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Original artwork and Cinematically Appropriate RPG Rules, Copyright 2000, by W.D. Robertson, eviloverlord668@yahoo.com

The entire campaign on 82 Eridani IV is best handled (in my never humble opinion) as a traditional "Old West" setting, assuming the players take the roles of members of the Texas enclave of New Austin. Any setting with Texas Rangers (no, not the baseball team) is just crying out for any and all Old West cliches.

Some basic plot ideas and elements of an Old West flavor would be:

1) Cowboys and Indians (aka Humans and Ebers - whether the two groups cooperate or fight is up to you)

2) the Iron Horse (Black Sky Railroad) - I had a group of Nomadic Ebers tell a group of PCs of a fearsome beastie - the name translated as "black dragon" as the Ebers described a terrible, hug creature that breathed smoke and fire (a bit of an exaggerations, but the Eber needed to explain why the beastie had scared them so!)...

3) Outlaws and Banditos (the population of New Austin is sufficient to support quite a few chronic malcontents - I recommend something like "Wayland Boggs and the McLowry Brothers" knocking over the databank...).

4) Buffalo (E-horse and Centaur) stampedes

5) Cattle drives (whether of cattle, sheep, E-horses, or Centaurs)

6) Wagon trains (settlement of new areas of the Great Desert, or convoys of vehicles travelling together for mutual protection from potentially hostil Nomadic Ebers)

7) the new School Marm has landed at the UAR spaceport. Somebody's gotta go pick her up and bring her back to New Austin...

8) Cattle rustlers and land barons...

9) There should be at least one or two crusty old prospectors out in the hinterlands/BFE/wherever with his or her trusty mule or E-horse. "Stinky Pete" is a fixture in my own campaign - Stinky likes to sing more often than he likes to practice any sort of personal hygiene, but he is terrible at both endeavors. His arrival is usually annouced by (singing loud and off-key):

10) Learn some Español - Texas in 2300AD is bilingual. This should be reflected in place names, surnames, etc. I'd recommend that at least 3/4 of the NPCs encountered by the player characters should have Spanish surnames. This should also be reflected in cultural norms - siestas, the importance of music, machismo, devotion to family, hard working, colorful celebrations, etc. "Pure" Anglos are a minority subculture in 2300AD Texas (aka, there ain't many folks named Jones in New Austin). Remember to throw in the occasional Dia de los Muertos and Cinco de Mayo festivals. This'll also make it easier for the overabundance of French soldier/mercenary PCs to fit in, as Spanish and French are vaguely mutually comprehensible.

Non-Old West elements:

1) Cooperation between UAR and Texas scientists continues despite minor conflicts between their respective enclaves. This could result in a great "Who Dunnit" game set amidst Eber ruins when a famous scientist turns up dead... was it a jealous colleague? was it another foul plot by radicals? or maybe an ancient Eber combat robot that is still functional? Heheheh...

2) KAFERS??? Rumors abound when a strange carapaced creature starts raiding chicken coops on the outskirts of New Austin. Maybe it IS a Kafer scout(s)...or maybe a previously uncataloged animaloid...or maybe the CommSent Church lost track of one of its Xiang members again...

3) Yeah, there are Sung and Xiang on 82 Eridani IV in my 2300AD campaign. There are two main groups - Sung exobiologists studying Ebers and Sung CommSent Church members (definitely the minority of Sung on 82 Eridani IV). The Xiang? They just tagged along. Some of them brought Dirt Mothers seeds along just in case they decide to stay...

4) Chinese/UAR/Texas/Eber expedition to Zeta Reticuli? (see 1 above for a twist - Murder on the Orient Express could take on a whole new meaning...).

5) Space Pirates looking for supplies. I recommend a pirate captain named Jean-Luc Ricardo or something equally trite. The one time I used this, the pirates were looking for "Commander Data" (translation: data on the command structure of the Chinese interdiction fleet and the UAR and Texas enclaves - the pirates didn't speak Texican very well)...

