Campaign Pitch: The Red Dawn of Sector X
Core Premise
A distress signal from a forgotten, fringe world in your sector (or a newly discovered system) leads the players to an invasion zone. This isn't a high-tech star war, but an asymmetric, ground-based invasion by a terrifying, utterly alien species from Mars (or some ancient, isolated corner of the sector). The Martians rely on massive, immune-to-local-weapons war machines and a bizarre bioweapon (the Red Weed) to pacify the planet before moving to the next. The PCs are among the few capable of understanding and counteracting the threat.
Campaign Theme: Technological Asymmetry and Resource Scarcity
The Martians' Heat-Rays and Tripods are TL5+ tech that simply ignores the local TL3-TL4 conventional weapons. They are immune to lasers, kinetic rounds, and even light tank shells (this is represented by their high Armor Class and damage reduction). The PCs' advantage lies not in firepower, but in Pretech, Psionics, and ingenuity—discovering the Martian weakness (biological vulnerability) and finding the rare, ancient weapons or materials needed to exploit it.
Initial Adventure Hooks
The Cylinder: The PCs are contracted to investigate a mysterious "meteorite" crash on a backwater world (e.g., a high-tech planet in a low-tech sector, or a classic pre-Collapse Earth analog). They arrive just as the first Tripods are being deployed, witnessing the horrifying debut of the Heat-Ray. Their primary goal becomes escape and warning the nearest planetary authority.
Salvage Run: A powerful faction hires the PCs to retrieve a Pretech component from a planet that has just gone dark. The mission is to get in, get the tech, and get out, navigating a collapsing society and the patrolling Martian tripods. The Pretech might be the key to designing an anti-Tripod weapon.
The Panic: The PCs' home planet/base world is next on the Martian itinerary. They have only a few weeks of in-game time (or a couple of Faction Turns) to arm, organize, and fortify defenses, or find a way to stop the invasion before it starts.
The Faction: The Martian Vanguard
The Martians are a horrifying, telepathic, parasitic species. Use the Stars Without Number Faction Turn rules to track their slow, methodical conquest.
| Attribute | Score | Description |
| Cunning | 4 | Cold, ruthless strategic logic; flawless coordination via telepathy. |
| Force | 5 | Devastating combat assets (Tripods, Heat-Rays) and total air superiority. |
| Wealth | 1 | No need for currency; they consume all local resources. |
| Goal | Extinguish all native intelligent life in the sector; establish Red Weed colonies. | |
Martian Assets (Examples)
| Asset | Type | Cost (Force) | Faction Turn Action |
| Invasion Cylinder | Base | N/A | Arrives at a planet, deploys Tripods. |
| Fighting Machine | Military | 2 | Assault: Destroy a local military unit or infrastructure. |
| Handling Machine | Military | 1 | Bioprocurement: Gather bio-material (humans/livestock) to sustain the Martian core. |
| Red Weed Bio-Plague | Project | 2 | Pacification: Reduces the planet's Wealth and Force for every turn it's active. |
| Flying Machine | Recon | 1 | Scout: Reveal hidden Faction assets or safe zones on a planet. |
Martian Faction Feat: Telepathic Coordination
The Martian Vanguard automatically succeeds on all Opfor or Assault actions where two or more Fighting Machines are involved, unless the target Faction successfully executes a Rival action against them that same turn.
The War Machine: Fighting Machine (Tripod)
This uses the Stars Without Number rules for Vehicles/Mechs. The Martians are TL5+ but this design is deliberately simplified to be manageable for a GM.
| Component | Details |
| Type | Large Walker (100 ft. tall, tripod configuration) |
| TL | 5 (Pretech/Alien) |
| Speed | 30m/round (Ground) |
| AC | 16 |
| HP | 100 |
| Armor | 10 |
| Crew | 1 Martian Controller (Psionic) |
Martian Armor Trait: Kinetic Immunity
The Tripod's metallic shell and energy fields are immune to conventional small arms and all non-Heavy Weapons (TL4 or lower). Heavy Weapons and Energy Weapons (TL5+) deal damage normally, reduced by Armor. Psionic attacks and Maltech/Pretech weapons bypass the armor and deal full damage to the Tripod's HP.
