Grab-Bag Details of the Traveller Coup Box

Welcome to Unterzone

How a Soldier-Bolo is Run

Traditionally there is a division between “bolo-members” (i.e. the PCs and skilled NPCs they dig) who have a full vote and a single share in the division of the mission's payout and “soldier-associates” who generally get a “consultative” (i.e. ignored) vote and a straight monthly salary of 300 credits for a raw recruit, 500 for a veteran and 600 for a veteran officer/mercenary. Bolo members are taught the semi-secret artificial language of Asa-pili. 

As per Book 4, recruitment drives take two weeks. Basic training takes six weeks for raw recruits and here PCs can employ a range of skills (over 2) with some potential benefit to the trainees.

Click to enlarge. 

The Map

Each hex is 20 miles. Dotted red lines are the semi-official borderlines of each polity. In reality they are highly fluid and poorly policed. The ugly black lines represent a magnetic monorail line. Questions can be asked of particular points at the briefing.

Weapons, Material and Recruits Sources

Skills of Streetwise, Admin, Forgery or Bribery over 2 will be of particular use here and will “unlock” certain options (let me know if you are playing a character who qualifies). Players are naturally encouraged to think outside of the box and come up with whatever insane ass caper they want to come up with this stuff.

On World

Mama Hoss, the arms merchant queen of Unterzone, deals with all factions. Selection limited to Tech 5 “hunting weapons” (mostly rifles) and prices high. May have a few specials though for the “right buyer.”

ROFF, the dogoid rights party, is rumored to be upgrading its stock of older grenade launchers and may part with some of them. All factions have agents and semi-official consulates in Unterzone.

The Maximalist Party is rumored to be selling off some lightly-armored, wheeled ATVs and some Combat Environment Suits it allegedly heisted from a Brotherhood for the Maintenance of the Way cache.

Recruitment drives can be run in Unterzone or one of the local belligerent city-states of Pikkaro, M'skrip, Longkoal, Ulkins or Pahka (though these states have possible dangers, civil war you know). Each will net 1d6 raw recruits and a chance for 1d3 veterans.

On Novo Marlank (2-day inter-system round-trip)

Astro-Marine tweakers in the starport base maybe be enticed to have a small amount of weapons and gear go missing. Beware, they ripped off a major stash of powder from the previous party.

Oddly enough The Arsenal, the state-owned weapons manufacturer, may be a source. The Overlord's exorbitant taste for luxury has left the world government with a powerful need for hard currency (Cantonment credits), it is said that they won't look too closely at an End User Certificate (a diplomatic document stating that the weapons are to be used by a recognized polity) for small-to-medium sized weapon shipments of old and out-of-date weapons (Tech 8 mostly).

Recruitment here will net 3d6 raw recruits, 1d6 veterans and 1d3 veteran officers or mercenaries.

On Outpost Nine (2-week hyperspace round-trip)

The eccentric organized crime figure Three-Eyed Jac has a “mutually beneficial arrangement” that will provide some weapons.

Recruitment in this system will net 2d6 raw recruits, 1d3 veterans.