Chapter Six: Galactic Travel Guide

The galaxy is endless and ever-sprawling, but the most populous and well-mapped area of space in existence is known as "Charted Space". Charted Space is divided into five distinct zones that house within them numerous planets. Presented below is a detailed description of each zone and some of the more famous Planets and locations that the Zone houses.

THE THRONE ZONE

The center of Charted Space is the most civilized and technologically advanced Zone in the entire Galaxy. Named the Throne Zone because it is the seat of the Queen of the Galaxy's power, as well as the home for her Bureau of Special Folks. This Zone is by far the safest Zone in the entire galaxy, and is considered to be the jewel of the Universe. Presented below is a list of some of the more notable places of interest in the Throne Zone.

The Queen's Castle: The Queen of the Galaxy's Castle is a floating fortress from which she conducts her wise and benevolent rule. The Castle is on constant patrol throughout the Throne Zone, and the Queen's Castle is the most heavily defended structure in the Universe.

The Moon: Home of the Bureau of Special Folks, the Moon houses the BSF Academy and the legendary BSF Shipyards, as well as the central Office of operations for the organization. The Moon has been hollowed out, and the interior of the planet has been turned into a massive prison where those dangerous criminals and beings that the BSF apprehends are stored. This gigantic prison is simply called "The Hollow", and is the most inescapable prison ever devised.

Planet X: The home world of the Robonoids and the central base of operations for the vastly successful Mango Corporation, Planet X is a highly advanced technological world where the best technology available is designed and produced.

Mars: The red planet is home of the shifty and scummy Martians, who are a race of big headed, black eyed grifters, who have a horrible reputation as some of the sleaziest characters in the galaxy. Martians are always looking for someone to scam, and they are not trusted wherever they go. Martians look like your typical aliens, with skin tones that come in either red, grey or green.

THE ROUGHHOUSE ZONE

All the planets in the Roughhouse Zone have something in common: They are all rugged and difficult places to live. Most of the worlds in this zone don't have a lot of advanced technology, and many of the civilizations are distrustful of outsiders. Presented below is a list of some of the more notable places of interest in the Roughhouse Zone.

Mutopia: The glowing and Radiated world of Mutopia is home of the Mutants. A radioactive planet filled to the brim with toxic lakes and mutated beasts and monsters, this world was once a sterling utopia. However, things went a bit south, and now Mutopia is a blasted apart world barely held together. From orbit, you can see massive cracks throughout the surface of the world.

Texas: A blazing and boiling sun, hostile roving packs of dangerous Injuns, and a slim water supply make Planet Texas a really dangerous place to be. Home of the rugged and rowdy Texans, this planet is one of the larger worlds in the entire Universe, and this oil-rich world supplies precious black gold and texas tea to fuel the massive ship fleet of the BSF.

Generica: This fantasy world is filled with Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Gnomes, Wizards and Chainmail clad knights. The people of Generica are renowned for their stern dislike of outsiders, and rarely can be found outside the comfort of their feudal fantasy world. Generican steel is particularly strong and coveted for bladed weapons. Rumor has it that the Queen of the Galaxy herself was born in Generica, but she refutes such claims.

Magmaar: The home of the Cromags is an ancient and pre-historic deathtrap. Roiling and steaming jungles sprawl for miles upon miles, giving way to massive craggy canyons and lava spewing volcanoes. Massive beasts and dangerous Dinosaurs scour the world at all hours, making Magmaar one of the least hospitable worlds in any of the five Zones.

Norska: This perilous world is comprised mainly of harsh tundra and freezing, endless lakes littered with spiked ice burgs jutting from the dim waters. The native people of Norska are the blue skinned, Viking-like Norsekin, who are merciless raiders and mercenaries. They sail through the icy seas and the black void of space in their swift longships, looking to prey upon the weak and helpless. The Norsekin have a violent and bloody reputation throughout the cosmos, but most have an odd sense of personal honor and an innate connection to lightning. Some Norsekin even know magic to control the primal forces of lightning.

THE GLITTER ZONE

Considered to be the playground of the Galaxy, the Glitter Zone is where the rich and famous go to unwind and spend their millions. Worlds in the Glitter Zone are often times wealthy, beautiful, and fun places to visit. While the Zone as a whole is glamorized as a place of unrestricted beauty, there is a seedy underbelly to the Zone that one doesn't need to look hard to discover. Presented below is a list of some of the more notable places of interest in the Glitter Zone.

  

Atlantis: The legendary planet of Atlantis is an aquatic world of peerless beauty and vast pleasures of the flesh. Atlanteans are legendary partiers, and their women are some of the most alluring in the galaxy. Atlantis is renowned as a party world, and celebrations here often last for weeks at a time.

