ACTION ON THE RED RIVER

AS USAL, i am  always looking at oddball   scenarios for sci-fi games,
for use with any rules.

since most of our games are actually played using   the old TRAVELLER
RPG system for building worlds, solar systems ,  sub-sectors and sectors
of space, BUT not necssarily following the GDW UNIVERSE,  as scripted,
we also use  wotever ruleset that is most wunnerful  at the time.

we also use  models of spacecraft for actions in space, with  little
lead or plastic joes/jolenes  with  deckplans to fight out boarding
actions, and tabletop terrain to fight out  planetside	actions.

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THE BACKGROUND.

the latest small scale	struggle for truth, justice, and our
joe's/jolene's way of life OUT THERE takes place on  a	low tech level
(mostly steam, wind, muscle, and  animal power outback, with some
interstellar normal level at capital city and built up areas), low
population (3,000,000 at last  census, about half that is transported
colonits) colonial world where	the forcs of lawlessness and disorder
(bandits that used to be transported colonists) are  trying to get
strangle hold  on the local  economy of FIRST SHIP and voluntary
colonists.

this has come  about  due to a change of government backhome (no more
transported scum sent to the off world colonies, but also, no more
government  funding  to run things   off world either!).
 the colonists are on their own.

to this world of wonder comes the some times piratical ffree trader  HI
THERE III,  inbound with a load of agricultural machinery, luxury items,
and smallarms	on a vogage of specultion , as well as a  few wandering
hardcases from unknown pasts, looking for  unkown futures- do not ask,
do not tell passengers,  if you value your  health, if you get my drift.

in due time cargo  and passengers are off loaded, the crew has a
planetside leave, and new cargo and/or passengers are sought out, the HI
THERE III lifts off and returns to roaming the spaceways . . . .

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THE  CARGO.

the agricultural machinery is destined for delivery to a settlement NNW
of the spaceport town, about 200 miles up the  RED RIVER, and smack into
one of the areas largely controlled by bandit bands.
delivery is  scheduled by one of the locaal steam powered river boats,
WANDER OF ERIN, CPT MASON DIXON, master and owner.

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THE  WANDER OF ERIN

THE INFO BELOW IS READILY AVAILABLE TO ANYONE.

WANDER OF ERIN,  100-MT WOOD BURNING   STERNWNEEL   STEAMBOAT,	CREW OF
7, PLUS  THE CAPTAIN. TOP SPEED IS 9 KNOTS, DRAFT 3 FEET. ONLY VESSEL IN
CLASS. NO ARMAMENT, AND NO RADIO.  

DECK CARGO IS STORED UNDER THE	SKELETAL WOODEN SUPERSTRUC- TURE
SUPPORTING THE	PILOT HOUSE, AND  CABINS FOR  CREW AND	6 PASSENGERS.
DECK PASSENGERS, IF ANY,  ARE ON THE MAIN DECK WITH CARGO.

THE MASTER AND HIS CREW ARE TYPICAL RIVER BOAT FOLKS.  NONE HAVE BODY
ARMOR,	 EVERYONE HAS  A HANDGUN, SPARE AMMO, AMD A KNIFE OR HATCHET ON
HIS BELT.

THERE ARE FOUR SHOTGUNS AND FOUR CARBINES IN THE BOAT'S ARMORY WITH
LIMITED AMMO ALONG WITH TWO FLAREPISTOLS AND 2 DOZEN ASSORTED COLORED
FLARES.

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THE  BOFFINS.

IN ADDITION TO THE  MASTER/ OWNER AND CREW, THERE ARE  FOUR  (4)  BODS
TRAVELLING UP RIVER TO	THE SERF DIG 50 MILES BEYOND THE DELIVERY POINT
FOR THE AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY.
BOFFINS OF VARIOUS AGES, 3 MALE 1 FEMALE, VISIBLY ARMED WITH HANDGUNS.
ONE OF THEM IS	A MEDICAL DOCTOR.

THE BOFFINS  HAVE LIMITED AMMO FOR THEIR HANDGUNS, PLUS   A SHOTGUN, 2
CARBINES AND A RIFLE WITH LIMITED AMMO IN THEIR BAGGAGE (UNSEEN AND
UNKNOWN TO BANDIT  SPIES).

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THE MANIAX.

 Waiting up river for them  at THE THREE SISTERS is BIG MIKE FINK and
his  MANIAX,  one of the  more suffessful  bandit bands roaming the
outback and collecting	tolls from RED RIVER  traffic.
BIG MIKE has other plans for the ag machinery and boffins.

there are 30 MANIAX in BIG MIKE's bandit band.	about 1/3 are veterans,
1/3 are experienced, and 1/3 are "green",
all have horses or mules to ride and carry supplies..

BIG MIKE, his LTs (4 of them) and about half of the MANIAX have light
body armor, all have a CCW (knife,  machete, club, hatchet, etc). the
rest rely on  poor hygiene and clothing  for protection. 

 weaponry is mostly of	 the "liberated" colonist variety-hanguns,
shotgus, carbines, rifles-with a few  captured lawforcer hanguns, SMG,
assault rifles,  three LMG with limited ammo., and  a half dozen
homemade  hand grenades

BIG MIKE's shooty pride and  joy is a 90mm recoilless rifle (with 12
rouds of HE ammo) captured from   OLD MAN JENNING's place.

BIG MIKE depends on pistol launched flares, smoke signals, hand signals,
lung power, runners etc, for battlefield commo	 

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THE  THREE SISTERS.

this is a grouping of three large rocks, with smaller rocks and dirt
around them , making small rocky  islands, actually,  located  smack in
the middle of  an S-bend in the RED RIVER.

river traffic must either go  between the THREE SISTERS, or pass close
to the	shore on either side of them, where river boats pass with  mere
yards of the  tree and brush lined  banks.   either way, the combo of
increased downstream current, and hazard reduces the  speed of anyriver
boat to about 6 knots when  negotiteing the THREE SISTERS .

it is common to transit this section of river before nightfall.

also, due to dangers of traveling at night, it is common for  riverboats
to  tied up  at the river bank or anchor in midestream for the	night .  

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AT game start it is about 1300 hours , local time, the day is clear and
cool, with good visibility.

you deploy the MANIAX as you see fit.

riverboat  crew is accounted for thusly;  

a. PILOTHOUSE;	CAPTAIN and MATE, sidearms only.  other riverboat
weaponry is stored in catpain's cabin , and in the  engine room.

ENGINEROOM;  ENGINEER and  STOKERS X 2

c.  MAINDECK ;	  both deck hands 

d.  PASSENGER CABINS;	all of the boffins ae in their cabins, they have
removed  their other weapons from baggage and loaded same.

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DAWGIE