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  i
  t is a situation every Games Master has faced 
  at least once.  For some reason, be it pressures 
  from work, from school or something else 
  entirely, he has not had the time he needs to 
  prepare for the roleplaying session.  Fortunately for 
  him, Signs & Portents Roleplayer has done the work 
  for him.  The six Starship Troopers missions detailed 
  below offer the busy Games Master a perfect 
  solution for the night when he needs an adventure 
  and does not have the time to create his own.
  These six adventures are designed to ﬁ t perfectly 
  into a single roleplaying session, and are created to 
  allow the Games Master to drop them easily into any 
  Starship Troopers campaign.  The missions cover a 
  range of character levels, but each can be modiﬁ ed 
  with a minimum of effort on the part of the Games 
  Master to accommodate practically any character 
  level.
  Blending fast, furious action, unexpected 
  complications and meant to slip easily into a 
  campaign, these missions also allow a Games Master 
  to insert a few unexpected surprises for his Player 
  Characters, adding a signiﬁ cant jolt of energy to any 
  campaign.  Though all these missions are meant to 
  be self-contained, a number of them can easily be 
  expanded and enlarged by an enterprising Games 
  Master who is interested in following the plot 
  threads of any particular mission to its conclusion.
   Emergency Situation!
  Emergency Situation!
  mini-scenarios for the starship 
  troopers roleplaying game
  greg lynch
  greg lynch
  
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  Enemies: Blaster bug (8), plasma bug (1), tanker 
  bug (2), warrior bugs (30)
  Mission Brieﬁ ng: ‘Good work, apes.  Looks like 
  someone from up high has been watching you 
  and likes what they’ve seen.  What do you get 
  for this?  Glad you asked.  You get a special 
  assignment.  We’re about to hit orbit over the 
  nastiest rock this side of hell.  The bugs in this 
  place make what you’re used to seeing look 
  like ladybugs, but your job here means more 
  than killing.  The high foreheads in Special 
  Services want one of them for study, and it’s 
  your job to get it for them.  Thing is, it has 
  to be alive, and a warrior if possible.  We’re 
  tracking a swarm moving across the surface 
  now, and we’re gonna drop you on top of 
  them.  Hit ‘em and kill ‘em all.  Except one.  
  That’s what the shock sticks are for.’
  Mission Breakdown: If the Player Characters think 
  this looks like the kind of mission where something 
  is bound to go wrong, they are right.
  Everything starts out going according to plan.  The 
  drop takes the troopers directly into the path of 
  a small group of Arachnids moving southwest, 
  consisting of eight blaster bugs and 15 warrior bugs.  
  From the time the troopers hit ground, they have six 
  rounds until the ﬁ rst Arachnids reach them.  Five 
  rounds after the battle begins, a tanker bug bursts 
  from the ground just south of the site of the battle.  
  Four rounds after that, another tanker bug arrives 
  from the west.  Presumably, the troopers will choose 
  one of the 15 warriors as their target for capture, and 
  once the remainder of the bugs are dead, they can 
  call for evac.
  This is the point where things truly begin to go 
  wrong.  The Viking Landing Boat will be hit by the 
  nearby (and heretofore unnoticed) plasma bug as it 
  makes its approach, turning the craft into a ﬁ reball 
  of wreckage.  The Player Characters then receive 
  a communication from their commanding ofﬁ cer, 
  telling them another lander cannot be dispatched 
  until the plasma bug is destroyed.  The plasma bug 
  is nearly half a mile from their position, and time on 
  the mission clock is certainly starting to run out.
  Assuming the troopers have already subdued and 
  captured a warrior bug, they have a difﬁ cult decision 
  to make.  If they leave the bug behind, it will almost 
  certainly recover and vanish before they can return.  
  If they leave some of their men to guard it, they will 
  be reducing their numbers before facing a plasma 
  bug.  If they try to take it with them, they will have 
  to carry the unwieldy and extremely heavy (900 
  pounds on this world) captive up a steep slope and 
  into combat.
