options as to socialize in a responsible way.
I'm pretty sure that I've got this adventure sitting on a shelf, but it sounds like it could be easily converted to Star Wars (since that's what I'm running).
UPDATE: Because of my love of this classic adventure, I reached out to Mongoose Publishing to see about updating it for the current edition. They not only agreed, but gave the project to me. The new edition is out as part of a double-adventure book 'Mysteries on Arcturus Station' featuring a revised version of this adventure as well as a separate adventure 'The Hunt for Sabre IV' which can be used as a prequel mystery adventure.
You can find it on DriveThru RPG: www.drivethrurpg.com/product/350034/Solomani-Adventure-1-Mysteries-on-Arcturus-Station?affiliate_id=1017650
or on the Mongoose Website: www.mongoosepublishing.com/us/solomani-adventure-1-mysteries-on-arcturus-station.html
Haha! I freaked out when I saw your name on the Reddit post the company made, this is great!
journal of the Traveller's Aid Society Issue 18 had a scenario called 'Without a Trace' This was the Scenario that is the Prequel
I have run these two together in Traveller and as part of a Firefly campaign to good effect
'Without A Trace' didn't fill the details that 'Murder on Arcturus Station' required such as introducing Marja Aguilar and the way the adventure should end to create the setup. It was only a 2-page Amber Zone adventure outline, rather than a full scenario. Matt Sprange and I discussed using elements from it in the new adventure such as ship names, but ultimately decided to make the new prequal fully separate, that way 'Without a Trace' might be able to return in one of the future Mongoose JTAS volumes. 'The Hunt for Sabre IV' is a full and complete adventure that weaves in multiple ties to the revised 'Murder on Arcturus Station'.
Not sure whether to praise you or curse you for the remake, Seth. The former because it's amazing, the latter because it got me on a murder-mystery kick and I ended up binge-watching the first thirteen seasons of Midsomer Murders (only stopped because Amazon Prime doesn't have any of the later ones available to Aussie users yet).
Either way; I now feel like, if I ever end up running this, I'm gonna need a theme tune played on a theremin for it. :P
That was you?? I just found out they did a remake after getting a copy of the original. I’m definitely getting the new module now.
Having sold security cameras in the past, I have another suggestion about getting around that issue.
Make most of the cameras be dummy cams. A company or individual cutting costs, yet still trying to give the impression that everyone was under surveillance, would buy dummy CCTV cameras. They often attested how well those fake but realistic looking cameras worked in keeping customers honest because they thought they were being watched at all times. At far less investments of money and time.
or the head of the company just doesn't want his privacy invaded and turns off the ones around his private quarters
OR...the security system was SABOTAGED! Da da daaaaaaaaa!!!!
Even when it was published the computer rules where 10 years out of date
There's a Game Stop in my town that had a dummy cam. What's more, a roof leak filled the camera's dome with water and no one bothered to do anything about it. One of the employees there would point this out to any customer who mentioned the camera.
You're right on target! I've worked security for a long time and I can swear most places want the impression of having security much more than they want real security!
Hello Seth,Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society Issue 18 had a scenario called 'Without a Trace' This was the Scenario that is the Prequel
Yeah, this! Prequel adventure exists. I'm planning to run both for my group.
Great information. I had the adventure back in the day but no awareness of the prequel.
I was going to mention that one too, glad to have been beaten to the punch. I'd like to suggest reviewing the prequel, as an Amber Zone, it needs a certain amount of work to make it a fully fledged adventure.
You make me wish I had people to play tabletop games with
Go to roll20.com. thats an online platform for tsbletop gaming.
You can even find groups there to play with
I know the feel. I know about the online stuff but some part of me will always lust after that in person feeling
What's a weasel?
Same
I know what you mean. It's been so long since I had a role-playing group. I know there is online avenues, but I like the round-table in-person setting with friends.
Ah, something worthwhile to watch tonight.
More Traveller? Hell yes! Just picked up the books. Cant wait to run the first sesh! Thanks again as always, Seth!
Ah, the days of "code sequences" and "key phrases".
I think you have to play it 'the right way': green-lit computer screens audible noise when lines appear on screen and that hard IBM Model M keyboard sound :D
@@robertnett9793
The original IBM PC Keyboard could be the murder weapon and still be functional.
