Tag Archives: GameMaster’s Resource

D10: Europe Rumours – Entering Europe

Europe10 Hooks and Rumours for Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.’s Europe

This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about the process of trying to get past the borders of Europe. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

  1. Europe’s land borders are still maintained by the forces of their member nations, rather than being a unified group in charge of this, which causes a degree of variability in how borders are watched. It’s rumoured that some within Europe would like to create a unified border police force, but no nation seems willing to lose control of its landward borders.
  2. Hydrophones have been planted around the coasts of Europe by several northern nations in the hopes of perfecting underwater surveillance. Ships would be identified by the sound of their screw, and it’s rumoured that a database of ship screw sounds is being slowly built up, and that a bounty is paid for any genuine sound that can be added.
  3. It’s said that if a way of getting into the EC under the radar seems to be too good to be true, that’s because it is. It’s rumoured that the cheapest smugglers don’t make their money from the fees they charge, but from what they can sell their human cargo for. Both intact and in pieces.
  4. Permanent cards allow the person who has one to permanently reside in the EC, and obtaining them is difficult. Naturally, there is a market in fake and stolen cards as a result, and it’s rumoured that some fake cards that have recently been cropping up on the black market are so convincing that they must be being obtained with the cooperation of bureaucrats inside the EC government.
  5. Permanent Resident’s Cards allow someone who has one to live in Europe and gain most of the benefits of EC citizenship, including upgrading to full citizenship after five years. The cards can be revoked at any time, and it’s rumoured that a high percentage of cards are revoked in the last six months of the five years needed to become a full citizen.
  6. The different forces that guard the land borders of Europe are said to be of varying quality. Or, rather, of varying honesty, with some of them, members of certain countries’ forces, being far more amenable to taking a bribe than others. However, it’s said that bribing them is dangerous, because many of those taking a bribe will turn in anyone offering such, after they have been paid.
  7. The EC will give citizenship to those who have made “cultural contributions” which means the recovery of lost artistic and cultural treasures. It’s rumoured that there’s a thriving black market in fake “missing” minor league artwork that is sold to those who believe they can use it to bargain for citizenship.
  8. The Navy is the unified force that protects the coastal borders of the EC against smugglers. Recently, subs have become a major problem, even though they are easy to spot from orbit. The Navy is reputedly looking into deploying automated torpedo platforms that will fire on any sub without a valid transponder, though this has been meeting pushback out of concerns about just how accurate the systems are at telling friend from foe.
  9. There are illegal methods of entering Europe, but as with all such methods, those using them should be very careful about who they trust. Some of those claiming to sneak people over the borders instead kill them and strip them for parts, both cybernetic and organic.
  10. Those entering Europe from outside the zone are heavily scrutinised by customs police when they fly in, and the rooms where interviews are carried out house ducts to deliver paralysing nerve gas. It’s rumoured that in extreme situations, the gas emitted by these ducts is far more dangerous than merely paralysing.

D10: Europe Rumours – Entering Europe is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D10: Fantasy Killers

knife2
Publisher’s Choice Quality Stockart © Rick Hershey/Fat Goblin Games

Fantasy settings can have their killers, and some of them may well be magical or undead in nature. Here are ten killers for a fantasy setting, inspired by some slasher villains though changed for a fantasy setting.