6) Rock-N-Roll!  The interactions between human musicians and Ebers are described in the Ranger sourcebook. A big name musician from Earth may need some helpful input and assistance from locals when he/she shows up to gain artistic insight from the Ebers (even if the scenario only involves keeping the Ebers from doing the well-meaning musician in)...

7) Romeo and Yafnina/Hassan and Juliet - tragedy abounds, especially if one of the amorous young people is the child of one of the player characters.

8) Eber sabatage of human research efforts - according to the 2300AD Director's Guide, the Ebers do NOT like to talk about their ~real~ homeworld. How far they would go to protect/hide this information is up to the referee. Despite the "big secret" of the Ranger sourcebook, its pretty obvious to anyone with a little background in biology that Ebers are not indiginous to 82 Eridani IV.

If your players would rather take roles as members of the UAR enclave, then assume the Texans are like Mongolians in the era of Genghis Khan - very dangerous and sure to stop by soon to burn your house down...

In the aftermath of the scenario described in the Ranger sourcebook, several short- and long-term ramifications become apparent.

1. Increased hostilities between UAR and Texan citizens.

In my 2300AD campaign, every able bodied Texan must serve at least two years in either the militia or a related field (combat engineering, communications, medicine, etc.). This allows Texas to field an "army" in much the same manner as the modern nation of Israel - a relatively small regular army (the Department of Public Safety) and a much larger militia composed of a majority of the citizenry. Weapon ownership is largely unrestricted with the exception of heavy weapons and explosives. Ownership and maintenance of personal military weaponry is, in fact, required by law in 2300AD Texas.

Of the two human enclaves, the UAR are the more "civilized." Unrestricted access to those imports allowed by Chinese colonial forces results in a wider access to arts, sciences, technology, and communications by the UAR. The Texans, on the other hand, tend to be more reactionary and prone to outright violence (in my 2300AD campaign, the "UAR" plot to force the Texans into a military confrontation with the Nomadic Ebers was not endorsed or even known of by the UAR colonial government - it was the action of a few misguided and short-sighted radical elements of the UAR enclave).

Fortunately, the geographical separation of the UAR and Texas enclaves has served to limit hostility - it takes at least two weeks' overland travel to reach one enclave from the other. On the other hand, radicals, fanatics, racists and anarchists are more than willing to make the trip.

Increasingly frequent "incidences" of attacks on outlying homes and facilities are being conducted by radical elements of both sides against the other. This is forcing each government to consider options for a solution. Unfortunately, input from each enclaves' Terran government is infrequent and sporadic due to the interdiction of non-Chinese/Manchurian shipping by the Chinese fleet.

2. Chinese response to UAR/Texas conflict on 82 Eridani IV.

If the level and frequency of violence continues to escalate, the current garrision of "Colonial Administration Cultural Observers" (translation: Chinese Army Occupation Forces) on 82 Eridani IV may be increased in number and resupplied with heavier weaponry and transport.

In the event that the Chinese government places military peacekeepers in either the UAR enclaves, the Texas enclave, or both enclaves, the possibility of outright violence against Chinese forces by the two enclaves increases drastically. Each enclave, despite the redundently worded treaties with the local Ebers, sees the land they occupy was "their property" (yes, both enclaves are not inclined to see their leases as leases). This is reinforced by the technological advantage humanity currently holds over the Ebers of 82 Eridani IV.

3. Eber response to UAR/Texas conflict on 82 Eridani IV

It is possible that both the Civilized Ebers will become irritated and/or fearful of continued hostility between the UAR and Texas enclaves. In this event, the Eber nations could conceive of "evicting" their Terran tennents.