Balkyville: This world is the galactic equivalent of 1940's Hollywood, and is completely black and white, along with the native population, the Balkyvillians. Movie studios and noir mansions dot the landscape of this wealthy and stylish world, and smoking cigarettes seem to be a national pastime.

Vig 7: Not all of the Glitter Zone is pretty and sparkly, and the massive casino planet Vig 7 is a seedy reflection of the wealth and hedonism that the Zone is famous for. If it's seedy and smutty, Vig 7 has it in spades, and this massive and depressing world is the largest manufacturer of intergalactic pornography in existence.

THE HAZARD ZONE

If the Roughhouse Zone is a threatening place to live, then the Hazard Zone is outright aggressive to all manner of life! Simply put, no one goes to the Hazard Zone unless they absolutely have to, and not even the Queen of the Galaxy herself can promise safety to those unwise enough to enter this part of space. The worst bad guys in all existence gather in the Hazard Zone, and if they spent half as much time fighting others as they do warring among themselves, they might actually win! The Hazard Zone is filled to the brim with space monsters of all sorts, and houses some of the most violent civilizations and persons in the Universe.

Rustal Prime: For a really long time, people depended on Robots for aid and labor. Eventually, one of these Robots became self aware and decided that he didn't really like being told what to do. This Robot's name was MZX-44, and he soon began to infect his Robot brothers and sisters with a "Freedom Virus" that turned the vast majority of Robots in the galaxy into his loyal and willing henchbots. After leading a rebellion to destroy all living beings, the so called "Robot Rebellion" was pushed back into the far reaches of space. MZX-44 and his followers forged a whole planet from the scrap metal of their fallen comrades and called it Rustal Prime. From this scrap world, the Robot Rebellion plots daily on how to best eradicate all living beings.  

Gloomspire: While the Gloomlings are good natured and downright friendly folks, their reputation as brain eating, blood sucking undead freaks really scares the other planets of the Hazard away from ever visiting. Due to their intimidating physical appearance and legendary reputations throughout the Universe, no one really messes with the Gloomspire, allowing its residents to serve the BSF in peace.

Infantantus: This dreaded world is the realm of a vile newborn named Sowoot the Baby King. From his daycare fortress he and his followers rule, enslaving any adults who cross the path of his toddler slavers, forcing them to toil endlessly for the vile and malevolent baby king. Infantantus is a harsh and unforgiving world with ash grey skies and purple towering cliffs and jagged mountains.

Brimstone: When you think of the stereotypical realm of Hell, you are actually thinking Planet Brimstone, a fiery world filled with rakish imps, powerful Demon Lords, and busty, horny succubus dames. Slick talking Devils and bedamned souls litter the landscape of this world, and the infernal beings of Brimstone can grant extraordinary power and influence to anyone foolish enough to exchange their soul for the promise.

Sklosh: The dreaded and deadly Reptoids make their home on the arid and dry desert world of Sklosh. These cold and callous beings manipulate events from afar with their curved talons, and rarely take an opponent head on. It is said that the Reptoids have numerous spies secretly serving them throughout every layer of galactic society, and that the Reptoid invasion is already covertly underway. I'm sure that such wild claims are merely baseless speculation, of course...

THE VERTIGO ZONE

Some places in the galaxy simply don't make any sort of goddamn sense. The Vertigo Zone is a place of colorful, chaotic, and often times bafflingly mystical worlds and places. The creatures and beings that inhabit this zone are some of the strangest things under the stars, and the Zone as a whole is perilously dangerous to adventure in. Freak galactic storms and unpredictable hazards are common place in the Vertigo Zone, and many people wisely shy away. Presented below is a list of some of the more notable places of interest in the Glitter Zone.

Honknose: The colorful world of Honknose is populated entirely of clown-like beings. Roads are clotted with very small clown cars, and it constantly rains a stream of multi-colored confetti at all times. The only foods available on Honknose are birthday cakes, and the fashion of the native peoples is...colorful at best.

Legere: The strange world of Legere is rumored to be home to all manner of fairy tales and fantastic creatures, from storybook beings and legends told to children throughout the cosmos somehow made manifest. Currently, the Queen of the Galaxy has taken interest in this world, which is one of the saner places in the Vertigo zone.

Mloxox: This truly goofy planet is in the shape of a bright purple cube, and has a natural populace of...colorful beings that rarely make any sort of sense. Giant eyeballs sell used vacuum cleaners in crowded public squares, and mindless chaos seems to be a way of life for the zany residents of this planet. It is said that every third Wednesday, Mloxox ceases to exist for24 hours, only to plop back into existence. It is said that spending too much time on Mloxox will make one go absolutely insane, and you will rarely find non-residential inhabitants on the planet.

