Bad Information in your Sci-Fi game

Advanced technology means access to tremendous information useful in dispelling the mystery of any StarMaster generated encounter or anomaly. And if the requests are reasonable and hard for the SM to discount, for whatever reasons, there is nothing for the ethical SM to do but offer up the useful, but risk-reducing, information in good faith. PCs do have the right to utilize accurate information in their favor. If not, then the SM is bad and needs to be replaced. But that does not mean the SM cannot bake in a chance for receiving bad information instead of the accurate information they are more used to getting. Now that is a good SM and should be cherished.

In my games I start with a 25% chance the technically advanced “acquired” information is bad, inaccurate to the point of dangerous. This number can go up and down for any and all reasons. The PCS may even be aware of the increased chance for bunk info being had. I don’t concern myself much with applying modifiers. A flat 25% chance for a sour situation developing seems to give me the level of uncertainty I enjoy playing with.

So, I roll a random result for the information the PCs have dug up, and at an opportune time roll to see if the info is legit. My best practice for adding corrupted information is to assign a specific “bad” result thought out and pre-written for the specific result. The information on the “military installation” will have different complications then the “secret smuggler depot”, for example. I find this to work better than another random table filled with “bad” things. It saves time at the table trying to work something out, and the twist is more believable to the PCs if it doesn’t sound forced.

Therefore StarMaster prep will include an initial table for the possible information to be had, for a price. And then each entry needs a negative result, a twist, prepared which is easily picked up when called for.

Here is an example from the current adventure I am working on.

So, you bought a Cache Chip…

The PCs can sink 500cr. for a roll on the following table. This is the information the data chip contains, faulty or not. There is a 25% chance the information purchased is bad. If it is the SM need only scan the attached “bad” information for the particular info source. This will be the actual encounter instead of the one expected.

1.      Source of clean water.

2.      Independent Homesteaders.

3.      Bandit ship repair dock, smuggler depot.

4.      Military installation.

5.      Friendly natives.

6.      Popular hunting grounds

7.      Sheltered cove, no water but good fishing.

8.      High point

9.      Always bad weather

10.   Alien installation

11.   Surface Anomaly

12.   Golf Resort.

1. With the global atmospheric contaminates, most land-locked surface water is unfit to drink. Purifiers stand a chance of breakdown every time such a device is used to filter this water source. Having an oasis in this “wet” desert can mean the difference between life and death if broken down. In fact, most of these information chips contain something useful if one found their transportation through the jungle compromised. The oasis is actually a trap laid by bandits or the source has been contaminated and therefore unusable.

2. Not all are here to exploit the land or local amenities. Living completely off the galactic grid is always attractive to some societal groups. This community is bent on scratching a living out of the thin soil and dangerous mega-fauna. Habitat is combination tree house and below ground chambers, natural or excavated.  They are always interested in trade and will help any who find themselves cast adrift under the endless canopy. If a “bad” information chip is indicated the homesteaders are psychotic cannibals with an enjoyment for animal gladiatorial deathtraps!

3. Illegal commerce flows unimpeded through this depot as it benefits many of the diverse industries operating on the surface. This place operates like a small, but well-tooled downport. Price for services is triple. The depot is a pirate depot which wants to keep their presence a secret, dead men tell no tales!

4. Starfleet? Military Intelligence? Local defense force, frontier fort? There are many reasons why a military base would be found somewhere on abc. Their purpose would be for securing the prosperity and security of settled property on the hostile jungle planet. To this end the military force either has small installations over a large area or one large base which operates as a world unto themselves. The base is for a known hostile starforce. This indicates the whole system is in danger of invasion!

5. One of the three types of primitive species capable of communication has established good relations with the human outfitters. There will be something they look forward to trading with and they are willing to give helpful local information on safe routes to take to the Celestial Clock site. If this is a bad result than they worship some horrid monstrosity and they intend to use the PCs as sacrifice!

6. The popular hunting ground gives stranded adventurers with a means of sustenance as well as contact with other hunters in the area for emergency extraction. Couple of deranged hillbillies listen on the radio for folks in distress and then go hunt them!

7. Hidden by storm, it provides a safe refuge for repair after crossing the dangerous storm. Taking this route saves enough time on the journey to make traveling this direction worth it. Some of the worst, and largest, beasts of the jungle hang out here. What kind of sicko would sell this kind of information to people?

8. Extended views over the jungle make it possible to avoid upcoming electrical storms and increase distance traveled in a day. Some scientist is conducting electrical experiments and needs a nearby vehicle to try something out. No good can come of this for anybody involved!

9. Some locations should never be traveled, for whatever reason. Problem is not many are known or mapped. This useful chip makes random encounter rolls unnecessary for one day of the PCs choosing. If the chip is bad than 3 encounter checks are made immediately. As soon as an encounter is indicated, stop rolling and resolve the encounter. If there are more encounter checks left to made, roll those now. Every time an encounter comes up it must be resolved before any other encounter checks are made.

10. The SM will need to decide if the alien species is known or entirely new. A first contact encounter will be much different than an encounter with a known entity. For both it needs to be established the extent of relations between the two species. If known relations are operative this will dictate the dangers and opportunities available to the PCs. If the SM has no established alien races appropriate for this encounter already in their campaign, just make this a bad encounter. The aliens intend to scoop out and analyze the PCs brains!

11. The surface anomaly is the LotFP’s adventure module The Monolith Beyond Time and Space. There is nothing good about this encounter, unless the SM counts watching the PCs having their minds disintegrated as a result of their curiosity a good time?

12. Golf Resort, this could be benign or an outrage depending on the PCs overall political and environmental views. Unfortunately, most groups of PCs are so amoral that they would not be concerned with any of the social inequity rife upon abc. A bad result? I think the SM should use their imagination here. The resort being some bizarre funhouse is a classic. The something is not what it seems trope.