Random Encounters: Derelict Space Colony

When new, it was a glittering gem of the heavens: a rotating cylinder four kilometers across and ten kilometers long, with great mirrors to focus sunlight inside. It boasted towns, farms, schools, factories — a city in space. But time and economics haven't been kind to the colony. The resource ran out or the trade route never developed, so people began leaving in search of better opportunities. On-board systems failed from lack of maintenance and spare parts. Crooks and scavengers took over, but the decline continued. Decades later, the colony no longer responds to radio messages and seems to be completely abandoned — though it does still hold breathable air. A group of daring astronauts go aboard and find . . .

ENCOUNTERS ABOARD THE DERELICT SPACE COLONY

(Roll 1d20 when moving about inside the colony, 1d10 when stationary.)

1. Roll twice and combine
2. Plot advancing encounter: Something related to what brought the party to the colony.
3. Combat Robot: It's badly damaged, and was abandoned here decades ago, but it still has thick armor and deadly weapons. There's a 10 percent chance it simply attacks anyone it deems "hostile" (i.e. everyone); otherwise it has a more complex goal.
4. Criminals: A band of space pirates use the derelict colony as a place to stash supplies and hide out when the heat's on. There are 2d6 pirates, mostly space-adapted humans or uplifted chimps, in light armor and equipped with personal defense weapons. They want to know who any strangers are, and why they're in the colony. As always, dead men tell no tales.
5. Feral AI: Very intelligent but ruthless, it's trapped in the derelict colony's data systems and wants to get away before everything fails completely.
6. Ghouls: Nocturnal cannibals overjoyed to find some fresh meat. They move around using access tunnels below ground level.
7. Giant Rats: They've mutated and bred for size, and are at least as clever as their smaller cousins.
8. Mysterious Stranger: Eccentric, seems to know everything, and won't reveal how he got here. Will lend aid to any humanitarian project, but also lends his opinions on how to do everything.
9. Swarm: A huge swarm of big beetles sweeps through the area, stripping everything edible.
10. Weather: The colony's climate is getting chaotic. A sudden, intense windstorm accompanied by baseball-sized chunks of hail lasts for 2d20 minutes.
11. Fabricator: Amazingly, this small automated factory still works. It can produce any item up to one kilogram in mass. There is a 10 percent chance that the fabricator will run out of some ingredient and be unable to finish a given item ordered.
12. Fire! The colony's fire-suppression systems are failing, so a wildfire sweeps through an area 1d100 meters on a side. It spreads slowly, unless there's also a storm going on, in which case the fire moves faster than a running human.
13. Fugitive: He fled here to escape justice for a monstrous crime. The other factions avoid him out of fear. He wants some companionship and won't take no for an answer.
14. Holographic Game: Something has activated an ancient entertainment system, so this area's full of people in Musketeer-era costumes bantering, flirting, and challenging people to duels.
15. Remnants: 1d6 descendants of the colony's original population, now far gone in ignorance and fanaticism. They attack with spears and poison darts.
16. Ruined Hotel: Once a luxury spa, it's been stripped of furnishings and overgrown by weeds and vines. The Remnants (#15) consider it taboo; they won't enter, but they'll also try to kill anyone who does.
17. Spy Drone: The Criminals have sent out a small recon unit to track the intruders.
18. Swamp: A region 1d4 kilometers wide is flooded and choked with weeds and small trees. It's too wet to walk through, and too overgrown for boats.
19. Trap: A cunning net trap made of super-strong monofilament. Roll 1d6 to see who set it. 1: Criminals (see #4), 2-3: Ghouls (see #6), 4-5: Remnants (see #15), 6: The Fugitive (#13).
20. Tracks: Roll again to see what left traces.

SITUATIONS WITHIN THE DERELICT COLONY

1. A desires B
2. A wants to capture B
3. A wants B dead
4. A wants to go somewhere
5. A wants to solve a mystery
6. A wants X

REACTION TABLE

Roll 2d6 for each new encounter, +1 if the players outnumber those encountered, -2 if they are injured or fleeing something.

2-3: Hostile — will attack or take other hostile action.

4-5: Unfriendly — make threats, demand tribute, chase intruders away.

6-8: Neutral — no open hostility, will communicate.

9-10: Tolerant — willing to trade or make deals, won't give help for nothing.

11-12: Friendly — genuinely helpful and seek alliance.