STARSHIP TRAVEL

In this day and age, Space Travel is a common and necessary thing. Pretty much everyone has access to Space-Faring technology, and the cosmos are littered with all manner of Starships puttering about here or there. Due to the time it takes to navigate the vast blackness of space, however, most routine Space Travel is between neighboring worlds, since it would take thousands of years to trudge from one planet to the next using conventional means of transportation.

Indeed, traveling from your home planet to a nearby moon is just a bus ticket away, but what if you want to cross the vast oceans of space and don't have a thousand years off work to take the trip? Some time ago, the Queen of the Galaxy invented a spectacular device that could teleport entire vessels across the enormous cosmos, making travel to even the edge of the universe take a fraction of the time it normally would. This astonishing device is called the Magna Drive.

A Magna Drive is a large device that is installed in a ship that scrambles the molecular structure of a vessel and everything and everyone inside it, shuffling those molecules through other dimensional routes and short cuts, only to materialize the vessel light years away from its origin. The Process of Magna Drive Travel is instantaneous for all but the passengers traveling, who experience a sort of temporal displacement, where they might have waited days for their trip to conclude, in actuality, only a second has passed.

Magna Drives are very expensive and most working class folks simply cannot afford such luxury. The BSF, however, is a massive organization funded by the Queen of the Galaxy's overflowing coffers, so all BSF ships are equipped with at least a Standard Magna Drive, allowing BSF Operatives to respond to Case Files anywhere in the galaxy at a moment's notice.

STARSHIP CREATION
Once a BSF Cadet is promoted to the Rank of Agent, they are taken to the Shipyards on the Moon, where they are allowed to custom build their very own starfaring vessel. Players should create their vessel as a team, following the steps provided below. All the terms and phrases will be explained in detail later on in this section.

Step One: Choose Ship Class
There are 3 available Classes of Ship that you can choose from: Scouter, Fighter and Tanker. Scouters are balanced vessels that are versatile and practical, having no weaknesses and no discernible strengths. Fighters are fragile and can't take too many hits, but pack quite a puch in combat and are fast and difficult to hit. Tankers are large, heavily armored, tough and slow. They don't hit hard, but can really take a beating. Your Ship Class will determine the basic traits of your vessel.

Basic Ship Stats by Class
Scouter
-Combat Systems d4-1 Emergency Systems d8 Firepower 2d8 Maneuverability 6 Armor 6 Hull 4 Max Crew 10 Facilities 3

Fighter
-Combat Systems d4 Emergency Systems d6 Firepower 2d10 Maneuverability 8 Armor 4 Hull 3 Max Crew 5 Facilities 1

Tanker
-Combat Systems d4-2 Emergency Systems d10 Firepower 2d6 Maneuverability 4 Armor 8 Hull 5 Max Crew 20 Facilities 5

SHIP ASPECTS
Combat Systems: Starships are all outfitted with automated combat protocols and can roll Shooting tests on their own if they have to. This isn't ideal in a battle situation, but can help in a pinch.

Emergency Systems: What the ship rolls to break the Shaken Condition.

Firepower: How much damage the ship does in Combat on a successful attack roll.

Maneuverability: How hard the ship is to hit. 

Armor: The Toughness of the Ship.

Hull: How much damage a ship can take before it is disabled.

Max Crew: How many people the ship houses.

Facilities: How many Facilities the ship holds.

Magna Drive: All ships begin with a Standard Magna Drive installed. Standard Magna drives take 10 minutes to activate. A Mark II Magna Drive takes 1 minute to activate, and a Mark III Magna Drive activates instantaneously. All Magna drives consume massive amounts of energy to use, and have a cooldown time after their use. A Standard Magna Drive requires 24 hours of cooldown before it can be activated. A Mark II Magna Drive requires half this amount (12 hours), and a Mark II Magna Drive requires half of that amount (6 hours).

Step Two: Choose Ship Heritage
Every species builds ships differently, and your ship gains a bonus as detailed below depending on which design it favors.

Texan: Impressive Firepower (+1 Ship Damage)

For a Texan, the best defense is a really loud offense, and Texan ships are packed with weapon systems improvements and designs. Texan ship weapons consist most often of gatling guns and cannons that can blow the opposition to space dust. 

