So I ran a slightly modified Dark Frontier last session, and everything went more or less as intended in the adventure. (They pissed off the Brotherhood, but it's not that big a deal.)

However, some of the mutants didn't want to leave their homes for an uncertain future, and the PCs convinced several more of the Survivors (including Martek) to stay by promising to get them supplies and luxuries. The PCs want to set up a permanent salvaging operation in the system, and perhaps loot the ginormous Yu’vath Fortress.

So... I could use some ideas.

Thinking out loud (I don't expect answers to all this):

How illegal should the cold trade in Yu’vath artifacts be? They were “daemon-worshippers” using “vile warp-technology”. Even two and a half millennia after they were supposedly defeated, knowledge of their mere existence is restricted by the Imperium (page 359). I'm thinking “very illegal”...

The adventure suggests handing over Yu’vath artifacts directly to the Inquisition, for goodwill and/or profit. But how many shiploads can you really dump on the Inquisition before they say “thanks, we have all we need”? Or more likely, ask about the source?

It occurs to me that the “Solar Fortress” aka the “Dark Star” from Dark Frontier seems to have a lot in common with the “Black Sun” aka the “Spectral Sun” aka the “Tyrant Star” described in the Dark Heresy Core Rulebook. Maybe the Inquisition will want to send an expedition to study it? Maybe they'll want to destroy it properly?

What is it anyway? A “fortress”? Protecting what exactly?

How hard would it be to find valuable stuff on the surface of the fortress if you wanted to avoid anything contaminated by chaos/warp energy?

As for salvaging, what kind of profit are we talking here? Stripping the battered pilgrim vessel from Into the Maw was worth +400 AP, basically +4 profit. What is a huge ship graveyard worth? How many ships are there? What would be a reasonable endeavor to set up a permanent salvaging operation? How hard would it be to create a permanent shipyard, so as to not have to tow ships all the way to Footfall or Port Wander for repairs? How do you tow a ship anyway?

Iku Rex said:

Always expect the unexpected!

Iku Rex said:

Iku Rex said:

Iku Rex said:

Iku Rex said:

Iku Rex said:

Iku Rex said:

I would dissallow towing the ships and simply make it a grand endavour to install a salvage yard.

Exploration: Find a way back and a stable route! (Many short jumps with many small encounters during this: heavy action for void-master and navigator)
Merchant: Get skilled work (the mutants arent), get heavy equipment. Ensure that they will work with the mutants! Get contracts with the mechanicus for TEch-Priest and machinery for the salvage. Get skilled voiders for breaking down the ships in space!

Make sure that the wrong people do not catch wind. Otherwise, you will have to fend of a pirate attack (wolf pack raiders) later!

I haven't played this yet, but I have some suggestions.

Cold Trade is something that you have to play carefully. Ship loads of xenos artefacts flooding in to the imperium would surely attract the attentions of the Inquisition, if not immediately but certainly in time.

Remember that the Inquisition (specificallt Ordo Xenos) have some distrust of rogue traders, and an opportunity to break a house would be a great one for certain inquisitors. Suffice to say several transports full of these artefacts will lead back to the RT, and such an action would damge the RT house. If however they slowly released these artefacts over a period of years they may be able to gain a profit factor of maybe 1 per year perhaps.

Secondly allowing pc's to simply stripmine the graveyard without opposition seems to lessen the value of the actual find in game terms. What next is on the cards.

Bearing in mind the proximity to the fortress (if I read it right in the same system), there should be complications with the graveyard, and setting up a salvage operation is a neat idea, though I would really push the profit aquisition rolls in this. The RT House would need to put serious resources into this operation. I myself would say the need to gamble with so many points, say 20 to get the operation started (yes reduce the profit factor of the RT by 20 whilst the operation gets underway). If they keep on top of it (plenty of scope for misfortunes, then they would get 10 profit factor once the endeavour is complete, and a possible increase over so many years (maybe 10 every decade (1 per year) or so). However such a find would attract other RTs, and other things, maybe even the inquisition.