Shorter Scenarios:

• Eber nomads run across a little boy playing a penny whistle. To the Ebers, the melody sounds like profound philosophical statements, so they "invite" the little boy to accompany them to their lands to meet their elders. The colonists think the Eber kidnapped the boy for some nefarious purpose..
• Curtain Dragons - First Contact (more on this later!).
• Archaeological dig - remains of Eber spacecraft/shuttlecraft. Also discovery of ancient Eber nuclear weapon stockpile.

Recommended Character Types

Colonists/Settlers

Prospectors, Trappers or Mountain Men

No more than one Texas Ranger or DPS Trooper per gaming group - if anyone else wants a cop, they can be deputized...

No more than one Contact Specialist per group (there are only three in the entirety of New Austin!)

Embittered former solder (keep these to a minimum)

Government Agricultural Inspector (only one in New Austin)

Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife field agents/troubleshooters (only two in New Austin)

Graduate students in exo-archaelogy

Greasemonkey or Waterwell Engineer

As can be seen, we've had the most fun (on and off for about ten years now) by playing characters that are not commandos or mercenaries. Try it - you'll like it! There's more to 2300AD than killin' Kafers!

How to get around on 82 Eridani IV

Horses and Neohorses

Camels and Neocamels

E-horses

Dirtbike

Dunebuggy

Hovercraft

Ultralight/gyrocopter

Off-road vehicles (many are scratchbuilt from spare parts - think of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome)

Rules Changes and Modifications

1. Biotechnology - cut off from many imports by their UAR neighbors, the Texas enclave relies more and more often on biotechnology as a solution to survival and growth problems. DNA modification of humans and nonhumans is fairly common in immigrant Texans. Texans born on 83 Eridani IV in the last thirty years have all been altered to one degree or another. Common modifications are:

1) increased kidney efficiency to reduce water requirements;

2) alteration of eyes to compensate for the difference in luminosity between Sol and 82 Eridani and to mitigate corneal damage from sand storms;

3) alteration of respiratory system to allow more efficiency filtering of dust and sand;

Nonhuman modifications

1) Neohorses and Neocamels- horses and camels have been modified as described above for humans. Additional modifications include larger build and stronger bones for more efficient transport of people and goods in the higher gravity of 82 Eridani IV.

2) Neodogs - dogs have been modified as described above for humans. Additional modifications include an increase in glial cell concentration for "smarter" dogs. These animals assist in agriculture, search and rescue missions, guard duty, etc.

3) Neochimps (hypothetical) - no data available at this time. The presence of Chimpanzees on 82 Eridani IV is not widely known within the Texas enclave, let alone outside of it.

Other Terrestrial Lifeforms

The settlers in the UAR and Texas enclaves brought with them genomic patterns for hundreds of thousands of terrestrial organisms from bacteria to animals. As it was unknown at the time whether or not terrestrial plants could survive without associated symbiotic terrestrial animals, bacteria and fungi, the capability to reproduce in limited form any terrestrial ecosystem was considered essential for longterm survival. The Ebers were not told of this, or if it was mentioned they had no understanding of the potential implications for their own survival.

For the record, terrestrial plants can survive with few terrestrial symbionts. Bacterial and fungal analogs native to 82 Eridani IV fill the remaining symbiotic niches. This is due to chemical similarities between terrestrial life and lifeforms present on 82 Eridani IV at the time of human arrival.

Scientific Research on 82 Eridani IV

Both the UAR and Texas enclaves carry out a variety of scientific research projects, primarily in exobiology, exoarchaeology, exopaleontology and sapientology. Exobiology is required to monitor the interactions of terrestrial and Kormoran ecologies, and exoarchaeology and sapientology are necessary to maximize constructive interactions with the native Ebers.

Paleontological research is regarded as being of limited value for short term human survival, and is primarily conducted by automomous robots. These robots possess limited AI intellects that allow them to seek out fossil-bearing strata and to excavate and catalog fossil remains of organims from 82 Eridani IV. Information obtained by these robots is then made available to their respective enclaves for "leisure" research.