  1. A wealthy family recently purchased a large animated doll from a wizard for one of their children and shortly afterwards the entire family, including the children, was found bludgeoned to death in their beds. The doll was not initially realised to be missing; it was only when the wizard asked about it that this was discovered to be the case. Given the price of the doll, it was thought the family was killed by someone who then stole it, but apparently the watch found bloody footprints at the scene that suggest otherwise.
  2. A number of villagers have recently been killed whilst they slept, and when found they appear to have been attacked something wielding odd, sharp blades. A figure has also been noticed slinking around the village at night; they appear to have been wearing a hat to hide their face and a curious metal gauntlet on one hand. This figure has shown an ability to vanish from places where there were no exits.
  3. Reports have been heard of an unusually tall figure haunting the local graveyard at night. This has been linked to a number of graverobbings that have been carried out of recent burials. It looks as if some attempt has been made to investigate this tall being, and a couple of bodies that have been dismembered by sharp blades have been found. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the figure has a number of unusually large ioun stones orbiting them.
  4. Several murders of young locals have been attributed to a killer who has only vaguely been glimpsed. The killer in question has been reported to be possibly masked, as their face has proven to be unusually pale and devoid of expression, and perhaps wearing a wig as well. They have been seen wearing some kind of work attire, and the kills have been carried out with what is presumed to be a large knife. Folk are being warned not to be out alone at night.
  5. The docks are said to be haunted by the ghost of a fisherman who was injured by landies and thrown into the water to drown. It’s said that the ghost can be recognised by its hooded raincoat and the longshoreman’s hook he holds in one hand and which he used to attack and kill the landborn he comes across. Others claim that the hook replaces a hand the ghost lost in life.
  6. The local woods have become dangerous to visit, not because of any dangerous animals, but because someone seems to be killing anyone in them that they come across. A few bodies have been found, all bearing various signs of injury. Some appear to have bene shot with a bow and arrow, whilst all of them bear some sign of torture. A local herbalist has stated that many also show signs of having consumed a sleeping herb, which could be how the killer is subduing their victims.
  7. The owners of the local mine have been seeking help after a number of what were initially thought to be fatal accidents within the mine turned out to be murders. This was discovered when someone reported seeing one of the murders happen, and it was done by someone dressed as a miner, though one hiding their face behind a mask under their helmet. It’s not known whether the murderer is the dead spirit of a miner, or someone killing those in the mine for their own purposes.
  8. There have been several murders of people in their homes recently, predominately of wealthier individuals or their family members. In each case, only one person has died and some have noted the presence of a good quality mirror near the bodies. No-one was seen entering or leaving the buildings, which in some cases were locked from the inside, though there have been reports of a tall man being seen within. It’s assumed that some kind of magic is being used to gain entry.
  9. There is apparently some currently unidentifiable form of undead plaguing the local area, preying on people, preferably those in the stages of early adulthood. A number of deaths have been assigned to this creature, though unlike most undead kills, it appears that the creature is using a large blade as their weapon. There have been a handful of sightings, leading to the belief that the creature is undead; it has a ragged black form and a distorted, pail white, rigid screaming face.
  10. What sounds like a jester has been seen recently, even though it is some time since the last circus passed through the area. The individual is apparently dressed in typical jester fashion, though there are comments that the facial makeup is oddly disturbing. The jester would not be considered worthy of notice, as they have, despite their somewhat disturbing appearance, never been seen to threaten anyone, but since the jester appeared, a number of local children have disappeared.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D10: Numenera Rumours – Taracal II

Numenera Cover
TM and © 2019 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has ten rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Hearsay that can be found in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.

  1. Abikitan has a shop on the Float that sells puff pastries but she’s more well-known for her healing services, which compete with those of the Canonicate’s Healer. Despite the Healer rarely leaving the main arcology, there are rumours that the Caononicate is still contemplating shutting down a rival.
  2. Senior members of Taracal’s Canonicate Council meet every week to discuss the city’s most pressing issues. It’s rumoured that recently the council has become fractured over some matter, with some members of the council wanting to pursue one solution, and the rest another.
  3. Taracal trades with many coastal cities, and has built up quite a network over the years. Some say that the floating arcology doesn’t merely trade with the cities of the coast, they also secretly invest some of the money made from trade in businesses in those cities, gradually building up their influence and power.
  4. The bonds are those who commit crimes in Taracal or who come to the city with nothing to offer, and they are pressed into indentured servitude for five years. It’s rumoured that the number of bonds from outside the city has been increasing, due to an attempt to reduce the number of citizens in service, and that the city government is less than bothered about how such are obtained.
  5. The Canonicate of Taracal is comprised of those who pledge themselves to the Unfathomable. The organisation governs Taracal, but has a lot of turnover, as few can use the Unfathomable’s powers for more than a few years without risking death. Former members leave Taracal, and it’s said that a large network of former members covers much of the Steadfast, perhaps with some goal in mind.
  6. The Float is the name given to the raft, piers and craft that are either permanently fixed or moored to Taracal, and it’s also a place where many different things are bought and sold. Fish is, naturally, one of these things, but there are rumours you can buy anything needed at the Float, even if what you want is illegal in the arcology.
  7. The Overseer is the one who soon approaches new arrivals to Taracal, to determine if they should be taken into service as bonds, because they can’t leave on their own, or be given another option. It’s rumoured that some of those who could make their own way off the arcology still end up as one of the bonds, as whatever means they had of leaving mysteriously vanishes or is stolen.
  8. The Sky Deck is the topmost level of Taracal and is home to many different activities, most of them seemingly innocuous. It’s rumoured, though, that the Canonicate keeps an eye on just who is on the Sky Deck and what activities they take part in, as a person’s leisure activities can give insights into their character.
  9. The undersea community of Skelirroth sometimes comes into conflict with Taracal, as the dredges that comprise Skelirroth damage the parts of the ocean they pass through, which includes those that Taracal does. It’s rumoured that the floating arcology has recently been hiring mercenaries onshore, especially those with maritime and underwater experience, perhaps with the intent of launching an attack on the undersea community.
  10. Though there are rumours that some of the bonds of Taracal, those forced into indentured servitude, are planning revolt, nothing has ever come of it. Some say that this is because the plans are still coming to fruition; others that the Canonicate has spies within the bonds that report on those planning anything.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D8: The Strange Rumours – Monsters: Ruk