Suddenly though depending on yours players, the flavour of the RT campaign can change from exporation/exploitation can change to being Resource Management, and perhaps even political - which may be what you are looking for as a troupe, so be careful on how you go about it.

One thing to keep in mind is don't trivialise the Profit Factor or the gaining of it, and make sure there are pitfalls and gambles to be made, where only the brave or reckless RTs are truly going to profit.

There is no harm with letting the players start up the salvage op, and fly off to new pastures, only to find out that their entire operation has been wiped out by an unknown force, which would no doubt prompt a return to the scene.

Well, something happened to the thread that I'm seeing it all sorts of misaligned and unreadable. But here are some of my thoughts on your question.

Certain radical elements of the Ordo Xenos would likely be all for concerted efforts of studying such a massive piece of alien technology. The Xeno-Archivist in the Inquisitor's Handbook would be a good choice for the sort of person likely to spearhead such an endeavor for the Inquisition. Add to that perhaps a score of lesser adepts, a few tech-priests and maybe a security detail numbering from four to twelve squads of troopers and/or armsmen seconded to the Ordo Xenos; with maybe a couple of said squads being actual Stormtrooper squads.

Most puritanical, as well as some radical elements, would want to see the xenos artifact destroyed forthwith. So, there's room for some conflict here as well. Lots of possibilities.

-=Brother Praetus=-

The adventure suggests handing over Yu’vath artifacts directly to the Inquisition, for goodwill and/or profit. But how many shiploads can you really dump on the Inquisition before they say “thanks, we have all we need”? Or more likely, ask about the source?

I would be hesitant to hand over items to the Inquisition. They would most certainly want to know where the items are from. If you told them about the fortress then they would probably want to know how you found it, info on the worm, how long the survivors were there, if they were contaminated, did you transport any survivors back to Imperial space before the Inquistion had a chance to debrief them......

Just too much of a hassle.

Wow, this thread really sucks.

pvhammer said:

Seems to have been fixed, if it was that weird formatting glitch where everything was shifted of to the right by half the screen. Now, maybe I'll go back an read the stuff I couldn't before.

-=Brother Praetus=-

As with all things Inquisition, it depends which inquisitor you ask.

Radicals might be well up for examining some of the tainted tech. And the potential to sell large amounts of the stuff are present.

Ordo-xenos non-radicals might like a few bits and bobs to study but wish to destroy the source.

Puritans might be dangerous to even approach about it.

Also take i mind the strict prohibition on knowledge of the Yu'Vath and it makes sense that the Inquisition might seek to destroy the source AND silence anyone that knows about it. This might mean employing the RT to help destroy it, or it could mean killing him. I think as a GM you could swing it any way you wanted.

On salvage of the all the junk, i'd say go for it. Great idea. Set up a salvage station, a large crew of experienced wreckers and make a tidy profit. I'd make the rolls to get the salvage station and wreckers fairly hard as it'd need a big operation, but certainly achieveable. Maybe give them a total PF boost (after all deductions and set up are done) of +5 PF. Of course, if you want to make it harder, add in some competition, rival traders, Yu'Vath defenses, etc, maybe knock the PF boost up to +8. Either way, bigger rewards if you want to make a story out of it, smaller rewards if you want to make it a byline as you get on with a larger plot.

They can always go back and enlarge the operation at a later date if they wish and then you can make a story out of it.

pvhammer said:

Thank the Emperor that he fixed this thread. This goes to show that the dark power of the Yu'vath are no match for the light of the Emperor!

"Ask and ye shall receive" - thank you all for your replies.

Gregorius21778 said:

The problem I have with that is; the scale is off. This thing is significantly bigger than the Star Wars Death Star. If you just wanted sacrifices I think you could manage without building a "fortress" the size of a planet.

