Random Events in Imperial Starfire v 0.2 This playtest draft was written by Mark Langsdorf (mlangsdo@engr.trinity.edu). All rights reserved. Starfire, Imperial Starfire, and Sky Marshal are trademarks of the Starfire Design Studio. Yadda yadda yadda. A copy of this document is available at http://www.engr.trinity.edu/~mlangsdo/RPGs/Starfire/RandomEvents.html. Thanks go out to everyone who made suggestions that improved this document, especially Edward Hamilton. The following rules are meant to add random events to Starfire: acts of fate and government that cannot necessarily be avoided, but must be dealt with as best is possible. These rules should only be used by the mutual consent of all players and the Spacemaster (if any), and should only apply to multi-system empires. Some random events are described as continuing. The events will be in play for a variable and unpredictable amount of time. At the start of each strategic turn after a continuing event is generated, the player rolls 1d10. On a roll of "1", the event is over at the end of that month. Most unpleasant events have a Current Event Modifier (CEM). This modifier reduces the chance that an empire will suffer multiple unpleasant events in a very short period. The CEM from multiple events is cumulative. The CEM also is reduced by 1 at the start of each strategic turn, to a minimum of 0. At the start of each turn, before income is calculated, each player (or the SM) should roll 1d10. On a roll of 2 or less, there is a possibility of a random event for that player for that strategic turn. The player should roll percentage dice against Table 1: Random events and add her Current Event Modifier. Table 1: Random Events 01-05 Roll on Table 2a: Major Disastrous Events 06-13 Roll on Table 2b: Minor Disastrous Events 14-25 Roll on Table 2c: Unpleasant Events 26-75 No random event for this turn. 76-87 Roll on Table 2d: Pleasant Events 88-95 Roll on Table 2e: Minor Benign Events 95-100+ Roll on Table 2f: Major Benign Events Table 2a: Major Disastrous Events 01-20 Economic Depression 21-40 J'Rill production 41-60 Plague 61-80 Rebellion 81-100 Unavoidable War Table 2b: Minor Disastrous Events 01-10 Admiral Dies 11-20 Development Impossible 21-30 Diplomatic Incident 31-40 Economic Recession 41-50 Funding Shortage 51-60 Isolationism 61-70 Lousy Ship Design Approved 71-80 Research Fumble 81-90 Unnecessary Contract Approved 91-100 Weapons Shortage Table 2c: Unpleasant Events 01-25 Admiral Exiled 26-50 Development Fumble 51-75 Incompetent Promoted 76-100 Warp Point Missed Table 2d: Pleasant Events 01-20 Armistice/Trade Agreement 21-40 Crack Admiral Discovered 41-60 Development Advance 61-80 Economic Boom 81-100 Warp Point Discovered Table 2e: Minor Benign Events 01-20 Economic Upswing 21-40 Elite Admiral Discovered 41-60 Peace Treaty/T&M Agreement 61-80 Research Advance 81-100 Warp Point Discovered Table 2f: Major Benign Events 01-25 Closed Warp Point Discovered 26-50 Conditional Surrender/Partnership Agreement 51-75 Population Boom 76-100 Radical Discovery Event Descriptions Admiral Dies A randomly selected graded admiral dies. That admiral is no longer available for use in any of your fleets. CEM +2. Admiral Exiled A randomly selected graded admiral is no longer available for service. He may be recalled for active service in 3 strategic turns by paying 10% of the total income of the richest world in your empire for each of those three turns, or when the event ends. The decision to pay to return the admiral must be made immediately. Continuing Event. CEM +5. Armistice/Trade Agreement One NPR that you are currently at war with informally agrees to end the war. They will not move into any of your systems, though they will continue to hold any they held on the turn the Armistice was rolled, and they will not attempt to retake any system you currently hold. They will pay the equivalent of 3 turns income from any world they take, and require you to pay them the equivalent of 2 turns income of any world they surrender. If you accept this offer, you are at a state of Non-Aggression with them for a minimum of the next 6 months. (This can be broken with the usual penalties, or negotiations can be made to better your treaty relationship). If you refuse the armistice, or are not at war with any NPR, one randomly selected NPR agrees to make a Trade agreement with you. If you have not met any NPRs, or have trade or better agreements with all NPRs that you have met, then the next NPR you establish full communications with will immediately offer a Trade Agreement. Closed Warp Point Discovered Freak astronomical conditions allow you to discover a closed warp point from the closed size in of your systems. Deteremine the system and warp point randomly. Conditional Surrender/Partnership Agreement One NPR that you are currently at war with partially surrenders. They return any conquered systems to you, and cede any systems that you control, plus one adjacent system (for each system you control). They will not cede their home system unless it is the only system available, in which case they will retire to their planet and cede the warp points and any uncolonized system bodies to you. If you accept their surrender, you are at a state of Non-Aggression with them for a