WorldsThe Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has eight  rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

  1. Gnathostomes of Ruk are related to the autonomous ecology samplers used by some factions, though they prey on other creatures. Tame samplers have been programmed to seek out gnathostomes and conduct bioassays on them, to discover how the creatures came to be. It’s rumoured that some tame samplers have since been seen again, but changed into gnathostomes.
  2. Marroids mutated from a genetically engineered tool and now look for fresh marrow from living creatures to sample. It’s rumoured that marroids are still mutating, and that there are ever more dangerous types appearing, and ones that hunger for things other than marrow; some, apparently, seek technological items.
  3. Myriand patrol Harmonius, ensuring that citizens and guests remain safe and that rules are followed. It’s rumoured, though, that not every myriand is a true myriand; some claim that one of the factions has discovered how to make beings that appear to be myriands, but which are loyal to the faction.
  4. Ruk’s spore worms are dangerous, intelligent but generally incomprehensible predators that disable prey with spore clouds. Some factions have been trying to gain the secrets of artificially making the spores, given that the worms themselves have so far proven impossible to train.
  5. The Ankaseri faction of Ruk, before they were eliminated, sold an artificial heart graft, called angiophages, that was weaponised and which, when activated, dug its way out of the graft recipient’s chest and killed a target by digging their heart out. There’s a rumour that someone has been doing research on the angiophage, wanting to start manufacturing them again.
  6. The Qinod Singularity expels constructs that are usually dangerous and need dealing with. It’s rumoured that recently some new constructs of types never seen before have been expelled by the Singularity, though no-one seems to have proof of this.
  7. Utricles are predators created by Ruk factions who are not bothered about just who the creatures eat. Existing utricles don’t distinguish master from prey, which does reduce how useful they are, given that they are just as willing to eat their creators as an intruder, but it’s rumoured that at least one faction has managed to alter the design to make utricles more controllable.
  8. Variokaryon are those who have had some many grafts that they’ve become addicted to them. They seek to incorporate as many new grafts as they can get away with, and there are rumours that there are variokaryon that prey on others of their kind, becoming true abominations of grafts.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D10: Deep Space Rumours – Planets

Space Station10 Hooks and Rumours for Space in Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.

This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about the moons and planets in Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