  Of course, there are some other warriors with the 
  plasma bug, and another group of 10 that attack from 
  the north with three rounds of beginning combat 
  live capture
  live capture
  Character Levels: 6th
  Experience Points: 300 experience points
  Mission Type: Drop, clearance, capture, evac
  Mission Duration: Twenty minutes
  Terrain: Rocky plains, corrosive and toxic 
  atmosphere, high gravity
  Special Equipment: Two FedCom SW-402 ‘Triple 
  GL’ Grenade Launchers with any grenades, Wyman 
  Arms CC-176-ER Combat Prod (one per character)
  Available Support: Viking Landing Boat for EVAC
  
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  with the plasma bug, but there is no way for the 
  troopers to know this.  Once the plasma bug (and 
  all other bugs in the immediate vicinity) have been 
  destroyed, another Viking Landing Boat will come 
  for the Player Characters.
  For every two size categories of an Arachnid on 
  this world, the creature’s Strength score should be 
  increased by one point (rounding up).  For example, 
  a blaster bug would gain +3 to its Strength score, 
  while a plasma bug would gain +4.
  Mission Objectives: The sole purpose of this 
  mission is the capture of a live Arachnid.  So long 
  as the Player Characters accomplish this, they 
  receive full experience for the mission.  If they 
  fail, they receive no experience and may be subject 
  to disciplinary action (at the Games Master’s 
  discretion).
  red carpet
  red carpet
  Character Levels: 5th
  Experience Points: 500 experience points
  Mission Type: Clearance, take and hold
  Mission Duration: One hour
  Terrain: Arctic desert, low gravity
  Special Equipment: Two GK-12 Geckos, two 
  FedCom SW-404 Javelin missile launchers loaded 
  with M-666C5 HEAT missiles, four FedCom SW-
  403 ‘Thud Gun’ Rocket Launchers loaded with 
  M-711A1 ‘Scatterjack’ rockets, 17 M-901HE High 
  Explosive grenades.
  Available Support: Orbital barrage
  Enemies: Plasma bugs (7), tanker bugs (4), warrior 
  bugs (68)
  Mission Brieﬁ ng: ‘Remember how your History 
  and Moral Philosophy teacher told you the 
  best things in life aren’t free?  That’s a lesson 
  I hope you recall, apes.  We ﬁ nally got some 
  relief coming to us on this rock, but Fleet’s 
  targeted landing zone looks like a damn 
  plasma bug convention.  If we’re gonna have 
  any hope of not getting ground to nothing, we 
  need those reinforcements, and we need ‘em 
  now!  Fleet’s gonna hammer them from orbit, 
  but I think we all know that never gets the job 
  done.  I’ve given you the best gear we got left 
  to us, now I need you to get in there and kill 
  everything that crawls.  Clear?’
  
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  Mission Breakdown: The landing zone for the 
  reinforcements is a 20 minute drive from the Player 
  Characters’ current position.  As they approach, they 
  will see the explosions of the Fleet barrage, as well 
  as multiple plasma bursts streaking from the surface 
  into the sky.
  The Player Characters enter the map in the northwest 
  corner, in the middle of the valley leading up to the 
  landing zone, which is itself practically uninhabited, 
  save for one plasma bug and ﬁ ve warriors.  The 
  hardest part of this mission comes at the beginning.  
  As the troopers approach the plasma bug, they will 
  come under attack by the Arachnids pouring back 
  into this area after the orbital bombardment (Games 
  Masters should describe the hundreds of Arachnid 
  corpses and dozens of impact craters littering the 
  area).  Just before they reach the landing area, the 
  Player Characters come under attack by four tanker 
  bugs burrowing out of the valley walls on either side.  
  Five rounds later, a group of 18 warriors swarms 
  up from the southeast.  Of course, the troopers still 
  have a plasma bug and its ﬁ ve warriors to deal with 
  during this time.
  There are seven plasma bugs still active at this point, 
  marked on the map with a ‘P’.  Each of the plasmas 
  has ﬁ ve warriors with it as bodyguards.  Each of 
  the plasmas also suffered some damage during the 
  orbital bombardment, losing 25% of its total hit 
  points.
  After the troopers have dealt with all the plasma 
  bugs on one side of the valley and are moving 
  across to the other side, they have more unwelcome 
  visitors, in the form of 15 warriors moving in from 
  the north.
  The greatest challenge in this mission, aside from 
  the sheer size of the Arachnid forces, is completing 
  it in the time allotted.  If even one plasma bug is 
  still alive when the mission time expires (the 
  same time the Fleet landing begins) it will 
  destroy one of the incoming ships with every 
  shot.