On the security camera question, I feel like you could throw in a little bit of real life detective work in there. Namely, you could say that the security camera footage was of poor quality, the cameras were pointed in bad places, or they simply weren't on. You'd be surprised how often detectives run into that problem.
While realistic, I think it might come off too much like you didn't prepare ahead of time. Whereas if you work in the defaced cameras, disgruntled employees and union troubles during the prequel adventure, when it looks like it's just mood-setting, you'll look like you planned it all along when it comes back around.
@@AvalonRegarnished Very true. I hadn't thought about the use of the cameras as a foreshadowing device towards those plot threads.
Great point! As a security professional, I approve this comment.
Hello Seth Skorkowski. I am going to enjoy your new video while I also enjoy my dinner. I have found many Traveller adventures are awesome to convert to Star Wars (my players had a blast with High And Dry), so I am looking forward to this.
Thanks a lot Seth, you gave so much useful advice, without your reviews it would be impossible for me to DM!
You deserve way more views.
I have no doubt you could DM without me. I just hope I can help smooth the learning curve a little.
What i love 'bout Arcurus Station is the fact that, with a little setting change, you could run this Nine different times in Nine different Sci-fi systems and get Nine different Murderer's(Ten if you count the PC one) and all for the price of a Taco Bell Big Box!....
"The PC one"
For a second I thought maybe his computer became sentient and did him in because it knows his internet history.
Holy Sweetness, I've been looking for some new Traveller content from Seth and here he delivers. Such a stand up guy.
Dude! Sounds like a great tool to create a murder mystery for any kind of RPG. I can so use this, the timing is amazing.
Hey Seth, your videos actually got me into Traveller.
I'm enjoying the Cygnus Crucible war stories and your other module reviews way too much (and Jack, of course, he's a big part of this as well) and I really hope to see more Traveller stuff and Cygnus Crucible stories.
I love your characters and all of these videos must have been a lot of work to make, and it shows.
I have some gripes about the Traveller system here and there but I'm really digging it.
I really love the unique character creation mini-game.
Rolled randomly looking to make "just a medic for the ship" to see what that would be like and I somehow rolled up a scarred, tortured genius who lost her medical researcher position after her involvement with morally-questionable research got several people seriously injured and a score of enemies, so now she needs to find a new way to pay her debts on account of her anagathics addiction. I'm keeping that sheet for sure.
Another time, I had a barbarian from a post-apocalyptic world who got picked up by a crew of space corsairs (first term event as well!) and eventually becoming one of the pirate captain's trusty lieutenants... until he was betrayed by a fellow lieutenant that the barbarian thought was his best friend.
This system is *insane*.
Glad you've been enjoying it. We recently started a new campaign with a new crew in The Rift. Started with Flatlined, then on to Islands in the Rift, which will be the backdrop as we do several various adventures through the sector.
Traveller has been good for us. Not a perfect system, but better than most. The character creation system is insanely fun.
Blast from the past. Played this adventure "back then." It isn't just "passwords" that are "quaint." The issues with computers in general were obvious even then. My Commodore 64 had more smarts than the best computers in the core rule books. Security cameras were certainly known in the real world, but were much larger and not distributed with anywhere near the current density of appearance. Despite common familiarity with security cameras, they seldom appeared in adventures. And I'm not sure who convinced Mr. Miller that gauss guns lack recoil and can be used in zero-G combat, but whoever it was knew nothing. Another major missing component, that is common now, is DNA. But original Traveller wasn't all "backward." For example, the "short range communicator" that relies on a planetary infrastructure to work is a pretty good analog for the modern cell phone. So while some technical details are dated or outright wrong, the game is still fun.
Actually Gauss weapons have considerable recoil. (Every action creates an equal and opposite reaction) Zero-G combat is best don with either snub gun or an accelerator weapon. Of course there's always the laser weapon option.
Seth, as much as I enjoy your videos, there's only one mystery I'm interested in.
*WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE TURTLE WEARING A HAT?!?*
"he's dead, ah man, that jerk owed us 50 grand" que the rest of the party smacking Jack to try and shut him up
It was Vargr Plum in the Airlock with a Plasma Welder.
Seems to me the first way this heads off the rails is if the players kill the guy at the first meeting. Game over before it started.