Gregorius21778 said:

Gregorius21778 said:

Too late I'm afraid. I didn't make a big deal out of the navigation back. (The navigator had his Eye open on the hellride to the fortress system, so he had some idea of where they were.)

Gregorius21778 said:

***

FatPob said:

(Maybe they'll just decide to sell the location for a few point of profit, and make this thread superfluous. )

FatPob said:

If I decide want to create a challenge I think I'll go with something this:

The PCs are busy elsewhere when they receive a message from the fortress system. The salvagers have come under attack by suicidally aggressive void wasps (the Yu'vath frigates) emerging from the warp. So far they've been victorious, and the salvage crews are working frantically to get more salvaged weaponry and void shields operational. However, the attacks are becoming more frequent. If it continues like this it is only a matter of time before the main base is swarmed under. Some are talking about making a run for it.

The PCs then have to 1) get hold of more weapons and ammo quickly (optional) 2) rush to the rescue 3) convince the locals not to flee, 4) find and destroy the hidden emergency beacon summoning Yu'vath vessels from all over the expanse and then 5) face down the final big assault by void wasps and a Yu'vath battleship ("The Whisperer" from "Whispers on the Storm").

Hi Iku Rex,

@Why should a trap be the size of a planet?
First of all, THIS IS 40K! The size most things are build here do not make any sense at all. This starts with "superheavy baneblade tank" goes over to the Titans and surely do not end with the size of the height of the hive cities.

If this isn´t a good option to you, the fortress must be something valualbe in itsel or must really be guarding something. And of course, you need new explains to why the Artifact-Thing brougth them their in the first place and why the yuvath left overs did not attack but simply..well, kept them hold.
Perhaps it is not doing this "by design" but as a side-effect. This construct fumbles up the warp pretty much. It is some kind of warp-gravity center. It has this gardens and labyrinths. And this shrine like places where artifacts are kept and guarded. How about this...

[The huge generator]
With all it´s parts (contruct itself, the artifacts like the worm) in place the construct drains energy from the warp. It either stores it or used to give it somehwere else. Which now isn´t happening anymore, and the energy "just bleeding off" traps the ships in orbit.
As soon as the explorers start to salvage the station itself, they tip of a balance and things spiral out of control. Leave the xeno thing alone and everything is fine. Tamper with it..and weeks later all kind of strength things are going to happen...some weeks more and the system spirals out of control!

Can the pc find a way to re-balance the fortress? Can they "buy back" all the parts they sold? Or do they have to give up the salvage operation? Or will they keep the poor souls working till the last hour?

@100 Point AP because of the surplus rules
I do not advise to calculate things on a basis like that. This is one of this rule "hammer-fitted for the situation". And it wasn´t even established that the 400 points of the ship lead to "overblow ap". It was "surplus brings" and you need X point fo be a winner (wasn´t it?)
If you set things up like this, all games will start to evolve around salvaging battlegrounds because this all your players are going to want to do since it brings big points the easy way.

'You should, instead, work out how many AP should be generated to make the mission "Salvage this place!" accomplished and then decided how profit is generated by surplus AP. I would call it a "grand endavour" (1200 points; +3 profit).

200 point = getting uncontested salvagerites by the Administratum
200 pont = get machine and equipment
200 point = get the mechanicus to work with you ALTHOUGH you lean heavy on tech-tinker mutants
200 point = find somebody willing and able (!) to buy your scrap and pay a good prize
200 point = uphold the piece in your settlement between the workers
200 point = manage to bring the need supplies to your site (rations, construction material, hab-complexes..)
200 point = fend of pirates that start to get cooky once they know you are their & that you push wealth cargo

Iku Rex said:

I understand on this completely, my point was they could just leave it to NPCs, get some nominal profit margin (+3-5) and forget about it, only to find out that some time later there has been no news from your op.

Not like here's a vorpal weapon Woot. Right after a night in the pub you awake to find your vorpal weapon has been nicked, never mind eh.

Thjough your premise is good, and as per the poster above, make it an endeavour that they need to work through.