This article continues on from the last, presenting three different seeds for adventure ideas that begin planetside, each developed in six different ways.

4. "Just when I thought I was out ..."

In one way or another, the travellers run afoul of a crime syndicate of some type on the local planet.

Plot Twists.

1. A frame job. This is the flipside of plot seed #1-4, but focused on criminals. For some reason they've framed the PCs for a local crime. The authorities may not be after the travellers; they may not even know of the crime. But the PCs certainly learn of things quickly, and they're going to have to dive into the local crime scene to found out what's going on before it's too late.
2. Crime is the law! Criminals have taken over the local starport and are now running it as, in part, a massive extortion scam. Ship systems suspiciously go wrong and the local 'port offers to fix them for a greatly marked-up fee.
3. Benevolent criminals. Though technically criminals, the crime cartel has a Robin Hood complex. It is rebelling against oppression in order to aid the underclass (perhaps going to the stereotypical rob-from-the-right-to-give-to-the-poor extreme, but that's certain not requiretd). They see kindred souls in the PCs, and try and get their help on a particular mission.
4. A deal too good to be true. (Usually is.) The PCs are offered a great deal: trade goods for pennies on the dollar. Unfortunately, they're stolen. When the players find the goods stolen from them in turn, they may head off with vengeance on their mind--but they may reconsider when they find out that the "thieves" were just reclaiming what was theirs, and the real criminals were the sellers.
5. A deal you can't refuse. A "concerned citizen" approaches the PCs and asks them to take out a crime lord. He even offers up lots of information on the criminal operations, explains how the PCs can get government sanction for the assault on the criminals, and proposes a reward. It wouldn't take much digging for the PCs to realize that the "citizen" is a competing crime lord himself. But taking out a criminal operation would still be a good thing, wouldn't it?
6. Deal me in. What's a stop in a city without some gambling? Unfortunately, the decks arestacked in the favor of the house. Do the PCs make some trouble when they realize cheating is going on, or do they accept their losses?

5. "I'm not a tourist, I'm a traveller, dammit!"

The local planet has a particular site of interest which the PCs opt to visit. The following plotlets each suggest an interesting tourist attraction and a possible complication; you might want to use one or both.

Plot Twists.

1. A masterpiece of government. The planet has some notable governmental site (like the US capital buildings, the Roman senate, or a place where notable laws were enacted or signed). Complication: Rebels opposed to the government take over the site or threaten to destroy it--while the PCs are there, of course.
2. A psionic miracle. Some particular combination of weather, time, and landscape creates a psionic phenomenon on the planet. Perhaps people can hear the thoughts of others, their own inner beliefs, or even voices from across the universe. (Thanks to E.C. Tubb and The Winds of Gath.) Complication: A secret psionic institute is associated with the phenomenon and accidentally reveals itself.
3. A great shopping mall. Travellers love to shop, so offer them a mall, bazaar, or trade center which has unique items not found elsewhere in the universe. Complication: The sellers require more than just money, such as help with some task or participation in some study.
4. A historical site. The planet includes a place of particular importance to the history of the Imperium. This could be the site of a notable battle, the crash location of a space ship, or the last resting place of a hero or Emperor. Complication: The public record of the history of the location is false--perhaps as a means to influence public opinion or perhaps because no one knows the true story. Except the players find it out.
5. A theme park. OK, maybe roller coasters and cotton candy don't make for the best Traveller adventure, but how about a theme park which highlighted the wonders of the local subsector? It'd give you a chance to make some of your background notes concrete and give PCs an opportunity to really decide, on their own, where they go next. Complication: Some of the worlds aren't very pleased with how they're portrayed. A group of protesters from one of those worlds shows up, and without careful attention, their protesting could turn riotous.
6. A bar. Bars are the heart of so many Amber Zones and patron encounters, that it would be irresponsible to not include one as a local site of interest. So how do you make it truly interesting? Combine it with one of the previous five plotlets: a government that runs out of a bar; a drink that temporarily augments psionic powers; a bar where you shop while you drink; a tavern where great things once happened; or the great theme park of all bars, covering hundreds of square miles. Complication: Need you ask? Brawls, murders, skulking spies, patrons needing help, and everything else that goes on in bars across Charted Space.

6. "A Vargr, an Aslan, and a Hiver walk into a bar ..."

This last scenario category is more generic than the others. The PCs have an encounter with a notable member of an alien race that could live in the Spinward Marches, who acts mostly as a patron. Each plotlet tries to show off a significant characterization of the species. They could also easily lead off planet and to bigger things.

Plot Twists.

1. Aslan. A female Aslan approaches the party. She'll probably surprise them by breaking their stereotypes of the aliens, as she's an erudite and intelligent accountant (all perfectly acceptable female traits, but the PCs probably think of male Aslan when they stereotype). She needs the PCs to deal with a little problem of hers: a middle manager at the megacorp she works for has embezzled a large amount of money. She generally treats the PCs like male Aslan: dumb and violent. She expects them to do a bit more than just reproach the criminal.
2. Darrians. A Darrian scientist is working on genetic studies involving the many different races of the Imperium. It's hoped that her results will link up with some ancient TL16 notes to really rev up the whole, largely quiet, specialty of biotech. Unfortunately some Sword Worlder agents are working against her. They don't even want to steal her research, they just want to make sure that the Darrians don't get it. PCs are hired to engage in spy vs. spy high-jinks, protecting the scientist's labs, hunting down saboteurs, and maybe even assaulting Sword Worlder spy strongholds.
3. Jonkeereen. These genetically-modified humans, created to live on desert worlds, are some of the great wanderers and loners of Charted Space behind the claw. So, what might lead them to hire PCs? How about rumors of a desert world lying just outside Imperium space with untold mineral riches. It could become a Jonkeereen homeworld, and bring together an unwanted people scattered across the Domain of Deneb. Of course, there might be problems on the planet, it could be under consideration by other parties, and intergalactic politics might get in the way. (If you want to keep things on-world for this plotlet, just have the PCs deal with local politics for the Jonkeereen.)
4. Vargr. A high charisma Vargr approaches the PCs. Its obvious that he expects them to look up to him, though in a casual, unassuming way. He's also offering money, so the PCs shouldn't have that much opportunity to get offended. He asks the PCs to help out some members of his pack who've gotten into trouble, and will place all of his pack's resources at their disposal. What's the trouble? Well, take it from any other plotlet in this series.
5. Vilani. An insufferable nobleman from the Vland sector is looking to hire PCs to do some "scut work" so that he won't have to dirty his own hands. Be sure to play up that arrogance and that dislike of all things non-Vilani. The work involves recovering some old technological designs from an ancient Vilani outpost on the planet, destroyed during the Long Night. The base might be guarded by ancient relics and in any case it should introduce players to the interesting ancient history of the Imperium(s).
6. Zhodani. A human approaches the PCs and asks them to kidnap someone for him. He'll describe the person, who hangs out in local bars, without giving a lot of specifics about who he is or what he does. In actuality, the victim is a Navy fighter pilot, currently on leave, out getting drunk at local bars. The patron, meanwhile, is a Zhodani; if he gets his hands on the pilot, he'll stare at him intently for a few moments, then thank the players for a job well done and pay them. When and if the PCs figure out what's really going on here (which is the theft of military secrets, since the pilot knows about some top-secret fleet movements near Zhodani space) is up to them and the GM.

Conclusion

That's it for these 36 planetside plotlets. If you count, you'll see I still owe you 4 more plotlets to make 76, which will require a special Fifth Imperium sometime in the future.

In the meantime, I'll be taking a look at some other topics in 30 days. See you then ...