The obvious way to head this sort of thing off is to have the guy press a button under his desk when the players look to be getting ready to murder him, summoning some guards to escort them out. If the PCs plan to murder him later, they should be allowed to make all the plans they want...only to burst into his room and find him already dead. Cue the mystery, as the PCs now have considerable need to find the killer, to avoid being blamed (even though they intended to do it themselves).
On the other hand, if the PCs succeed in killing him someone, that just turns it into a different kind of adventure. It'll become very important to hide their crime, and then try to find a scapegoat. This, in an of itself, could lead into the "investigation", except instead of finding a killer (they know who killed the guy, it's them), they're looking for enough circumstantial evidence to pin the blame on one of the suspects.
The GM should impress upon the players that if they're not subtle about murder, they'll be caught. At best, they'll be able to get away but become fugitives. At worst - if they don't have a way off the station, for instance - they'll be trapped and caught eventually when space patrol or whatever comes to investigate.
Ah, but now they're in a race against time to find a patsy/escape before getting sent to the slammer.
Have him deliver the bad news with a recorded message or vid conference shortly before his demise.
Yeah, this is exactly the problem I have with my group. Give them a raid or an assault, and they are happy as clams. Give them a mystery? All the witnesses end up dead.
I had the same thought! Then the adventurers would need to defend themselves vs the scenario’s suspects and frame one of them before the inspector arrives....
Everyday I look to see if you've put a new vid up! So thanks for this. I'd even started rewatching all your older vids! Nothing comes close to your RPG vids. For me online (as an experienced Pathfinder, D&D, Traveller player) I can't find anything that comes close to your informative, entertaining reviews. You tell a story and analyse and inform. More please! Give up the day job! ha!
There's a reason you routinely get the best like ratios I've ever seen. This is one of the best RPG channels.
EDIT (six beers in): I love you.
Hey Seth. This was FANTASTIC. I'll definitely include this module in one form or another along their adventures. Thanks for reviewing it!
Hey Seth, I’ve said before and I’ll say again here. I always get so excited when I see a video from you pop up in my feed.
Also, lucky strike that it’s a traveler adventure, this seems like a good second adventure for the traveler game I’m about to start in a couple weeks. Pretty sure I can figure out an adventure about retaking an ore hauler.
As posted by the user Howard Kingston in the first comment :
"Hello Seth, journal of the Traveller's Aid Society Issue 18 had a scenario called 'Without a Trace' This was the Scenario that is the Prequel"
You have already the road opened ahead of you! Have fun!
11:11 That would be the perfect opportunity for a player to state "if I killed him, I'd be gloating about it" because this the perfect opportunity to make that joke.
Love your synopses, reviews, & tips! Keep ‘em comin’, please! 😁
I used this in my game last weekend. They were smuggling 25 tons of trade embargoed beef to a resort planet, and decided to take on high passage tourists to pad their bottom line. Had the confrontations and arguments happen on board as pre-shadowing, preplanned names, back stories, clues, then two weeks into into the three week trip, I had the target murdered on board. Players almost just put the body on ice then "handed it to the authorities". LOL. I had point out they had illegal cargo on board and two of the characters had pirate backgrounds to motivate them into playing the game. Sometimes the best laid plans don't survive contact with the PCs.
sounds a lot like Clue in space which is just AWESOME!!!
I'm a grown a** man and this is my favorite play list to go to sleep to. I always look forward to new Traveler content!
Would like to see a review of the old-school Traveller adventure Death Station. It's a great opportunity to add some survival horror elements to Traveller.
Ngl this gives me a lot of ideas to re-skin this for a Fantasy adventure.
I just bought your updated version of this. Awesome work dude.
Your review of this as a sort of mystery template has long fascinated me. I think I might finally pick this up and adapt it into a Star Wars one shot.
Edit: I did it! I ran this as a one-shot in the FFG Star Wars system, and it worked great. It was my first time GMing, and I had three players, two of whom had never played a ttrpg before. It took us six hours to run it (I used three suspects), and it was a blast.
On the timeline at the start of the adventure:
Ringiil doesn't make them wait a week, but the wording in the book is somewhat confusing. He makes them wait 2 days, which means that they missed the inter-system shuttle back to Wainwright Station which happens every week. The shuttle drops him off, he makes them cool their heels for 2 days (during which time the shuttle has moved on), so even after they talk to him they have to wait 5 more days for the shuttle to return. This is why Marja comments about them having 5 days.