  Mission Objectives:  This is an all or nothing 
  mission to SICON.  If all the plasma bugs are killed 
  before the landing begins, the Player Characters 
  receive full experience.  However, if even one of the 
  incoming ships is destroyed, the Player Characters 
  will be subject to disciplinary action and will receive 
  no experience.
  warm welcome
  warm welcome
  Character Levels: 4th
  Experience Points: 300 experience points
  Mission Type: Clearance, nuclear deployment
  Mission Duration: Ninety minutes
  Terrain: Mountains
  Special Equipment: Five modiﬁ ed Pee-Wee 
  warheads, demolitions kit, GK-12 Gecko
  Available Support: Viking Landing Boat for EVAC
  Enemies: Cliff mites (5), hopper bugs (8), Tanker 
  bug (1), Warrior bugs (24)
  Mission Brieﬁ ng: ‘Just when you think Fleet’s 
  left us high and dry on this pathetic rock, you 
  ﬁ nd out we’re even higher and dryer than 
  you suspected.  You’ve been giving the bugs 
  hell, apes, don’t think I don’t know it, but 
  we got problems inbound like you’ve never 
  seen.  Transport bugs, bringing a whole world 
  of hurt our way.  Good thing for us we’re 
  a damn sight smarter than them.  Special 
  Services reports the trajectory of one of the 
  bugs is gonna bring it right down in our back 
  yard – and there ain’t but one place for it to 
  go, the valley on your display.  I want you to 
  get in there, kill everything that crawls, and 
  rig the site with these modiﬁ ed Pee-Wees so 
  we can blow the whole valley to hell when 
  the transport bug sets down.  Simple enough?  
  Then what are you still doing here?’
  Mission Breakdown: This mission is a race against 
  time.  The transport bug is on its way, and if it 
  touches down before the Player Characters have 
  ﬁ nished their work, they will almost certainly die.
  
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  It will take the Player Characters 45 minutes to 
  reach the valley in the Gecko, as there is only one 
  path the vehicle can take to get there.  They will be 
  unmolested along the way – the M.I. has done its 
  job well on this world and cleared out most of the 
  Arachnids (except for those within the mountains).
  As the Gecko arrives, it will be greeted by a group of 
  eight warriors and one tanker bug.  Once this threat 
  is dealt with (a task made simpler by the Gecko’s 
  weapons), the troopers must set about the business 
  of emplacing the ﬁ ve modiﬁ ed Pee-Wees – warheads 
  that have been altered to function as placement 
  charges.  The charges should be set at the spots on 
  the map marked with an ‘X’.  Placing a Pee-Wee and 
  setting it with a detonator requires ﬁ ve minutes and a 
  DC 15 Demolitions check for each device.
  Five minutes after the Player Characters arrive in the 
  valley, a group of eight hopper bugs will swoop in 
  to attack, continuing to harass the troopers until they 
  have all been killed.  Five minutes later, a group of 
  six warrior bugs will sweep in from the mouth of the 
  valley.  Five minutes later, another group of warriors 
  (10) will attack from the same direction.
  Once all ﬁ ve warheads are set in place, the troopers 
  can climb back into the Gecko for the short trip 
  to the extraction point.  However, they are not 
  out of danger yet.  While they were busy ﬁ ghting 
  bugs and setting warheads, a group of ﬁ ve cliff 
  mites climbed inside the Gecko.  Unless the Player 
  Characters posted a sentry at the Gecko, the Games 
  Master should assume the cliff mites slipped aboard 
  undetected.  As soon as the Gecko is underway, the 
  cliff mites will attack.  Once they are dealt with, the 
  Player Characters can withdraw to the extraction 
  point and wait for the transport bug to arrive before 
  triggering the detonator.
  Mission Objectives: SICON judges the success of 
  this mission based on only one criteria – whether 
  or not the transport bug and all its passengers are 
  destroyed upon touching down in the valley. So 
  long as at least three of the Pee-Wees detonate, the 
  mission will be accomplished.