minimum of the next 6 months. (This can be broken with the usual penalties, or negotiations can be made to better your treaty relationship). If you refuse the surrender, or are not at war with any NPR, one randomly selected NPR agrees to go into Partnership with you. If you have not met any NPRs, or have Partnerships with all NPRs you have met, then the next NPR you establish full communications with will immediately offer a Partnership. Also, if you refuse the surrender, all other races have a permanent +5 to all RC rolls made against you. Crack Admiral Discovered Your war college discovers a tactical genius during routine training operations. One of your fleets (randomly selected) gains a Crack Admiral. Development Advance One randomly selected development that you are currently working toward gets a bonus +5 development points. Development Fumble One randomly selected development that you are currently working toward loses 1d10 research points. CEM +5. Development Impossible Your R&D teams find it simply impossible to develop one randomly selected item that you are currently researching. You may try to research the item again after gaining a TL or meeting another race that already has the item. CEM +15. Diplomatic Incident Your diplomats have blundered during negotiations with an NPR. Treat as though an unmodified 02 was roll for political acceptance against a randomly selected NPR. This can force the loss of a Parternship relationship. If you are not in negotiation with any NPRs, then roll 1d10 each time you negotiate with NPRs again. On a roll of 3 or less, this event occurs and you no longer need to roll. CEM +10, once the event occurs. Economic Boon All your worlds have their income increased by 2d10% for the next turn. Economic Depression All your worlds have their income decreased by 2d10% while this event continues. Roll each turn. Continuing Event. CEM + 15. Economic Recession All your worlds have their income decreased by 1d10% while this event continues. Roll each turn. Continuing Event. CEM +8. Economic Upswing All your worlds have their income increased by 1d10% while this event continues. Roll each turn. Continuing Event. Elite Admiral Discovered Your war college discovers a strategic genius during routine training operations. One of your fleets (randomly selected) gains a Elite Admiral. Funding Shortage The fleet bureaucracy suffers from a funding shortage, forcing you to build unusually small ships. You must build armed warships without X that are 6 size classes smaller than the largest ship you can currently build. At least 4d10% of your builds (by cost) must be small ships. Continuing Event. CEM +10. Incompetent Promoted Your war college promotes an admiral who seems to be intelligent, but is not. This admiral is graded "Green" and receives a -1 to initiative. Each month that he serves on a ship, roll d10. On a roll of 5-, the ship loses a grade. This admiral must be placed on a ship at all times, which must command a squadron of (5+TL) ships at all times. He can be fired in 3 strategic turns by paying 10% of the total income of the richest world in your empire for each of those three turns. CEM +5. Isolationism Your empire experiences an outbreak of isolationism. All survey forces must be immediately recalled to the nearest shipyard and refitted, replacing X with passive defense. Survey ships can be mothballed instead by paying half the cost of the survey ship. Continuing Event. CEM +10. J'Rill production One randomly selected world with a Medium or better population creates a J'Rill race at the same TL as your empire. The J'Rill start with 1 Factory ship for every size class of the planet, 1/4 the normal allotment of PCFx-j, and 1/2 of 1 turn's income from the planet for ships. They finish stripping the planet and then move to attack the nearest, largest population center. The J'Rill have all the astrogation data for your empire. CEM +35. Lousy Design Approved Your fleet bureaucracy approves a lousy design, and insists that your fleet purchases it in quantity. The design must be on at least the third largest hull you can build. On a d10 roll of 5-, the design has two less engine rooms than normal for your fleet (and may not use It/It2). Otherwise, it has less hull spaces than normal - average the maximum size hull for its hull class with the maximum size hull for one hull class smaller. You must build at least one ship of this design for every other three ships you build, and you may not put this design in mothballs or refit it while this event continues. Continuing Event. CEM +15. Peace Treaty/T&M Agreement One NPR that you are currently at war with formally agrees to end the war. They will not move into any of your systems, they will cede any of your original systems, and they will not attempt to retake any system you currently hold. They will pay the equivalent of 4 turns income from any world they take, and require you to pay them the equivalent of 1 turns income of any world they surrender. If you accept this offer, you are at a state of Non-Aggression with them for a minimum of the next 6 months. (This can be broken with the usual penalties, or negotiations can be made to better your treaty relationship.). If you refuse the peace treaty, or are not at war with any