I was running Bulldogs! (Classic, for Fate 3rd edition) in 2014 and “A Tiny Problem” was one of the adventures I prepped for the group. It can be adapted to most space games and shades of humor. The adventure doesn’t feature combat and, instead, makes use of some of the Versus Nature ideas I’ve written for this site (as well as some upcoming Versus Nature articles not yet published here).
Adventure Start: Whitaker Research and Mining Station
Adventure Destination: Liluri
PART 1: The Client
While Whitaker’s mining operations have shipping contracts pretty much set in place, there’s always a job available. But, right now, there aren’t many jobs that a TransGalaxy Bulldog can use to fulfil their own contracts. In fact, the choice is really down to one… A complete escort job: transport, landing, “babysitting,” and return. Not the other kind of “escort job.”
The team will be introduced to a female Ryjyllian Xenoarchaelogist by the name of Dr. Mrrawr awp Yall awp Prrbrwr of clan Hwrrr. Recent reports of an alien shelter [see note] have turned up on Liluri: an uninhabited garden world. While gravity, climate, and oxygen levels are all well within hospitable norms, the planet itself has no animal or insect life. In order to propagate, the indigenous fauna seed their spores through the air, all competing to find a place to grow. This leaves the air thick with plant spores, most are poisonous or toxic to space-faring species and the majority of spores in the air are so tiny that they can enter the smallest tear or vent on an exo-suit. The spores can clog mechanical vents and parts on rovers, shuttles, and ships themselves. Once the spores land on a surface and sit undisturbed, they will attempt to take root, increasing the amount of space they take up.
Ryjyllian is the cat-race of the Bulldogs! universe. Dr. Mrrawr awp Yall awp Prrbrwr of clan Hwrrr may be good at her job, but she’s also easily distracted and skittish when it comes to loud noises. This was intended for comedy effect in the game. I did not have her ask player characters to use her full name during the course of the adventure, but I thought about it.
The contract? Take Dr. Mrrawr to Liluri, allow her up to a week to find and collect artifacts, assist in any loading then return her to the nearest station or settlement large enough to afford her time to do labwork. All, of course, while keeping equipment safe enough to avoid the spores.
The team may wish to purchase/rent a shuttlecraft designed for such environments, and will definitely want to secure exo-suits and other supplies to reduce harm from spores and pollen.
Note: The artifacts in question were found solely by accident when a trade ship had to make an emergency landing even despite the dangers of the planet. From the surface, the crew discovered a shelter and, with some of the resources inside, managed to repair ship (the Doge) enough to launch and were rescued thanks to their ship’s emergency beacon. However, as they were not prepared for the spore-saturated air, a small contingent of the crew died, and, of the remainder, many required medical treatment to remove growing spores from their internal organs. Dr. Mrrawr does not know these specific facts, but they can be discovered upon PC research.
PART 2: Atmosphere!
From space the planet of Liluri looks almost earthlike with large amounts of ocean, varied landmasses, and clouds. A spectroanalysis quickly reveals that the clouds are as much pollen as they are water molecules and the air is teeming with tiny spores. This wasn’t a secret on departure, but seeing it in person may give cause for pause. Dr. Mrrawr has a general idea of the area of the relics, but if they can scan and find likely sources, then the closer the landing, the better. Especially as it turns out the relics are on a plateau. Scanning options would be for metallic compounds as well as visual scans in the area for where a ship may have landed.
Once a landing location has been determined, it’s time to set down, and that means flying through the pollen-filled air and reaching the LZ. Depending on preparations, the landing vessel may become compromised during the landing process. If so, this will require piloting and engineering adjustments to be made on the fly, forcing piloting rolls at a penalty.
Following the landing, the ship and crew must survive for a week to uphold the contract. Due to some of the microscopic seeds, not even robotic units are immune to issues if exposed to the air. Any survival suits (unless specially calibrated, often at large financial cost) could risk damage. While the wearer might be safe in the suit, joints could become clogged or freeze up in the pollen-thick atmosphere, especially if seeds start growing within the suit (which could then tear).
Depending on the landing vehicle used, daily life may also become an issue as basic needs such as eating and excretion require removal of at least part of a survival suit. Excretion for a day or so is possible, but suits will need to be “vented” at least twice within the week’s span. Depending on the quality of the survival suit, sleep may be possible (though more difficult) within the unit.
This is the meat of the adventure: surviving in an environment choked with pollen that gets into everything. In my playthrough we used the environment for comedy. The party’s robot was “protected” from the spores by being covered in bubble wrap and duct tape, and the crews mishaps and accidents were played more for pratfall comedy than life-threatening issues.
PART 3: You Call This Archaeology?
The crew will need to assist their client to the top of the plateau (if their ship was too large to use the plateau as their landing zone) and into the underground shelter. The shelter door is closed and covered with spores, but is no longer locked at this point (thanks to the previously crashed ship). The door into the shelter opens upward, like a trap door that’s nearly flush with the ground.
The shelter was last discovered, and used, by the crew of the Doge was more of a airlock/cleaning area. The chamber is littered with trash from the crew as well as various ancient electronics from a low-tech, sapient civilization that inhabited the planet sometime before its last ice age. Many of the artifacts will be broken, scavenged by the crew of the Doge as they sought to repair their ship. On the floor of this shelter is another door, this time completely sealed.
The chamber acts like an airlock and it will be difficult to open the second door without finding a way to fully re-seal the door to the surface. Unless, of course, the party decides to cut through the floor with tools. Dr. Mrrawr will not like this solution. Once the party gets through the floor of the shelter/airlock area, they will find a full housing unit built into the floor. The domicile is free of spores and pollen (though some may have been be let in due to the opening of the chamber). The domicile contains standard, if old and alien, living facilities and three skeletal remains. Due to age, everything within is very fragile and even the introduction of air causes immediate degradation.
Dr. Mrrawr requires swift but careful vacuum-sealing of the skeletal remains and items in the domicile, while she supervises and records the area for later study. Upon completion of the excavation (or the week), the chamber is to be resealed and a beacon placed for later study. She will want to transport the skeletons and a few other items back to Whitaker for immediate study. The player characters will need to be careful to not break any of the items.
PART 4: The Voyage Home
Depending on time remaining for the session, this could be a quick wrap-up or some other problems might develop on the return trip:
- The ship may require deep cleaning/repairs to exit the planet
- Spores may have been accidentally brought aboard (especially if proper decontamination procedures weren’t followed) and begin growing in dark places in the ship–which might be a later adventure
- If any repairs and flight checks are required, this may also put the ship at low fuel or supply levels
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