  
  4141
  jail break
  jail break
  Character Levels: 2nd or 3rd
  Experience Points: 200 experience points
  Mission Type: Assault, rescue
  Mission Duration: Three hours
  Terrain: Caves
  Special Equipment: Lockpick set, mechnical toolkit 
  (basic), TOAD charges (2)
  Available Support: Viking Landing Boat for EVAC
  Enemies: Skinny 1st level Raider (10), Skinny 2nd 
  level Raider (Gunner) (2), Skinny 2nd level Raider 
  (Leader) (1).  Consult the core Starship Troopers 
  Roleplaying Game rulebook for exact statistics and 
  equipment.
  Mission Brieﬁ ng: ‘Well, apes, you get the 
  chance to play hero today.  The Skinnies 
  that have been raiding this rock have got 
  themselves some prisoners.  Seems they got 
  the drop on Charles’ Commandos and managed 
  to take ﬁ ve of their troopers captive.  We 
  don’t know what the Skinnies do to prisoners, 
  and we don’t want the Commandos to ﬁ nd 
  out.  They’re being kept in a cave just a few 
  clicks from your current position.  Hotfoot 
  it in there, get the prisoners and I’ll drop 
  a Skyhook on you for evac.  One more thing 
  – make sure you do this right – I don’t want to 
  have to come after you.’
  Mission Breakdown: Fortunately for the Player 
  Characters, the Skinnies have nothing resembling a 
  permanent base on this world, and therefore do not 
  have much in the way of layered defences to prevent 
  an enemy from doing exactly what the Player 
  Characters are about to attempt.  The ﬁ rst part of the 
  mission is very simple – a three-mile walk from the 
  troopers’ current position to the mouth of the Skinny 
  cave.
  The Player Characters have an approximate GPS 
  position for the opening of the Skinny cave, but it 
  is still difﬁ cult to notice from the outside, requiring 
  a Perception check (DC 15) to ﬁ nd.  Just inside the 
  cave are two Skinny Raiders (1st level) acting as 
  guards.  This mission is an excellent way of teaching 
  the Player Characters the difference between 
  Arachnids and Skinnies, particularly regarding 
  enemy teamwork.  The Games Master should 
  carefully consider each move the Player Characters 
  make – so long as they do not reveal themselves, 
  they have at least some chance of moving through 
  the Skinny caves without facing all the enemies 
  at once.  Of course, it is far more likely they will 
  reveal their presence (probably through the sound of 
  gunﬁ re) and end up ﬁ ghting all the Skinnies in the 
  cave.
  If the Skinnies become aware of the Player 
  Characters, they will assume the troopers are there to 
  rescue the prisoners, and will see it as an opportunity 
  to take more prisoners.  They will attempt to catch 
  the troopers in a crossﬁ re at one of the intersections, 
  or preferably trap the troopers against the 300 foot 
  deep abyss that runs throughout the caves.  The three 
  Skinnies tasked with guarding the prisoners will 
  not abandon their posts to join in any ﬁ ghting, but 
  that does not prevent the remaining Skinnies from 
  letting the troopers pass by, then engaging them in a 
  crossﬁ re with the three guards.
  The large room with the Leader in it has a locked 
  door built into the southern wall of the cave.  The 
  
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  lock can be opened with a successful Sabotage skill 
  check (DC 25) or with a TOAD charge.  Inside is 
  the captured equipment of the Commandos, as well 
  as extra Skinny equipment (exactly what kind of 
  equipment is left to the Games Master).
  The ﬁ ve prisoners are being kept in a cell at the back 
  of the caves, guarded by two 1st level Skinny raiders 
  and one 2nd level gunner.  Once those enemies are 
  dealt with, the Player Characters can go about 
  freeing the captives.  The lock on the cell door can 
  be opened with a successful Sabotage skill check 
  (DC 25) or with a TOAD charge.
  Mission Objectives: So long as no troopers are left 
  alive in Skinny hands, SICON will be satisﬁ ed.  If 
  the Player Characters also eliminate every Skinny 
  in the caves, they will receive an additional 50 
  experience points.  If they capture the Skinny 
  equipment stores, they will receive an additional 50 
  experience points.
  shopping spree
  shopping spree
  Character Levels: 2nd
  Experience Points: 200 experience points
  Mission Type: Search and report, take and hold
  Mission Duration: Three hours
  Terrain: Jungle
  Special Equipment: Stryker suits
  Available Support: Viking Landing Boat for EVAC
  Enemies: Skinny 1st level Raider (6), Skinny 2nd 
  level Raider (Leader) (2), Skinny 2nd level Raider 
  (Spotter) (6).  Consult the core Starship Troopers 
  Roleplaying Game rulebook for exact statistics and 
  equipment.