Hey Seth, just dropping by to thank you for bringing this module to my attention. I just finished running a Legend of Five Rings session where I'd used the structure and resources of this adventure to plot out a murder mystery, and following the prep steps listed here (writing out the suspects, determining who the murder is, making some rolls to see who had modifiers, that sort of thing) and your advice about security cameras which I then applied to the serving staff around the castle, as well as the really simple advice to just write out the timeline of events, really helped get the adventure prepped on short notice.
Bonus plot twist though: everyone involved (except the PCs) is actually the Rokugani equivalent of the federal police and they're putting on a show to test the PCs. Nobody was actually murdered and they're all in on it, including their "local guide" who is actually their boss in disguise!
Okay, is it Urshukaan, like you have written, or Urkashaan, like you keep saying? Just wondering if it's a typo or a mispronunciation. Either way, love the video, Seth. Really enjoy the Traveller stuff
Lysdexia.
Could go UR-shu-kaan or ur-SHU-kaan or ur-shu-KAAN but URKA-shaan is right out.
"Baronetess" is the correct title. It is rarely used, but is accurate.
Great episode, will definitely pick this up and use it in every possible setting 😛 But blast it, Seth, writing Ur-SHAK-aan everywhere and saying Ur-KASH-aan every time made me tic every time either happened. I don't mind, which, but please, please stick to one. 😇
Man, I love the way you say Skorkowsky at the start of every video. There's so much character in such a simple intro. That's got to be like your catchphrase or something.
It's a great scenario and is useful for other systems. I once ran this as a "Victorian Cthulhu" game and set it in an isolated mansion. Agatha Christie would love it.
Somehow I always assumed a "Call of Cthulhu" Choose Your Own Adventure would, ultimately, have but one possible ending...
It's madness! Madness, I tell you!
It was choose your own DEMISE, after all
Hello Seth Skorkowsky
Did the adventure end with the players running around describing the nights events dragging all the suspects with them to each location?
Or it could have happened like this....!
For anyone who is interested in looking at the other 'Amber Zone' scenarios published in the Journal of the Travellers Aid Society (Which survived as an internal magazine in early issues of it's successor Challenge.) here is a full list, including details of where it takes place if given. Orphans Subsector is a location on the Traveller Map website where systems from GDW published material (and some issues of Space Gamer) that didn't end up forming part of the OTU have been gathered.
Amber Zone Scenarios by Journal of the Travellers Aid Society Issues (Issues 1 - 26)
1. Rescue on Ruie (Issue 1, Ruie, Spinward Marches)
2. The Ship In The Lake (Issue 2, Cocta, ?)
3. Planetoid P-4638 (Issue 3, Rabwhar, Spinward Marches)
4. Salvage on Sharmun (Issue 4, Sharmun, Orphans Subsector)
5. Foodrunner (Issue 5, Roup, Spinward Marches)
6. The Werewolf Disease (Issue 5, Taldor, Orphans Subsector)
7. Ticket to Swords (Issue 6, Joyeuse, Spinward Marches)
8. Loggerheads (Issue 6, Ranther, Orphans Subsector)
9. Scam (Issue 7, No specific location.)
10. Pursue and Destroy (Issue 7, Pynchan, Orphans Subsector) (Striker Scenario)
11. Crystals from Dinom (Issue 8, Dinom, Spinward Marches)
12. Dagger at Efate (Issue 8, Efate, Spinward Marches)
13. Soft Bunk (Issue 9, Tionale, Spinward Marches)
14. Rule of Man Commemorative (Issue 9, Regina, Spinward Marches)
15. Geria Transfer (Issue 10, Cyris, Pesek Subsector)
16. Coup D'Etat (Issue 10, No specific location.)
17. Thunder on Zyra (Issue 11, Zyra, Spinward Marches)
18. Work of Art (Issue 11, Fornice Spinward Marches)
19. Tarkine Down (Issue 12, Tarkine, Spinward Marches)
20. Royal Hunt (Issue 12, Krajraha, No specific Sector or Subsector)
21. Lockbox (Issue 13, No specific location.)
22. Thoughtwaves (Issue 13, 899-076, Spinward Marches)
23. Aces & Eights (Issue 14, Malefolge, Orphans Subsector)
24. Foxhound (Issue 14, Sverdan, No specific Sector or Subsector) (Striker Scenario)
25. Chill (Issue 15, Sainte Foy, Orphans Subsector)
26. The Drannixa Gambit, (Issue 15, Azun, Solomani Rim)
27. Last Flight of the Themis (Issue 16, Gwydion, No specific Sector or Subsector)
28. Day of the Glow (Issue 16, Purfyr, Orphans Subsector)
No Amber Zone Scenarios appeared in Issue 17.