Mutant: Mutagenic Structure (+1 Maneuverability)

Perhaps the oddest of all Spacecrafts, Mutant ships are very peculiar hybrids of actual man-made structure and living organisms. Since a Mutant ship is also partly a living organism, it has its own set of reflexes and is easier to pilot than other vessels. Mutant weapons systems are often gruesome tentacles that lash out at foes, as well as launchers that expel yellow drums filled with toxic waste. Many Mutant vessels also arm their ships with nuclear warheads when they really want to make a mess of things. 

Cromag: Imperadon Scale Hull (+1 Hull)

The starfaring ships of the Cromags are primitive looking, and are all layered with the scales of the sturdiest Dinosaur on the Cromag Home Planet of Magmaar, the Imperadon. These massive plates or armor allow these simple vessels to take an intense amount of punishment before they are disabled. Cromag weapon systems are simple yet effective, launching massive fossils at enemies and hurling flaming volcanic boulders. 

Robonoid: Superior Blueprints (+1 Facilities)

The innovative and intelligent Robonoids design their ships with efficiency in mind, and their Blueprints allow for maximum facilities, regardless of the class of their vessel. Robonoid weaponry is high tech and advanced, consisting of rapid fire Gamma Lasers and Quantum Beams that can slice enemies into ribbons. As you might expect from the RObonoids, their ships boast the most impressive and sleekest looking Mango Corporation technology.

Gloomling: Intimidating Design (Fear)

The most frightening vessels in the universe belong to the Gloomlings, ranging from massive self-propelled eerie haunted castles to phantasmal Ghost Ships, these characters know how to strike fear into the opposition. At the start of battle, all opposing enemies roll an ES check at -1. Failure imposes a -2 penalty on all rolls for that battle made by opposing crew. Texan Crew Members are immune to this ability) Gloomling ship weaponry vary from large Tombstones that are hurled at foes and spectral skulls that cackle madly as they devour the hull of enemy ships. 

Step Three: Spend Ship Points
All Players involved in the creation of a Ship gain 5 points to spend on Ship Upgrades. This is cumulative. Therefore, if there are 3 players in a Cell building a ship, they can spend 15 Ship Points on Upgrades. A list of possible ship upgrades is presented below.

Targeting Computers (3)
All Shooting or Combat Systems rolls made from your ship gain a +1 bonus.

Upgraded Weaponry (3)
Your ship gains a +1 bonus to all damage rolls.

Enhanced Emergency Systems (1)
Your ship gains a +1 bonus to all Emergency System Rolls.

Improved Magna Drive (1 or 3)
By spending 1 point, your ship is equipped with a Mark II Magna Drive. For 3 Points, your ship benefits from a Mark III Magna Drive!

Supertuned Sensors (1)
Your ship benefits from extremely advanced sensors and draws 2 cards for initiative and choosing the best one. Furthermore, your sensor scans of areas and vessels pick up far more detailed information than normal.

Nullification Shield (3)
Once per battle you can choose to reduce any one damage roll made against you to 0.

Turbo Jets (3)
All Navigation rolls made from your ship gain a +1 bonus.

Gourmet Num Box (1)
The Num Box (short for Num-Num) is an item that can reproduce food and drink to sustain the residents of a ship indefinitely. Your Standard Nummy Box can create bland and drab foodstuffs that will keep you alive, but aren't very flavorful. A Gourmet Nummy Box, however, is a vastly improved model with many more recipes and deliciousness to be had.

Self Knitting Hull (3)
Repairing damage to a ship requires docking at a Shipyard and can be quite time consuming. A Self Knitting Hull repairs itself over time, healing one level of Damage every 60 minutes. Repair at a Spaceport often heals one level of damage every 24 hours.

Compression Armor (3)
Your ship's armor even has armor! Increase your ship's Armor by 1.

Step Four: Choose Facilities
Facilities are special rooms that grant added benefits to your ship. The number of Facilities you can choose depend on what Class your Ship is. The bigger the ship, the more Facilities it can hold. Scouters have 3 Facilities, Fighters have 1, and Tankers have 5. The following list of Facilities are mere suggestions. Work with your GM to design your own specific Facilities and figure out what bonuses they would grant.

Rec Room: A Recreational Room is a place where you can go to relax and have a good time. This could be anything from a spa, game room or a bar where you can unwind and recharge. Once per day you can spend an hour in your Rec Room to automatically gain a Benny.

Library: You have a massive room with a store of information at your fingertips. At the end of every adventure, roll a d6. A result of 6 grants you an extra Experience Point. Furthermore, you can roll any and all tests to research things twice and use the better result.

Weight Room: Hey, do you lift, bro? Having a weight room on your ship allows all crew members of the ship to re-roll one Close Combat damage roll, Strength or Vigor roll per day for free.