  Mission Brieﬁ ng: ‘I think we all know 
  turnabout is fair play, right?  Well, today you 
  get your chance to raid some Skinny raiders.  
  Seems one of the psychics in Special Services 
  caught wind of a Skinny supply depot in this 
  jungle.  Can’t give you an exact location, but 
  I can tell you it’s northeast of your current 
  position, and where you ﬁ nd it, you’ll ﬁ nd 
  Skinnies.  Once you ﬁ nd it, you call in and you 
  hold that ground.  The psychic says there’s 
  something in that depot besides the usual, 
  something important, I’m guessing, ‘cause 
  SICON wants it bad.  Under no circumstances 
  are you to use any equipment you ﬁ nd in that 
  depot, apes.  You just call in and we’ll drop a 
  boat to get you and the goods.’
  Mission Breakdown: The Skinny depot is one of 
  two Skinny installations hidden in this jungle, the 
  other being a holding pen for civilian prisoners 
  captured by the Skinnies.
  
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  The jungle the Skinnies are operating in is 
  tremendously dense, slowing movement rate down 
  to half normal, even with the less bulky Stryker 
  suits issued to the Player Characters.  For every 20 
  minutes of travel time, there is a one in four chance 
  the troopers will be discovered by a Skinny spotter 
  patrolling the jungle.  If a Skinny discovers the 
  Player Characters, he will not attack them.  Rather, 
  he will hide and send word of the approaching 
  troopers to the other Skinnies.  Whether or not the 
  spotter is able to avoid detection depends, of course, 
  on the Games Master and the Perception skills of the 
  Player Characters.
  If the spotter is able to avoid detection, he will 
  attempt to bring the other ﬁ ve spotters and two of 
  the 1st level raiders to him in order to lay an ambush 
  for the troopers.  If successful, they will surround 
  the Player Characters in a ring and open ﬁ re 
  simultaneously, with two Skinnies attacking each 
  target.  As devastating as this attack may be, if the 
  Player Characters make it through, they will have 
  successfully wiped out almost all opposition for the 
  mission.
  As mentioned above, there are two Skinny positions 
  in the jungle, each situated in a small clearing hidden 
  from aerial view by the thick jungle canopies above.  
  The equipment depot is a buried in the ground, a 
  20-foot by 20-foot box of Skinny polymer with only 
  the top visible.  The captive pen is not buried – it is a 
  15-foot by 15-foot cage of Skinny polymer holding 
  12 civilian captives.  Of the two positions, SICON is 
  vastly more interested in the equipment depot.
  Each of the positions is guarded by a Skinny leader 
  and three Skinny raiders.  If the Player Characters 
  were ambushed in the jungle, this is reduced to 
  a leader and two raiders.  However, if the Player 
  Characters managed to evade an ambush, the leader 
  will be able to call for reinforcements.  Five rounds 
  after the leader’s call, a Skinny spotter will arrive 
  at the scene.  Five rounds later, another will arrive.  
  The remainder will remain in hiding in the jungle, 
  preparing to ambush the Player Characters when 
  they leave their current position.
  Once the Player Characters ﬁ nd the stash of 
  equipment and call for evac, a Viking will be 
  dispatched to burn away the jungle above the site 
  and take on the equipment.
  Mission Objectives: The recovery 
  of the equipment is SICON’s 
  greatest concern.  So long as it is 
  recovered (and the container is not 
  open), the Player Characters receive 
  full experience.  If the container is 
  open, they receive no experience 
  and will be subject to ofﬁ cial 
  reprimand.