29. Chariots of Fire (Issue 18, Gatina, Orphans Subsector)
30. Without a Trace (Issue 18, Banasdan, Solomani Rim) (*. Precursor scenario for Adventure 11: Murder at Arcturus Station.)
31. Pride of Lions (Issue 19, Grizel, Orphans Subsector) (Also called Pride of the Lion in the issue.)
32. Small Package (Issue 19, Karin, Spinward Marches)
33. Critical Vector (Issue 20, Vendetierre, Orphans Subsector)
34. Raid on Stataorlai (Issue 20, Stataorlai, Dark Nebula) (Not on the Traveller Map.) (For Aslan PCs)
35. Homesteaders Stand (Issue 21, Lorelei, Orphans Subsector)
36. Ventures Afar (Issue 22, Denotam, Spinward Marches)
37. The Thing in the Depths (Issue 22, Sturray, No specific Sector or Subsector) (Can be found in Pesek Subsector on Traveller Map.)
38. The Birthday Plot (Issue 23, Efate, Spinward Marches)
39. Roadshow (Issue 23, No specific Sector or Subsector) (First appearance of the band Veedback.)
40. Embassy in Arms (Issue 24, Aramanx, Spinward Marches)
41. The Lost Village (Issue 24, Gadden, Solomani Rim)
42. Siege (Issue 25, Launfall, Orphans Subsector) (Internal Magazine in Challenge Magazine, Issue 25.)
43. Tournament (Issue 26, Thalia, No specific Sector or Subsector) (Internal Magazine in Challenge Magazine, Issue 26.)
44. The Tuktaar Connection (Issue 26, Tuktaar, Kaa G!'kul ) (Internal Magazine in Challenge Magazine, Issue 26.) (For K'Kree PCs...!)
After Issue 26, Amber Zone scenarios appeared in Challenge Magazine in the Traveller Section.
Thanks Seth! This is my favorite Traveller Review. Your videos got me into this game.
Gotta love a murder mystery where there's just _too many_ suspects and motivations because EVERYBODY hated the guy🤣
I played this at GenCon thanks to your recommendation and had a blast. Thanks for this review!
You can definitely excuse the lack of security cameras in a number of ways.
EDIT: Wrote that before your spoilers...I think the idea of the murderer disabling the camera is just lovely.
From the onset this adventure seems like a great tool to pick up and adapt to any other rpg system for running a murder mystery.
On the flip side every time you said the dead guy's name I heard David Urshon and my mind went to random scenes in the buddy cop comedy "The Other Guys."
Aim for the bushes.
Walk in pairs.
We're coming for Urkeshon, and when we get him we're locking him up in the federal reserve!
I'm a peacock Captain! You gotta let me fly on this one.
Ran this adventure 2 sessions ago, we had a blast.
I took Lukargik as the killer and threw in a lot of other suspects. On the matter of security cameras, I made it hard for them to access it since they are technically only civilians, and the cameras not able to look inside the Company Offices where Urshukaan was killed.
Surprisingly, after figuring the mystery out, my players actually befriended Eayakhueal.
Awesome to hear. Glad you all had fun with it. It requires a good deal more to prep than a standard module adventure, but I really dig it and its versatility.
Security cams: Computer virus has wiped the computer virus data; which suspect has the neccesary computer skills?
“Luckily I found a book of Matches....”
Seth, you're the fucking best. I haven't played anything since 1984, but i love these videos. I used to buy D & D modules just because they fascinated me.
Great Review with superb tips. I would like to see another review of the traveller Classic Adventure “Prison Planet” from you.
I remember refereeing this and I did the Without a Trace amber zone adventure in JTAS 18 first and when I got to the "You're not getting paid" bit they killed him.............. Bring on Prison Planet!!!
17:00 - Like the twist. You could even make the PC murderer not be acting by their own volition; maybe some form of programming, or psychic interference. That would expand the whole 'convicted of a crime they didn't commit' angle.
