Connecting Orbital 2100 (the "prequel" era) to HOSTILE (the "industrial" era) creates a powerful "Century of Progress" campaign. This bridge spans the transition from a Solar System-bound Cold War to the gritty, corporate-dominated interstellar expansion of the 2200s.
Below is a campaign framework, timeline, and the necessary mechanical "bridge" stats to transition your players through these eras.
1. The Bridge Concept: "The Outer Reach Project"
In this campaign, players begin as elite System-State operatives or contractors in 2100. Over three "Acts," they witness the death of the Solar Cold War and the birth of the interstellar corporate frontier.
The Three Acts
| Era | Title | Focus | Primary Tech |
| 2100-2120 | The Quiet War | Espionage and Belt mining in the Solar System. | Reaction Rockets, Spin-G |
| 2120-2150 | The Jump Breakthrough | The first FTL tests; "Gold Rush" to Alpha Centauri. | Prototypes, Hyperdrive |
| 2150-2225 | The Hostile Era | The rise of Off-World colonies and corporate law. | Artificial G, Starships |
2. Bridging the Mechanics
Since both games use the Cepheus Engine (2D6), they are highly compatible, but their "feel" differs. Use these rules to bridge the gap:
Skill & Career Translation
Zero-G vs. Vacc Suit: In Orbital, Zero-G is a vital survival skill. In Hostile, it is often folded into Vacc Suit or Athletics (Dexterity).
The Pilot Split: In Orbital, use Pilot (Reaction) for local ships. As the campaign moves to 2150, introduce Pilot (Starship) for FTL-capable vessels.
Technology Transition Table
| Feature | Orbital 2100 (TL 9) | The Bridge (TL 10-11) | HOSTILE (TL 12) |
| Gravity | Spin-habitats / Mag-boots | Transitionary G-Plates | Full Artificial Gravity |
| Travel | Months (Hohmann Transfers) | Weeks (Nuclear Pulse) | Days (Jump/Hyperspace) |
| Survival | Fragile suits, high rad risk | Hardened alloys | Heavy industrial Vacc Suits |
3. The "Missing Link" Ship: The Pathfinder-Class
This is a "Bridge Era" vessel (circa 2140) designed to use Orbital navigation but featuring the first Hostile-style FTL drive.
Pathfinder-Class Survey Vessel (400 tons)
Hull: 400-ton Distributed (Standard)
Drive: Prototype Jump Drive (Jump-1)
Reaction Drive: Nuclear Thermal (Thrust 1)
Power Plant: Fusion (Early TL 10)
Bridge: Industrial-grade, lacks Holographic HUDs.
Computer: Model 2 (TL 10)
Staterooms: 10 (High-Occupancy for surveyors)
Low Berths: 20 (Essential for the first long-haul interstellar "sleepers")
Cargo: 120 tons
Special: No Artificial Gravity. Crew must use mag-boots or spin-sections.
4. Bridge Era Stats (Equipment)
Use these to show the players that things are getting "tougher" as they leave the Solar System.
The "Centaur" Early Power Armor (TL 10)
Before the refined marine armor of Hostile, there was this clunky, hydraulic beast.
Protection: +10
Strength Mod: +2
Dexterity Mod: -2 (Bulky)
Life Support: 24 Hours
Cost: Cr 120,000
The "Sun-Stalker" Comm-Array
Essential for communicating from Alpha Centauri back to Earth (2130s).
Range: Interstellar (1-way burst, 4.3 year delay)
Notes: This creates a sense of isolation—players realize help is years away.
5. Campaign Seed: "The Lazarus Run"
The Mission: The players are crew members on the first commercial FTL voyage to the Tau Ceti system.
The Twist: They depart in 2145 (Orbital era tech/mindset). Due to a jump malfunction (Time Dilation/Mis-jump), they arrive in 2200.
The Conflict: The "frontier" they were supposed to settle is already occupied by the Weyland-style mega-corporations of the Hostile setting. They are "men out of time," flying a museum piece in a world of industrial nightmares.
Here is a "Bridge Era" crew—a mix of Orbital 2100 veterans and the new breed of HOSTILE industrial specialists. These characters are built for the transition period (circa 2145), featuring skills that bridge the gap between Solar System navigation and interstellar survival.
The Crew of the Pathfinder-Class "NSV Ishimura"
1. The Veteran Commander: Elias Thorne
Ex-Earth Council Navy, 4 terms.
Thorne is a "Spin-G" native who remembers when Mars was the furthest anyone went. He is skeptical of FTL and prefers manual calculations.
Stats: STR 7, DEX 8, END 9, INT 10, EDU 9, SOC 6
Key Skills:
Pilot (Reaction): 2 (Orbital-style maneuvers)
Pilot (Starship): 1 (New FTL training)
Tactics: 2
Leadership: 1
Vacc Suit: 2
Equipment: Earth Council service pistol (9mm), worn Flight Suit, 2120-era navigation chronometer.
2. The Prototype Engineer: Sarah "Gearbox" Chen
Corporate Contractor (Hephaestus Ind.), 3 terms.
Sarah helped build the first FTL drives. She knows they are held together by "spit and prayer" and treats the ship like a living, temperamental beast.
Stats: STR 8, DEX 10, END 7, INT 11, EDU 10, SOC 5
Key Skills:
Engineer (Jump Drive): 2
Engineer (Power Plant): 2
Mechanic: 2
Zero-G: 1
Comms: 1
Equipment: Heavy-duty toolkit, "The Manual" (a 2,000-page prototype technical tablet), magnetic multi-wrench.