  1. ESA and NASA have both established manned installations on the moons of Mars, and the JAB also claims a portion of the moons’ surfaces. The moons are both small, with only a limited amount of area, and it’s rumoured that both the ESA and NASA bases have defensive armament installed, waiting for a conflict both feel is inevitable.
  2. JAB has been collecting mineral-rich asteroids and propelling them out of the belt using shunt-rockets for mining. It’s also claimed that these are tests of kinetic energy weapons; accelerating asteroids with the rockets and launching them at targets, probably on Earth, Luna or Mars. This would create weapons nearly impossible to stop.
  3. Mercury is a nearly airless cinder that is too close to the Sun to really be a suitable target for colonisation or development. However, there have been suggestions in the past about building a solar power collector/emitter array in orbit. Recently, it seems that there have been investigations done into making such, although it’s said that a ring of solar panels built around the planet’s equator is also being considered.
  4. Most mining operations within the Belt are done by remotely-operated automated systems, as a way of avoiding the region’s dangers. It’s rumoured that sometimes these operations are hacked, resulting in whatever is being mined being dispatched elsewhere, presumably so that whoever is doing it can gain the benefits of asteroid mining without the expense.
  5. The DSS Pathfinder is a major scientific mission dispatched by NASA to survey the Jovian system, though it hasn’t arrived yet. It’s rumoured that as well as surveying the different moons that the expedition is going to pay particular attention to the oceans of Europa; some claim that NASA has discovered something that is specifically directing them there.
  6. The La Grange points of Earth are becoming increasingly crowded with colonies and factories being built at them, and it’s rumoured that some of the organisations operating in space believe that something needs to be done about this. Of course, they typically want other companies to leave, and it’s said that some of them are considering using force to do this.
  7. The three massdrivers in Luna maintain a steady stream of material mined from the moon to Earth orbit for use there. It’s rumoured that an attempt to take control of one of the massdrivers was recently thwarted, and that if it hadn’t been, the massdriver would have started targeting locations on Earth.
  8. There are clear indications that there are large amounts of water and atmosphere are trapped beneath the surface of Mars, and several teams are studying the deposits with the aim of gradually releasing them into the atmosphere. It’s rumoured, though, that at least one team favours a much faster approach, releasing all the trapped gasses and water in a single, massive burst.
  9. Titan, the moon of Saturn, is substantially larger than Luna and, unlike any other moon in the solar system, has a true atmosphere, albeit of nitrogen and methane. The Cassini probe was unable to confirm or deny whether the rain of organic compounds in Titan’s atmosphere might have allowed life to form, and a joint JAB/NASA probe is intended to investigate further. It’s rumoured that this mission has suffered a number of sabotage incidents from an unknown party, perhaps another organisation that wishes to get to Titan first.
  10. Venus, despite being comparable to Earth in size and gravity, is completely unsuited for human life without a lot of protection. There are rumours that some companies and organisations are investigating cloud-skimming on the planet, with the aim of scooping up the dangerous compounds and gasses in the atmosphere.

Want some general space rumours? Check out 100 Rumours to Hear in the Space Port Bar.

D10: Deep Space Rumours – Planets is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D10: Embarrassing Deaths

Skeletal Corpse
Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission

Some deaths are worthy of legend, of heroes falling battling countless foes or performing great acts. Other deaths are so embarrassing that they are best forgotten. This is ten deaths by accident, incompetence and misadventure that will only make their way into a bardic tale as a source of humour.

  1. Accidentally spills oil over themselves and ignites it, causing them to go up in flames.
  2. Clothing catches on something, causing them to fall badly and break their own neck.
  3. Goes to sheathe their sword and misses, accidentally slicing their own leg open and severing an artery.
  4. Slices their own hand with a blade to which they are applying poison, fatally poisoning themself.
  5. Stumbles and falls, breaking their neck when they land.
  6. Tripped over their own feet and fell over, impaling themselves on their own weapon.
  7. The ceiling collapses on them after a misaimed blow hits a weakened upright.
  8. The head of their mace flies off as they swing it and smashes their own skull.
  9. Their crossbow violently disassembles itself, sending parts flying into their skull.
  10. Turns in their saddle and falls off their horse, breaking their neck.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D6 Hooks and Rumours for the Blight: Festival

MarketHere are six rumours for characters to hear in or about Festival in Castorhage, also called the Blight, of the Lost Lands setting. They could hear these rumours whilst asking around for other information, or stumble across them in other ways. Whether or not a rumour is true, false or somewhere in between is up to the GameMaster. The rumours can be used as a source of background colour, misinformation or as potential adventure hooks.

  1. Almost half of Festival is covered by the Crimson Lantern, the city’s red-light district. As well as the more normal pleasures pursued, there are rumoured to be even stranger ones sought, and provided for, with some of the most illegal being available, albeit not openly, in some of the darkest corners of the district.
  2. Festival is a huge, artificial island built on top of a low hill in the Great Lyme River. It’s rumoured that recently parts of the island have been suffering from structural issues, with a number of poorly-maintained locations plunging into the river as a result.
  3. Festival is notorious, both within and without Castorhage itself, for the various scams that are run on the unwitting. Most of these scams are simply intended to separate the gullible from their money, but it’s rumoured that there are a few being run with much darker outcomes.
  4. Freakshows are hardly unheard of in Festival, and some have more than a little fame. It’s rumoured that there are darker freakshows that can be found tucked away in out of the way parts of Festival, where true horrors and freaks can be seen. Given what can be seen at normal freakshows, there is speculation about just what might be so bad that it couldn’t be shown in such.
  5. It’s rumoured that someone in the Jaunt is building their own private little empire within Festival, and no-one has been able to stop them so far. It’s also said there’s a substantial price on this individual’s head from those who would prefer that they be convinced to cease their operations, preferably by removing said head from their body.
  6. Those unfamiliar with Festival can easily get lost in the district, which can cause a host of problems, as there are people willing to prey on them in various ways. Even worse, sometimes people get lost because of the effects of Between on the area, and those that get lost that way are rarely seen again.