If you like that, then you're going to love one of the changes I made to the Mongoose 2e update I did for Mysteries on Arcturus Station. I added a 10th suspect who is a psion with the ability to implant suggestions and then wipe the memory of what they did from the victim's mind. So the PC gets tasked with solving the murder they have no memory of doing.
Gotta love old stories where the authors hadn't thought up stuff that's commonplace today. I listened to an audio book a few years ago that took place on a spaceship hundreds or years into the future and the author kept hamming up how everyone on the ship had a tablet that could be used to send text messages to each other (and apparently nothing else) and I'm sitting there, looking at my smartphone like "Oooh hi-tech!" [sarcastic hand-waving].
Ah, vintage GDW Traveller, and one of the best of the LBB modules. That's the way to stoke the nostalgia furnace.
Seth - you are really good at acting with the other characters that you play. May I ask? Is this a result of role playing PCs and NPCs in your games?
Everyone knows the Butler did it..
Thank you Jeeves
Cook, Tailor, Nanny, Gofer, Cat Milker and Assassin,
the last time i ran a super high roleplay adventure, it was a traveler adventure i made where my players wound up turning a banquet designed to uncover who is the co conspirators of a planetary prince's assassination into a massacre where they wound up causing the prince's death via gunshot to the throat
Seth, may I suggest you get your hands on Nyotekundu for 2300 AD? You'd love it. I think it's an improvement on this module.
Great material, I consider coming back to this adventure now.
In this house we save Seth videos for bedtime stories with headphones and the phone propped on a pillow
Seth is going to singlehandedly convince me to run a murder mystery scenario. When you run these types of adventures do they often break out into combat once the jig is up?
"The only issue was the clunky opening. I didn't handle that that well."
Yeah, you handled it so poorly that Mongoose had you make a whole scenario to fix it. Love that Seth just has RPG publishers tripping over themselves to have him write adventures for their games! Peak nerd cred right there.
Indeed sounds like this module was inspired by Cluedo (as you said), but minus the option that the PCs are the killers and just "kinda forgot", like when you play Cluedo and find out it was your character all along, to the point where you accuse yourself and win the game by essentially admitting guilt, that's the weirdest part of the game (works better in an RPG like your suggestion with playing the suspects because of the ability to coordinate with the GM instead of the character just having memory loss because the player doesn't know). Sounds amazing and you totally sold me this one for inspiration and potentially adaptation, it sounds perfect for Dark Heresy as well after changing the backdrop and setting. Thanks. :)
Fun Fact: If one types "Traveller: Murder on Arcturus Station" into Google, this video comes up as the first result. Belatedly it occured to me that you might have supplied a link for buying the PDF (hadn't completed the video at that point but was already convinced to buy, so I hadn't seen the recommendation for it at the end). Well, at least I found your Patreon that way still.
I don't know anything about Traveler but I think it if I were to run the adventure I would have the murderor be secretly a android on the run and the victim found out then threatened to reveal. The android not wanting to find out kills the victim using his tech and possibly three the body out a airlock
Gives it a nice blade runner feel and a moral greatness cause what if the Android is running from a network that treated it horrible like a slave
I love the name to. Reminds me of Murder On The Orient Express
Nyarlathotep? Good to know Lovecraft is still around in the distant future...
This reminds me of the Crimson Letters scenario from the Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Keeper's Guide. Very similar set up- with the GM having to make the call as to who did the murder and how.
A lady with a baronet's title (at least in the Amtgard and HFS LARPs) is styled "Baronette".
You inspired me to run Murder on Arcturus Station adapted for Stars Without Number, but I added a big psychic element. Crazy for a mystery adventure, right? Well the element is that the system is strongly anti-psychic, and they have Witch Hunters with psi-meters who may perform justice in the field. Also one of the suspects is dealing an illegal drug that hides psychic powers from detectors, and another suspect is an unregistered psychic trying to meet the mysterious dealer. But she accidentally reads the mind of the actual killer instead, while a Witch Hunter is looking for both of them. Urshukaan was blackmailing the dealer, and he has incriminating files on his computer. The PCs have just had their meeting with Urshukaan, and the newly-registered psychic in the party is about to be questioned by the visiting Witch Hunter.
Somebody PLEASE run a Traveller game on Roll20!
I've been wanting to play this game for literal decades but can't seem to find an open game anywhere.
John, I run one for my local group, since we cannot run in person right now. They may be willing to give you a guest appearance to see if you fit in. Hit me up at jamesstoneking@gmail.com... I'm still learning the ins and outs of roll20, so it ain't perfect.