3. The Science Officer: Dr. Aris Vane
Colonization Specialist, 3 terms.
Vane is an expert in exobiology and planetary survey. His job is to find a "Green World" so the corporations can stop mining frozen rocks in the Oort Cloud.
Stats: STR 5, DEX 7, END 6, INT 12, EDU 11, SOC 8
Key Skills:
Science (Exobiology): 2
Science (Planetology): 1
Electronics (Sensors): 2
Medic: 1
Persuade: 1
Equipment: Atmospheric Sampler, Handheld Scanner (TL 10), encrypted data-drive of Earth's "Extinction Seed Bank."
4. The "Roughneck" Specialist: Jax Miller
Belt Miner / Security, 4 terms.
Jax is the bridge to the Hostile era. He represents the blue-collar worker who doesn't care about politics; he just wants his paycheck. He is a master of "Dirty Tech."
Stats: STR 11, DEX 9, END 10, INT 6, EDU 5, SOC 4
Key Skills:
Athletics (Power Tools): 2
Melee (Unarmed): 2
Gun Combat (Slug Thrower): 1
Explosives: 1
Recon: 1
Equipment: Industrial Rivet Gun (treat as Snub Pistol), Heavy Work Coveralls (Armor +2), pack of synth-tobacco.
Bridge Era Party Dynamics
| Character | Role in Orbital (Early Game) | Role in Hostile (Late Game) |
| Thorne | Respected Captain and Diplomat. | A "Relic" who struggles with Corporate Law. |
| Chen | The only one who understands the ship. | Becomes a high-value Corporate target. |
| Vane | The moral compass of the mission. | Becomes cynical as he sees life commercialized. |
| Miller | The muscle for heavy lifting in Zero-G. | The only one truly prepared for the gritty frontier. |
Mechanical Note: The "Skill Shift"
As the campaign transitions from Orbital to Hostile, you can allow players to "retrain" their skills during the long Jump voyages.
Zero-G can be traded for Vacc Suit at a 1-to-1 ratio.
Science (Geology) can be traded for Science (Xenology) as they encounter alien minerals/life.
Mission: "The Ghost in the Garden"
Location: Rigil Kentaurus A-2 (Provisional Name: Terra Nova)
Era: Bridge Era (Transitioning to HOSTILE industrial horror)
The Ishimura has successfully jumped. You are the first humans to orbit a planet around another star. But the "Garden World" promised by long-range telescopes is a lie. From orbit, the planet is a swirling marble of ochre dust and jagged violet mountain ranges.
1. The Setup
The crew wakes from Low Berth with "Freeze-Head" (a splitting headache). The ship’s computer, MOTHER, has been screaming a proximity alert for three hours. You aren't alone.
The Mystery: There is a beacon transmitting from the surface. It’s an Earth-manufactured signal, but it’s old. It uses a frequency abandoned in the 2120s.
The Scan: Dr. Vane’s sensors pick up a small, pressurized structure in a canyon known as the Hades Rift. Around it are high concentrations of Lanthanum (the rare earth element needed to build more FTL drives).
2. The Landing (Skill Challenge)
The Ishimura must remain in orbit. The crew takes the "Cricket" Utility Lander down.
Pilot (Reaction) Check: The atmosphere is thinner than Earth's but prone to "Static Supercells." Pilot must navigate the descent through a lightning storm that threatens to fry the avionics.
The Twist: On the way down, Jax Miller notices something on the external cameras: Scuttle-marks. Giant, etched lines in the dust that look like a strip-mine, but there should be no mining equipment on this planet.
3. The Discovery: Site-9
The beacon is coming from a pre-fabricated "Survival Shack." Inside, the crew finds:
The Truth: A secret, black-budget mission reached this planet 20 years ago using a "Slow-Boat" (Cryo-ship). They didn't have FTL; they spent 40 years in transit.
The Log: A frantic recording from a geologist. "We found the Lanthanum. But it’s not a mineral deposit. It’s biological. It’s their shells."
4. The Encounter: The "Shedders"
As the crew begins to survey the Lanthanum-rich outcropping, the "rocks" begin to move.
Enemy Stats: The Shedder (Juvenile)
These are the 'Hostile' era's first true monsters—chitinous, multi-legged scavengers with shells made of organic semi-conductors.
| Attribute | Value |
| STR | 9 |
| DEX | 10 |
| END | 8 |
| Armor | 4 (Lanthanum Shell) |
| Attack | Mandibles (2D6) or Acid Spray (1D6 + Corrosive) |
Special Ability: EMP Bleed. Due to their mineral composition, being near a Shedder causes electronics to flicker. Comms and Sensors are at -2 DM when within 10 meters of a creature.
5. The Hard Choice (The Bridge to Hostile)
The crew finds a storage locker filled with 10 tons of refined Lanthanum.
The Corporate Path: If they bring it back, their employer (Hephaestus Ind.) becomes the most powerful entity in the Solar System, effectively creating the "Corporate Hegemony" seen in the Hostile RPG.
The Survival Path: The Shedders are attracted to the Lanthanum. To get the Lander off the ground, they may have to dump the cargo to lose weight, or use it as bait to lure the creatures away from the ship.
Next Step for the GM
The Shedders are currently surrounding the landing leg of the Cricket. The ship's hull is groaning under their acidic spit.