  If the troopers manage to rescue the 
  prisoners as well, they are entitled 
  to an additional 100 experience 
  points.
  party line
  party line
  Character Levels: 3rd
  Experience Points: 200 experience points
  Mission Type: Surgical strike, capture
  Mission Duration: One hour
  Terrain: Marshes, high gravity
  Special Equipment: Piranha Combat Jet Ski (one 
  per two characters)
  Available Support: None
  Enemies: Black Cross Mercenaries (2nd level) (8)
  Mission Brieﬁ ng: ‘Well, well, guess who’s here, 
  apes?  The Black Cross, that’s who.  Now, you 
  may have heard they were just a myth.  They 
  ain’t.  Bunch of genuine traitors, scum making 
  their living as mercenaries.  Turns out they’re 
  on this very rock right now, negotiating with 
  the colonists – the same ones as don’t like us 
  much.  Look at your display and you’ll see 
  their position pinpointed.  I need you to head 
  through the marshes and get those traitors.  
  Kill most of them, but keep at least one alive.  
  Special Services is aching to get their hands 
  on one of them.  The rest of the depot prep 
  can wait until you get back.  Think of this as a 
  break.’
  Mission Breakdown: This mission relies in some 
  part on the Games Master’s discretion, as a good 
  deal of the action is taking place in the Player 
  Characters’ absence.  SICON has a history of 
  underestimating the Black Cross, and this mission 
  is about to prove that nothing has changed.  The 
  Black Cross knows the M.I. is on the planet, albeit in 
  limited numbers, and the mercenaries were listening 
  in on the brieﬁ ng the Player Characters just received.
  
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  The mercenaries are aware the M.I. is preparing an 
  equipment depot on the river feeding the marshes 
  (which is exactly what the Player Characters were 
  working on before getting this mission) and are 
  hoping to draw the troopers away from the base long 
  enough for them to raid it and steal some much-
  needed equipment.
  The mercenaries have posted a lookout in the large 
  lake near the centre of the map, hiding in the dense 
  underbrush and watching the waterways for any 
  sign of the Mobile Infantry.  The remainder of the 
  mercenaries, who have secured a civilian cargo boat 
  (Spd 200), are waiting for word from the lookout 
  on which way the troopers are coming (the north or 
  south passage).  They will then attempt to take the 
  other pass to the lightly-guarded depot the Player 
  Characters just left.
  When the Player Characters reach the designated 
  target area, they will ﬁ nd it empty, which should 
  be about the time the mercenaries are attacking 
  the depot.  The Games Master should roll a Stealth 
  check (DC 15) for each of the seven mercenaries.  
  If they all succeed, they are able to take the base 
  without an alarm being raised.  For every one that 
  fails, there is a 15% chance an alarm will be raised 
  (thus, if four fail, there is a 60% chance).  What 
  happens at this point depends largely on the Player 
  Characters.  If they spend a great deal of time 
  searching the target area, lying in wait or anything 
  else, it is likely the mercenaries will rob the depot 
  blind in their absence.  If they return, there is an 
  excellent chance they will catch the mercenaries in 
  the act.
  The mercenaries will spend 10 minutes looting the 
  base.  While they do this, the lookout will move 
  to the bank near where the seven mercenaries 
  were waiting at the start of the mission to warn his 
  companions if the troopers are returning.
  The mercenaries have a stolen Viking waiting on the 
  bank of the river one mile south of the map’s edge, 
  which is exactly where they will go once they are 
  done looting.
  The Black Cross is not interested in a toe-to-toe ﬁ ght 
  with Mobile Infantry troopers.  If they are caught 
  before reaching the Viking, they will ﬂ ee (after 
  dropping a TOAD charge in the midst of their stolen 
  cargo, if possible), going overland to evade pursuit 
  by the Piranhas.  Unless the Player Characters are 
  exceptionally clever and resourceful, they will have 
  a difﬁ cult time catching the ﬂ eeing mercenaries.
  Mission Objectives: There are many ways this 
  mission can end up being a black mark on a 
  trooper’s record.
  � If the Player Characters manage to capture a 
  mercenary and prevent any loss of materiel 
  from the depot, they receive full experience.
  � If all the mercenaries are killed, they receive 
  half experience.
  � For every mercenary that escapes, they are 
  penalised 50 experience points.
  � If the mercenaries destroy the contents of the 
  depot, the troopers receive no experience.
  � If the mercenaries succeed with their heist, the 
  troopers receive no experience and are subject 
  to disciplinary action.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Starship Troopers (d20)/Starship Troopers Emergency Situation.pdf