@@jamesstoneking7552 thanks so much! Sending an email now.
This is perfect, I've been looking for murder mysteries I can drop into my settings. I was going to try adapting Sherlock Holmes consulting detective into an rpg setting, might still try. P.s. can anyone recommend a good C'thulu by gas light adventure to me?
Doctor Who: The Robots of Death (hidden madman using reprogrammed robots to murder) or Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang (escaped scientist kidnapping & killing young women to drain their life essence to save his decaying body, & also using science to create giant rat mutants for guards/garbage disposal).
Great video as usual, Seth. Just a quick question. How do you use the Investigation skill when you play? When I was flipping through the Pirates of Drinax books I noticed that Mongoose seem to think it should be used just as a simple roll to investigate a site but I feel it's more fun to let the players come up with an actual investigation and maybe find clues to that investigation with Recon instead. Is there some middle ground here? Should I just remove the skill? How do you do it?
It depends. Investigation is Forensics. I'll give clues discovered for Effects rolled. Depending on the situation, I might give a bonus if they player states something specific that they're looking for. Alternatively, if they have other skills that could apply, they can use those for specific clues. Gun Combat can tell you where the shooter stood, Explosives can tell you about the bomb used, Medic can analyse the body, etc. Recon is more about threat analysis, which means it is more "the sniper was there, because that's where I'd be."
Thank you for the reply.
So if I understood correctly, Investigation for gathering general physical clues at a site, with a sprinkle of other skills for specific clues. And Recon is more of a tactical skill than investigative. Do you still use Recon for a simple search area or notice a face in a crowd kind of situation or is it strictly tactical/combat? If not, what skill do you use for non investigative searching/alertness?
A face in a crowd I'd most likely use Recon. I use is as more of a "quickly notice stuff" as that's helpful for tactical situations. It's your general alertness/awareness while also for studying patrol movements for holes or other analysis. In some cases, a quick search/scan could be either Investigate or Recon. A lot of tasks can be completed with multiple skills. It's one of those areas that took us a bit to get used to since we were conditioned to "If you want to achieve X, you must use X skill." Traveller is more, "If you want to achieve X, then X Skill is probably best, unless Y or Z could also be applied." Think of it as being multiple means to achieve the same results. So if I tell my players, "Use Investigate," one of them might reply, "Can I use X instead?" if it can be argued that X would also be appropriate for the situation, then I'll allow it. If it's kinda squishy if X would be usable as a substitute but still helpful, I might give a Boon to the Investigate (or whichever skill was originally asked for).
@@SSkorkowsky
Yea, that was my impression of the system as well, and I like it. I just wanted to establish some base line to work from what would be acceptable. Thanks again for the replies, your content is really high quality stuff.
Thank you for all the Traveller content!!
I have a possible solve for the security camera issue that could also add another layer to the investigation (and the replayability). The station has working security cameras, but due to a software glitch (possibly the result of sabotage) they randomly switch themselves off and on over the course of the adventure, and only a certain number of them are recording (in random locations) at any given time. A series of dice rolls could determine which cameras are recording where and when, and what activity around the station is available for the players to view from a security station.
You could play this and throw a real curve ball (but a foreshadowed one) that the killer was an alien lifeform that could shapeshift or possess people like in the original Stark Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold" and it would lead to the PCs having to find a way to contain or kill this alien before it destroys the station to hide its existence.
Pretty sure a Baronet is a title, like a small-time Baron, or holder of lower lands and title than one.
Baroness is the term for the wife of a Baron or female Baron.
Baronet is both masculine and feminine. It's the lowest rank you can be to call yourself Sir / Dame. It's a peasant rank, and comes with no lands or duties. It's the one above a knighthood, but does not have the honor attached, but it is a hereditary title.
Jack is back.
Hey everybody, I got a quesrions I hope someone can answer: Is traveller and Cyberpunk Red playable as 'theatre of mind'? I mean without any minis? Do they provide rules for that or is it easily 'convertable' because I'm just not into minis. Thanks for the help.
We barely ever used minis in the old CT days and things worked very well. I ended up not liking the 15mm figures favored in Traveller at the time; insufficient detail on them and poor selection compared to 28mm D&D figures. I have started buying 28mm minis this time around but we are forced to play on virtual table tops these days.... I don’t know anything about CP but Traveller provides an excellent backdrop of the theater of the mind.