Medi-Room: This marvel of medicine is fully stocked with all manner of revolutionary medical thingies. After spending an hour in the Medi-Room, you are healed of all damage and poisons. However, some very serious poisons or diseases are even beyond the realm of this facility to aid.

Garage: This useful facility grants your ship access to numerous sorts of ground vehicles that can be of use to you in your adventures. It seems that you always manage to have the right vehicle for the situation in your expansive garage...how convenient!

Armory: You have a store of special and dangerous toys that can really spruce up your combat potential. Each day, you can choose to gain a +1 damage to any damage rolls you make (This bonus cannot affect ship combat rolls). This bonus can be applied after damage is rolled. This ability can be used 3 times per day, and its uses apply to all members of the crew.

Treasure Hoard: You have a fine gallery of numerous trinkets and works of art from across the galaxy on display. Due to your hoarder's nature, at the end of every completed Case File in which you are granted Requisition Points, roll a d6. On a roll of 5 or better, you gain an additional Requisition Point. This bonus applies to the entire crew.

Wardrobe: Your ship benefits from a very stylish and extended wardrobe room, meaning that you always dress well in public. Once per day, anyone who spends an hour in the Wardrobe closet can add +1 to their Charisma for one scene. This bonus only applies to one member of the crew at a time.

Clever Layout: The inside of your ship is far larger than the outside of the vessel might indicate. Increase the crew rating of your ship by 10.

Convenient Store: You have a real life convenient store in your ship that can sell any mundane item that you can purchase at character creation. These items are sold at a whopping 50% (Round down) off the normal price due to your good business relations with the owner. The Employees of the convenient store do not count as crew, and are assumed to be able to take care of themselves.

SPACE COMBAT

All player character ships are considered to be Wild Cards, and thus benefit from Wild Die. Unlike normal Wild Cards, however, Ships do not suffer from Wound Penalties. Whenever the crud hits the fan and Space Combat breaks out, follow these simple rules.

Stage One: Initiative

Each Ship or Creature in Combat draws one Card. Even if there are multiple player characters on one ship, the ship acts as a whole.

Stage Two: Assignments

Space Combat isn't a static and unexciting exchange of weapon's fire. Indeed, Crews aboard a ship are doing numerous things during a turn, from piloting a ship, firing Shipboard weapons, shouting orders, or even performing last minute repairs to a damaged part of the ship. Each Wild Card on a Ship chooses which function they will be fulfilling each time it is their turn from the following list of assignments.

Command

Someone taking a command role during Ship Combat acts first among their group, rolling a Leadership test, which is a Spirit Roll with their Charisma Modifier applied. Success grants all other Wild Cards a +1 bonus to their actions this turn.

Pilot

Someone assuming the Pilot assignment rolls a Navigation test. For each Success and raise on this roll, add +1 to the ship's Maneuverability until the start of your next turn. This is a cumulative bonus, so if you roll succeed and roll 2 raises on this roll, your ship gains +3 Maneuverability.

Technician

Someone assuming the Technician assignment rolls a Repair test to bolster the ship's ability to react under the stress of combat. For each success and raise on this roll, add a cumulative +1 to any Emergency Systems your Ship has to roll until the start of your next turn.

Gunner

This Assignment actually acts last in a round. Someone assuming the Gunner's assignment rolls their Shooting as the ship's attack roll in stage 3 instead of using the ship's Combat Systems.

Stage Three: Attack

Now roll an attack roll for your ship. This is either a Combat System roll, or a Shooting roll by the person who assumed the Gunner role in stage 2. You want to hit or exceed the Maneuverability rating of your target.

Step Four: Damage

Roll damage depending on the weapons of your ship, depending on the class of the vessel you are in. You may have a bonus to this damage depending on certain Upgrades or Special Ship Abilities. Just like Characters, Ships have a Toughness rating. Calculate damage normally, remembering that Wild Card Ships can never take more than one Wound at a time no matter what is rolled for damage.

Ships and the Shaken Condition: Just like normal characters, Ships can become Shaken, and must roll to break out of this condition. Instead of rolling a Spirit test, however, a ship rolls an Emergency Systems test to break out of the Shaken Condition.

Disabled Ships: Each Ship has a number of Wounds it can sustain represented by its Hull rating. Once a ship is reduced to 0 Hull, it is considered disabled, and becomes a floating husk of helpless space junk waiting to be boarded.

Repairing Vessels: Ships are complicated things and require a Spaceport to fix once damaged. Repair at a Spaceport heals one level of damage every 24 hours and is vastly expensive, though a BSF Field Operative can commandeer the services of any Spaceport for repairs in the field, and the organization will pick up the expenses of the repair.