PDA

View Full Version : Adventure Ideas for Sci-Fi Noir Game (Mass Effect)



F1zban
2016-03-08, 05:25 AM
Hi Forum,

I'm currently running a Mass Effect themed sci-fi noir game (C-Sec). Now it was initially supposed to be a short campaign, but circumstances have changed and it is now a weekly game that will run for around 6 months.

Anyway, I only created a few adventures , and I could really use some help with coming up with more cases. Now detective noir is not a medium I am all that familiar with yet so if anyone has any ideas for cases that my players can solve I would really appreciate some input.

I am happy to build the adventures, so no need to provide developed adventure packs, I just need some hooks.

I'll put what I currently have:

Students from earth, each a savant in their field are on a political visit to the Citadel. Popular media has praised them as being highly profitable candidates for whomever employs them. An Asari Matriarch has plans to kidnap these students, and smuggle them to Ilum where she will convince them to sign Service Contracts which she can then auction off.

A Salarian scientist is suspected of tampering with mating contracts, in order to strongly favour his family line. However nobody is able to track down other members of the Salarian's family.

A spectre has taken an interest in an ongoing investigation into a new smuggling cartel. Progress on resolving the case and ending the cartel is promising, but when any members of the cartel are caught, they disappear. The spectre claims that he killed them but no bodies are ever found.

Thanks in advance guys.

Mr.Sandman
2016-03-08, 06:24 AM
Don't remember if ME has a Prime Directive type thing, but I am always a huge fan of some variation on the following. Somebody lands on a planet with a low tech, I usually use medieval, society. You have to contact this contact, catch this criminal, whatever, while not revealing that you are from a high tech space traveling society. Even more fun if the natives aren't human and you have to disguise yourself.

F1zban
2016-03-08, 07:49 AM
There is a sort of prime directive. After the Salarians uplifted the Krogan during the Rachni wars. However the party are members of Citadel Security, who's jurisdiction is limited to a single (albeit colossal) space station.

Though this is a good idea. The party could easily be put on retainer to a spectre (think black ops/paramilitary/007 all mixed into one). That would give them ample excuse to go gallivanting around a pre FTL society.

Doesn't have to be a pre FTL society though. Following on from the spectre retainer idea. A case could take them outside of their jurisdiction, onto a planet/moon/colony where their authority is void, and their identity as C-Sec agents would likely hinder them greatly (think Mos Eisley).

Mr Sandman, you're a genius.

TheTeaMustFlow
2016-03-08, 08:10 AM
The PCs have been assigned to the investigation of a particularly trigger-happy Spectre's untimely demise. It eventually emerges that another group of cops, outraged by the Spectres disregard for civilian casualties and sentient life generally, arranged a fatal accident for her in a misguided outburst of public spirit.

F1zban
2016-03-08, 11:05 AM
That's fantastic, morality vs the law all in a neat package! Nice one.

It's interesting that you say that actually. The premise of the game is a new, specialised unit within C-Sec (Bureau of Special Investigations) that was drafted for the sole purpose of eventually replacing spectre activity on the citadel.

As I have told it, the council are becoming concerned about the 'bad' spectres causing too much collateral within the community that the council has direct contact with (citizens of the citadel) and is in the process of phasing out spectre jurisdiction on the citadel itself. However to deal with the specialised cases that occur on the citadel, they have created a new unit (think Section 9 from GITS) with additional training and equipment for dealing with issues that are beyond the capabilities of standard C-Sec officers.