Want more rumours for Festival? Check out 100 Hooks and Rumours for the Blight: Festival (Lost Lands).

This product contains intellectual property of Frog God Games LLC under license. Such intellectual property is considered Product Identity under the terms of the Open Game License provided by Wizards of the Coast.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D4: Numenera Rumours – Creatures IV

Numenera Cover
TM and © 2019 Monte Cook Games, LLC.

Numenera is a game published by Monte Cook Games. Its setting is the Ninth World, and this list has four rumours for that setting. The rumours, which are similar to the Use that can be found with creature descriptions in the official books, can be used as adventure hooks or as simple misinformation.

  1. A thuman has been encountered on the roads and behaving strangely. It’s watching those who apss by carefully, and sometimes is launching attacks if they go in a certain direction, though stopping as soon as the direction has changed, or the thuman is at risk. Some wonder if the thuman is protecting its master in some way.
  2. Terahydras have been raiding an outlying village, flying down from their nests to swoop off with the village’s livestock, and sometimes other things. The behaviour is a bit odd for tetrahydras, as they seem to be acting in cooperation with each other and selecting specific targets, as well as continually raiding the same place.
  3. Travonis ul are walking appetites from an unknown world that constantly look for cellular matter to eat. They are intelligent, but so alien that no-one has been unable to understand how they think. Travonis ul are also far too dangerous to try to communicate with, but that isn’t always enough to stop someone from trying. A Nano believes that, despite lacking any known ability to communicate, travonis ul can communicate and wants to capture one to try and talk to it.
  4. Varakith are insect like creatures that nest underground and which are surprisingly intelligent. They are normally found alone or in pairs, but there are rumours that beneath the surface are larger realms of varakith, where the creatures live in dozens, if not hundreds.

Want some items that could be used as oddities? Check out 100 Xenoarchaeological Finds.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D10: The Strange Rumours – Monsters: Ardeyn

WorldsThe Strange is a game published by Monte Cook Games. It is, at least in part, set in the normal world, but there are other worlds out there, in the Strange. This list has ten rumours for that setting, similar to the various different adventure hooks in the books, and these can be used as adventure hooks or simple misinformation.

  1. According to legend, the first dragons were made by Lotan, a legend that vastly annoys any dragon who’s asked if it’s true, and an annoyed dragon is a fearful sight. However, it’s rumoured that part of dragons’ annoyance at the question is because it is true, and that because they were created by Lotan, Lotan still has the ability to control them.
  2. Demons of Lotan are spirits of the dead transformed by Lotan into demons. They have no flesh and can possess others, and recently it’s said there’s been an upsurge in such possessions, suggesting that more demons of Lotan are active. Worse, most demons of Lotan strive only to cause as much harm as possible, but recently they seem to be acting with some kind of goal in mind other than random destruction.
  3. Dlamma egg fragments are said to insulate against the effects of magic, which makes them greatly sought after by adventurers, as well as others. It’s rumoured that some dlammas have grown tired of people hunting for egg fragments, though, and have started taking measures against such expeditions.
  4. Giants are a dangerous problem for Ardeyn, for gigantism is a curse whose sufferers are perfectly human most of the time, and often unknowing of their behaviour as giants. It’s rumoured that a group of people has started hunting down anyone known to have had a giant anywhere in their ancestry, or even suspected to have one, and killing them, in an attempt to wipe the curse out.
  5. Hydras incorporate useful heads from their victims into their body, where they eventually become as happy as the other heads. It’s rumoured that there is a hydra with a vast number of heads that it has acquired over many years, gaining a great deal of arcane knowledge as a result, making it both incredibly knowledgeable and incredibly dangerous.
  6. Kray were shown how to get past the Seven Rules of Ardeyn by the Betrayer, and today the creatures plague the recursion. It’s rumoured that the number of kray being encountered in Ardeyn has been steadily increasing over the years, and there’s a fear that they are still coming in from the Strange.
  7. Monitors are remnant Qephilim of Silence that went into hiding when the Incarnation of Silence disappeared. According to most, they haven’t been seen in centuries. However, there are rumours that some have seen a number of monitors congregating in out of the way places, and wonder if they have gained new knowledge about their Incarnation.
  8. The Betrayer, the former Incarnation of War of Ardeyn, makes several hundred homunculi, broadly in his own semblance. Most noteworthy are the translucent ones, which are the greatest of their kind. It’s rumoured that there is one of their precursor homunculi, one that looks identical to the Betrayer, hiding out somewhere in Ardeyn.
  9. The Incarnations summoned the golems of Ardeyn to mobility during the Age of Myth, and many still remain, now devoid of purpose or master. Sometimes they wake if disturbed, and occasionally magic can press them into service. It’s rumoured, though, that every now and then a golem awakens and sets off for an unknown destination, and some say they are all travelling to the same place, with a definite, albeit unknown, purpose.
  10. Umber judges are seen outside the Night Vault looking for escaped spirits, rogue necromancers and banned copies of the Gospels of Lotan. However, it’s ru8moured that recently one has been encountered that doesn’t appear to be seeking out any of these things, but looking for something else entirely.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.