Technology Changes from Orthodox 2300AD Campaigns

Presence of nanotechnology (very likely by 2300 AD - hell, very likely by 2100 AD). This is manifested most often in the following ways:

1) boosted immune systems (increased resistance to toxins, infections, etc.).

2) higher rate of tissue recovery and healing (healing rates can be increased as long as water and food are available to power the operation).

3) Smart Dust (nanotech communication nets, observation drones, etc.).

4) Construction and Material Science (stronger walls, houses that build themselves, machines capable of self-repair or directed modification, etc.).

Note that nanotechnology is tightly controlled to prevent "mutations" in the code that controlls and defines functions for each type of nano-device.

Computer and Communication Technology

Computers in 2300AD bear very little resemblance to computers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. The computers brought by humans to Kormoran more closely resemble biological nervous systems and brains than their distant electronic ancestors, and are capable of various degrees of "intelligence." True Artificial intelligence has not been pursued for at least two hundred years. "Simulated Intelligence" is considered more practical, but SI itself exists only a replacement to the archaic GUI interfaces of the early Electronic Age. Computers are seen as fundamental tools in much the same way that 20th century humanity perceived paper and pens.

Likewise, the concept of "Cyberpunk" (physically connecting oneself to a machine) is seen as a quaint old belief along with Santa Claus and witchcraft. Circuitry is inserted into human beings (actually, precursor materials are injected and these materials are then assembled into requisit circuitry and transmitters via nanotechnology), and each new "device" can only be used after much practice. For example, a "switch" installed in the musculature of a human will eventually allow them to send and receive signals from computers via 24th century wireless technology. This allows immediate utilization of machinery and computers.

Advanced learning techniques (memes, injections of pm-RNA sequences, etc.) make physically inserting a "skil chip" obsolete (actually, skill chips were never developed). Instead, memories and knowledge can be installed through means that are noninvasive physically. Information imparted in this way can be accessed through practice, but associated physical aspects of this knowledge must be learned. This means that while the maneuvers of every form of martial arts could be installed in a person's memory, the ability to physically carry out these moves has to be learned.

Human reflexes can be modified to some degree, as can senory input, through nanotechnological and microsurgery techniques. These techniques do not always yield the expected results, however - human beings evolved their minds and bodies over millions of years. Changes to the human body, especially the nervous system, run the risk of resulting in "problems" such as schizophrenia, obsessive/compulsive disorders, hallucinations, hysterical blindness and stress-induced catatonia. These drawbacks can be overcome with training and therapy.

Back on Sol III, more extensive modifications are available, and are nondamaging to the humans there. This is mainly because the humans on Sol III really aren't quite human anymore. Genomic and cybernetic alterations to large segements of the population have resulted in humanity reaching the brink of Singularity. Singularity was first conceptualized in the 20th century, and is defined as the point at which humanity would change or be changed to a degree as to be unimaginable or unrecognizable. The closer one gets to Sol III the more apparent these changes become. Backwater worlds like 82 Eridani IV, quite frankly, are populated by primitive (archaic) humans.

Physics and Other Scary Things

Antimatter is old news. Sustainable fusion reactions are ancient history. Manipulation of the Higgs Field to induce folding of space is well-understood. This allows faster-than-light space travel, but also means that "true" warfare has become unimaginably destructive. Space folding allows weapons to be delivered to their targets with no warning. Folding space around a target in a chaotic manner results in the destruction of virtually anything. Accelerating a 1963 Buick LeSabre to 99% C (lightspeed) with an antimatter drive and aiming it at a planet will result in the destruction of any carbon-based biology on the surface of that planet (Kafer problem?  What Kafer problem?). Fortunately for the UAR and Texas enclaves on Kormoran, this technology is not available for use in local "tribal" warfare.

Recommended Resources, Concepts and Ideas:

When Gravity Fails - Arabian Cyberpunk (novels by George Alec Effinger; Cyberpunk RPG sourcebook by R. Talsorian Games, Inc.).