NPR, one randomly selected NPR agrees to make a Trade & Military agreement with you. If you have not met any NPRs, or have trade or better agreements with all NPRs that you have met, then the next NPR you establish full communications with will immediately offer a Trade Agreement. Plague One randomly selected population center in your empire contracts a virulent plague. While under a plague, the center produces no income and each turn, 1d10% of the population center's PU's are destroyed (roll randomly each turn). This loss can be reduced by spending 1 MC per PU to be saved. The plague world must be immediately quarantined. This requires 4 armed ships for each population level (Outpost requires 4, Very Large requires 28) of the population center and 0.1 MC per PU each turn the world is quarantined. True carriers count as 3 ships for quarantine duties, and ships with a strategic speed equal to the CFN speed count as 2. On any turn in which sufficient ships or funds are not available to quarantine the center, roll 1d10 for each population center in the same or an adjacent system. Add 1 if insufficient ships were available or if insufficient funds were available or if the population center is in the same system as the plague center. On a roll of 10+, the population center also contracts the plague. Developing a cure for the plague takes 25 development points and a development cost equal to HTL*500 MC. Implement the cure takes 2 MC per PU to be saved. All the PU on a given world must be cured at the same time. CEM +35. Population Boom Your empire immediately undergoes a growth turn. If it already is a growth turn, double the growth for that turn. If you are using the turn by turn population growth rules, triple this turn's growth. Radical Discovery Your empire gains the ability to research a wildcard technology. Determine this technology as though you were an NPR. This technology must be developed at normal costs and with normal development rolls. Rebellion n% (where n = 2d10*2 + 5) of the systems in your empire rises up in rebellion against their rulers. Determine which systems rebel randomly. There is a 100-n% chance that any military large spacecraft in a rebel system will mutiny and become part of the rebel fleet, and 100-n% of the PCFs on any rebel population center also mutiny. The rebellion can be avoided on any particular population center by paying 5 MC per PU. The rebel systems are all considered to be 1 NPR, which must roll for successes normally, and may be of any government type. The rebel NPR will immediately wage a limited war to conquer the minimum number of systems to make all the rebel systems connected. Once they have done that, they will immediately offer a Non-Aggression treaty. A rebellion will not occur if you are currently at war with another race, though the rebelling systems should be determined normally. After the war ends, the rebellion will start normally, with the rebels going to war against any NPR or other race to recover any rebel systems that were ceded. CEM +30. Research Advance Your research towards the next tech level gets a bonus +5 research points. Research Fumble Your research towards the next tech level loses 1d10 research points. CEM +8. Unavoidable War The war faction of your government gains influence, and forces your navy to attack (with at least RM/2 % of your mobile fleet, by cost) the weakest non-Partner race that you are aware of. If all the races you are aware are Partners or better, you must attack the next NPR you meet. You may not sue for peace while this event continues. If you win the war before this event ends, you must attack the next weakest non-Partner race that you are aware of. Continuing Event. CEM +25. Unnecessary Contract Approved Your design bureaucracy has been forced to buy and employ large numbers of unnecessary weapons. Randomly select a weapon system at least 3 TL lower than your TL. All your ships must have this weapon in at least half (FRU) of their HS devoted to weapons (fighter bays count as weapons). You may not retrofit to get rid of this weapon while this event continues, and must retrofit at least 5% of the ships in your fleet each turn. If a missile weapon is selected, you must always load your magazines for that weapon with the least advanced missile that weapon is capable of firing. (Rc must always fire CM, W must always be loaded with a mix of BM and GM). Continuing Event. CEM +10. Warp Point Discovered Analyis of survey results allow you to find a previously undetected warp point in a random selected system. Roll randomly to determine the system and destination. Warp Point Missed Your survey crews get lazy and miss finding an open warp point. Have someone roll 1d10 for each system you survey. On a roll of 3 or less, they should report one less warp point than that system actually has. You may resurvey any system in order to find missed warp points. CEM +5. Weapons Shortage Due to a manufacturing error, stocks of a commonly used weapon or defense are very limited. Randomly select among the weapons and defenses that most of your designs use. The weapon or defense now costs triple what it normally does. Continuing Event. CEM +8. Return to my Starfire page. Return to my Role-playing games page. Return to my homepage.