Monday, July 9, 2012

The Hartley Bequest: Scenario Seeds

The Hartley Bequest provides sponsorships, scholarships and financial support to thousands of qualified students, researchers and even a few adventurer/explorers. Founded upon the principles of free scientific inquiry, self reliance and no tolerance for tyranny,  they remain fully independent, outside of all governmental regulation, and they guard their autonomy very, very well indeed...
Scenario Seeds for the Hartley Bequest (D10)
  1. A discredited fringe scientist notorious for outrageous (and often spectacularly wrong) theories has disappeared from his sea-side cabana at a very upscale, very private island-resort on Lithus after making a mostly-overlooked and disregarded announcement concerning a breakthrough in prolonging human longevity by more than triple the usual effectiveness of current techniques. The Hartley Bequest has issued a closed contract pertaining to the location and recovery of the scientist and his research notes. Three competing Corporate sponsors have also registered 'Proactive Offers of Support and/or Employment,' meaning that whichever group finds the guy first, this could escalate into quite a heated 'discussion' fairly quickly.
  2. An expedition to the South Polar Canyon of Galdrus III has gone off-the-grid, suddenly and inexplicably. Their backers, who wish to remain unidentified for now, have requested assistance from the Hartley Bequest. As there are no formal operatives of the HB in this area at this time, your group has been offered a probational sub-contract to go to Galdrus III, determine what is going on and use your discretion to resolve the situation appropriately.
  3. In an annual charitable extravaganza on Kalvus II anyone who successfully navigates the twenty major and eight minor criss-crossing ranges of hyper-pinnacles in an ultralight gains a full one-year scholarship at the local Hartley Bequest Microcampus, a respectable cash reward, and the title to a  medium-sized (prototype) scout-ship.
  4. Professor Julianus Renthetter III is organizing a covert expedition to a nameless, unregistered jungle-moon. A representative from the local microcampus of the Hartley Bequest has asked your group to consider joining the Professor's team as security consultants. If your group can successfully protect the Professor and get him back safe, sound and intact while not attracting any undue notice from the Interplanetary authorities, there might be more contracts to follow.
  5. A crashed skyhook has been discovered on Judro IV. An official Hartley Bequest-backed expedition is gearing up to go investigate, but they must move fast and cannot afford to wait for their regular security detachment to catch up with them. Other interested parties are on the move. Is your group available for hire?
  6. There is a standard 1,000CR reward for anyone successfully completing an aerial mapping run  through the overlapping crustal-shells of Yaniloxxis VI. How hard can it be?
  7. A new prototype stardrive module has been hijacked by unscrupulous forces. The on-site representative of the Hartley Bequest does not trust the locals, nor the meddlesome offworld 'investigators and crime-fighters' who have voluntarily taken-on the case. For obscure, politically complicated reasons, the Hartley Bequest cannot get directly entangled in this situation. Your group has been approached on behalf of the local rep, but on a personal, and thus eminently deniable basis. She wants your group to find the missing stardrive and recover it before the others get their hands on it. But if you fail, you're to drop out of sight and forget all about it.
  8. The Hartley Bequest is sponsoring a Public Review of New Research Proposals that has morphed into a sort of reality program unto itself. Each contestant must make their pitch to a panel of celebrity judges. Everything was going quite well, up until one of the contestants was found dead and another missing. Citing a conflict of interest, the locals have brought in your group to investigate the situation.
  9. The Hartley Bequest is openly recruiting volunteers to participate in an advanced wilderness survival exercise...
  10. The mining colony of Darius VII has uncovered some sort of alien bunker-complex. Your group of probationary members has been re-routed from your formal qualification tests in order to go investigate this site and report back. Perhaps this is your first real test? It is just a test, right?



The Hartley Bequest was recently introduced to the Dark Frontier of Rogue Space within the pages of Rogue Transmission 1. We'll be revealing more details regarding this mysterious Interplanetary Non-Governmental Organization in the months ahead.

In the meantime, there's a lot of great Rogue Space stuff to check out at the links in the footer below.

Welcome to the Dark Frontier!

5 comments:

  1. Some inspired ideas in there and more than a few gentle nods and winks. It confirms just how good an idea the Bequest is, and how lightly you wear that huge experience and creativity.

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  2. Fantastic! Really inspiring "werk" and I hope this might be included in RT#2.

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  3. @Porky: Glad you liked it. Rogue Space really lends itself to experimentation.

    @Fenway5: Sure. We're working on a few new things specifically for the next issue of Rogue Transmissions, but you're certainly welcome to use this if you like.

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  4. @GJ, thanks very much I think it would make a good tie in to issue#1. Also if you want to resend the other creatures and aliens write-ups I'd love to include them in issue #2 as well!

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  5. @Fenway5: Will do. There will also be some new stuff in the next email.

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