D10: Deep Space Rumours – Organisations

Space Station10 Hooks and Rumours for Space in Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0.

This list has ten hooks and rumours that can be heard about the organisations operating in space in Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0. Whether or not they are true is up to the GameMaster. They can be used as background colour or as potential adventure hooks.

  1. All ESA facilities in space are now kept under intensive surveillance in order to prevent something like the O’Neill Wars, in which they lost control of two orbital cylinders, from happening again. Even so, it’s said there are still underground movements operating on the remaining facilities that haven’t been fully rooted out, and sooner or later another rebellion will happen.
  2. Almost 85% of the orbital workshacks and space stations have been built by the Japanese Aerospace Bureau, thanks to its ability to mass produce them cheaply and efficiently. There are rumours, though, that everything manufactured by the JAB has backdoors built in, allowing the organisation to spy on others and, perhaps, even cause damage to the facilities.
  3. IEC took the step to move operations off Earth more than any other mega-corp, though both EBM and Araska are now pursuing the same plan. There are rumours, though, that all three corporations have been clashing over the matter, as they are fighting for supremacy in orbit.
  4. International Electric Corporation is the second largest orbital-based conglomerate, as they have moved much of their corporate infrastructure into orbit out of fear of an Orbital/Earth war. It’s rumoured that IEC has done more than simply move their infrastructure and manufacturing facilities; it’s said they are also developing space-based weapons platforms and ships. Purely for self-defence, of course.
  5. It’s rumoured that one of the probes into the outer Solar System discovered something unexpected, which is being kept quiet. It’s not known which organisation was operating the probe, but there are only a limited number who operate such in the depths of the system, with NASA being put forward as a possible contender.
  6. NASA is the primary source of transport for personnel and equipment to and from Mars and is using its position on the red planet to conduct further exploration of the Belt and the outer Solar System beyond. There are rumours that as well as the known sites in operation in the Belt that NASA has a secret facility where additional research is carried out.
  7. The USAF has had at least three deep space weapons platforms commissioned in the last five years, a matter of concern to others in space as they could easily destroy other facilities. It is also better armed and equipped than any other orbital power and is more willing to use these. It’s rumoured that they also have some secret bases out in the Belt where new weapons are being constructed, well out of the site of most of the other powers.
  8. There are rumours about just what the Utopian Corporation is up to and just what it’s been responsible for over the tears. UC has facilities scattered across the solar system, and it’s rumoured that the corporation is manufacturing nanotech-based weaponry at some of the remoter facilities.
  9. There have been rumours for some time that the SRC has been planning manned missions to Venus and Mercury to set up mining outposts on the planets, and some insist that the preliminary stages of these missions are already underway, though they don’t appear to be able to explain how the SRC has managed to do such without anyone noticing.
  10. Utopian Corporation was founded when a small team of scientists from Microtech left the company after it decided to target computer technology. Since then, UC has gained a technological capacity that outstrips any other corporation. It’s rumoured that Microtech would now do almost anything to bring the wayward company into the fold, though it’s unclear how this could possibly be done.

Want some general space rumours? Check out 100 Rumours to Hear in the Space Port Bar.

D10: Deep Space Rumours – Organisations is unofficial content provided under the Homebrew Content Policy of R. Talsorian Games and is not approved or endorsed by RTG. This content references materials that are the property of R. Talsorian Games and its licensees.

Want to Get a Discount on New Releases?

Sign up for our newsletter and get them by email in our weekly update together with discounts on new releases.