@@pkamingusu7094 thank you
And if the players fail, you can then play Prison Planet.
Going by what I've been listening to so far I'd reveal he had been harassing the daughter of a special forces mercenary who circumvented the security precautions the victim had prepared and basically strangled him before leaving the way he came with no one aware they used the external airlock after noting the maintenance on that airlock meant it wasn't properly secured.
However after he had left the next visitor completely unaware he was dead knifed him and stunned they had succeeded fled the apartment unaware the security cameras had been disabled to allow the man's secretary to enter the apartment expecting his employer to be asleep.
Discovering him dead he wasn't able to complete the download and delete the records before rushing to announce the murder to avoid suspicion.
The PCs arrive as he comes out and all they know is that he was knifed unless they take a medical check to realize he was strangled but without access to a medical bay won't be able to tell if this was before or after he was knifed.
A drink left undisturbed on his desk is spilt by the secretary when he picks it up intending to drink it dropping it as he noticed whose glass it was.
The records if accessed will be regular blackmail and standard business records the woman who knifed him tries to blow it up, but if she succeeds the PCs won't get their money as the proof he owed them is part of those records which can be printed off if they're quick enough but any attempt to save or transfer those records triggers a routine that deletes the records that the secretary knows about.
I wonder how different the new version is?
Definitely one of the best adventures published.
Hi Seth! Any advice for someone looking to get books/short stories they've written published?
Short stories you check for publishers, usually magazines and anthologies. There's no big database for them, so you'll have to hunt. If fantasy/scifi, start with the SFWA qualifying market list. After that, check out various groups on Facebook and the like who share submission open calls.
Novels are a different animal. For that you'll want to query an agent. You'll need to write a solid query letter, which is the hardest single page of a novel. Then submit, submit, submit. Check out manuscript wishlist and query tracker.
Good luck.
@@SSkorkowsky Thanks!
For all the times you said Urshuukan in this video, I still kept processing 'Erdogan' every single time in my head.
This one looks super easy to adapt over to a Space 1889 setting as a lot of the tech issues (such as the cameras) won't even crop up in that setting.
Would been funny to have Jack say "You're not paying us for the job? I'll kill you, you don't of a b-" and then cut to him being informed that Ershakahn is dead and going "Oof. I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that!"
I ran this game in my Traveller campaign as a side adventure. Now they are saying that it was my best adventure ever and now I have anxiety about my next session :Y
Just reading the Mysteries Of Arcturus Stations... Hart Fonroe looks awfully familiar 😝
It’s funny you mention the quirky 80s view of the future, something that can undermine many mystery games is cellular phone technology & particularly access to the internet - PCs can get a lot of information from social media & it’s hard to build a sense of tension when the players can call the cops.
Love Jack's space flask!
As the servant is called Akbar, I just see the baronet walking around with a gravelly voiced fish man...
Really been thinking about running this for my current group, the first time since 1988. A big issue I am dealing with is one of my players is a skilled former agent as well as a physician. She is well equipped to manage and use DNA as an investigative tool. I have been thinking I will have to come up with a mcguffin to have destroyed the genetic evidence, the item itself perhaps a bit of evidence to be found in the incinerator of they get to it in time.
I am preparing to run this for my Firefly group.
Have fun with it.
It's not Urkashon, it's Urshukaan, says so in the map screenshot
It's kinda tempting to get now.
There is something similar to this in the 7th edition CoC keepers book, Crimson Letters.
CSI Traveller .. before CSI existed
hey probably not the right place to do this but, are you going to expand your line up of gaming systems any time soon? pathfinder 2.0 came out recently and it seems like a cool system, add to that the fact that the campaign setting was intentionally designed as a fantasy kitchen sink and it seems like a thing that would have a campaign suitable to adapt for most systems. like you could probably adapt the iron gods campaign to traveler with only a few hiccups. it's just that reading the 2.0 simplified rules it seems like a relatively intuitive system and it has modules that seem to fit most RPG themes and styles of game-play so it seems like a good one to try out, especially during a pandemic that looks like it will last out the year and leaves people with limited options as to socialize in a responsible way.
I'm pretty sure that I've got this adventure sitting on a shelf, but it sounds like it could be easily converted to Star Wars (since that's what I'm running).