Obligatory Disclaimer and Tirade: Some of the elements of When Gravity Fails may be offensive to some folks (if you're culturally or religiously narrow minded enough to look through a keyhole with both eyes, for example). So don't read 'em if "adult" themes bother you.

GURPS Ultratech I and II sourcbooks.

Tejano folk/pop and Honkeytonk music.

Peruvian flute music - after all, Texas and Peru maintain close and friendly tied in 2300AD, plus it just sounds pretty cool. REMEMBER:  EXPAND YOUR CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE AND HORIZONS!

Read up on Mexican history! Mexican history takes a very different view of the war for Texas Independence back in 1830, the Mexican-American War, etc. This should be reflected in a Texas-oriented 2300AD campaign.

But read up on the Old West too - its mostly B***S***, but its still a lot of fun.

Use MIDI files to simulate Eber speach in your campaigns. If you have access to this document, you can probably find a freeware MIDI-making program is one isn't already installed on your computer.

Other Campaign Notes:

I don't tend to rely on rules and numbers when roleplaying - the story is more important to everyone's enjoyment that the dice and tables are. As a result, I don't define things (like GURPS tech levels). What works, works. A professional background in biotech also skews my perspective - For example, nanotechnology is a much more likely invention than hand-held combat laser weapons.

Personally, I use a set of rules that utilizes one page of text and a single d6:

Game Mechanics:

Attributes: Roll d6 six times, discard lowest roll, and arrange as desired, or distribute 15 points between Fitness, Agility, Knowledge, Courage, and Resources.

Fitness = Strength, endurance, health, etc. Agility = Speed, reflexes, etc.

Knowledge = how educated the character is.

Courage = ability to perform under extremes.

Resources = how much cash, favors, influence the character can call upon.

Skill = How good the character is at the things he/she does. Roll once for profession and each hobby/interest.

The player needs to choose a name and profession and major hobbies for his/her character. Choose 1 profession and a number of hobbies/interests/past times equal to Knowledge score.

Example Professions: Foreign Legionaire, Spaceship Crewman, Colonist, Ranger, Exobiologist, Ditch Digger, etc.

Example Hobbies: Hunting, Computers, 1 Foreign Language, Horsestuff, etc.

Default for Skills is 1. Default for skills related to the character's profession and interests is 2 (ex. A doctor attempting to identify a chemical has no skill in Chemistry. He/she must roll 2 or less on 1d6 to succeed).

To check for the success of a given action, the player must roll the character's score or less in a skill or attribute. A roll of 1 is an automatic success. A roll of 1 followed by a second roll of 1 or 2 is an outstanding success. A roll of 6 followed by a second roll of 6 is an automatic failure.

Contested rolls - subtract the defender's rating from the attacker's. Remember, a roll of 1 is an automatic success.

Damage: Run over by a truck, blown up by grenade, etc. = d6 (lethal to nonlethal) Large caliber guns, chainsaws, flamthrowers, etc. = d6 (lethal) Small-caliber guns, swords, etc. = d3 (lethal) Knives, clubs, etc. = d2 (lethal to nonlethal) Punch, bite, kick, etc. = 1 pt (lethal to nonlethal)

A character can take damage equal to their Fitness rating. Each point of damage (lethal or non-lethal) subtracts that number from the character's current Fitness rating. Each point of damage also reduces all skill checks by an equal amount. When Fitness reaches 0, the character is incapacitated. If the damage is lethal, the character will die in (Fitness) rounds. Characters may attempt to avoid nonlethal damage by rolling under their Fitness on a d6. Lethal damage can be avoided by rolling under Fitness on 2d6. Healing/fitness is recovered as determined by the referee - you'll recover faster in a hospital than you will fighting a horse.

All other situations should be handled as Cinematically Appropriate (i.e. if it'd make a good movie, it'd probably make a good RPing scene).

Pretty simple, eh?