Martian Tripod Weapons
| Weapon | Attack Bonus | Damage | Range | Notes |
| Heat-Ray | +8 | 3d12 (Energy) | 50m/100m | Ignores all non-Powered Armor; targets must make a Physical Save or suffer an additional 1d6 damage due to being on fire. |
| Black Smoke Gun | +5 | Special | 10m burst | Cone or small area. Targets must make a Physical Save (Difficulty 8) or take 2d6 Chemical Damage and suffer a -2 penalty to all actions for 1d4 rounds. |
| Grasping Tentacles | +6 | 1d8 (Crushing) | 5m | On a successful hit, the target (vehicle or person) is Grappled. The next round, the Tripod can repeat the damage or use a special action (e.g., toss the victim, feed them to a Handling Machine). |
Special Action: Martian War Cry
The Tripod can emit its terrifying, echoing "Ulllaaa!" (from the 1953 film version, or the novel's description). All enemies within 60m must make a Mental Save (Difficulty 8) or be Shaken (penalty to hit and saves) for 1 round.
This setup gives the players a seemingly insurmountable foe that must be defeated through careful planning, acquiring rare technology (Pretech/Maltech), or exploiting the hidden biological weakness.
This expanded material deepens the Martian threat by detailing their core weakness, adding a second, horrifying machine (the Handling Machine), and outlining the key Pretech the PCs must find to fight back.
The Martian Core Weakness: Biological Vulnerability
The Martians, a highly evolved, telepathic race, purged their home world of microscopic life long ago. They are biologically defenseless against the microbes of any colonized world.
The Plague (The Foe of All)
In your Stars Without Number setting, this takes the form of a hyper-virulent, fast-acting microbe.
Mechanism: When the Martian body is breached (even by a minor wound), or they are exposed to highly contaminated local atmosphere for extended periods, the infection takes hold.
Contamination Level: A standard battlefield (especially one with Black Smoke deployment) is considered Contaminated. Planetary settlements (TL3-4) are Heavily Contaminated.
Infection Roll: Any Martian exposed to a Heavily Contaminated environment for 24 hours must make a Physical Save (Difficulty 6). If they fail, they are infected.
Infection Effects: Infected Martians suffer a cumulative -1 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks per day of infection. After 4 days, they are too weak to pilot a machine and perish shortly after.
PC Objective: Exploit the Weakness
The PCs must figure out two things:
Diagnosis: A successful Tech/Medical (Diff 8) check on a Martian corpse or a captured specimen is required to isolate the Martian's total lack of immunity and vulnerability to local pathogens.
Delivery System: The PCs need a method to deliver the contagion past the Tripod's shielding. This usually involves recovering a specific piece of Pretech (see below) or engineering an explosive dispersal system with a Tech/Postech (Diff 9) check.
Martian War Machines (Expanded)
1. Fighting Machine (Tripod)
Type: Large Walker (100 ft. tall, tripod configuration)
TL: 5 (Pretech/Alien)
Speed: 30m/round (Ground)
AC: 16
HP: 100
Armor: 10
Crew: 1 Martian Controller (Psionic)
Tripod Traits
Kinetic Immunity: Immune to conventional small arms and all non-Heavy Weapons (TL4 or lower). Heavy Weapons and Energy Weapons (TL5+) deal damage normally, reduced by Armor. Psionic attacks and Maltech/Pretech weapons bypass the armor and deal full damage to the Tripod's HP.
Unsettling Presence: The Tripod's sheer size and alien motion is terrifying. Any non-psychic PC seeing a Tripod in combat for the first time must succeed on a Mental Save (Diff 7) or suffer a -1 penalty to all attacks and checks for the duration of the encounter.
Tripod Weapons
| Weapon | Attack Bonus | Damage | Range | Notes |
| Heat-Ray | +8 | 3d12 (Energy) | 50m/100m | Ignores all non-Powered Armor; targets must make a Physical Save or suffer an additional 1d6 damage due to being on fire. |
| Black Smoke Gun | +5 | 2d6 (Chem) | 10m burst | Cone or small area. Targets must make a Physical Save (Diff 8) or suffer a Stun for 1 round and a -2 penalty to all actions for 1d4 rounds. |
| Grasping Tentacles | +6 | 1d8 (Crushing) | 5m | On hit, target is Grappled. Tripod can sacrifice its next attack to instantly Crush or Toss the target (2d8 damage). |
2. Handling Machine
These smaller, insect-like walkers accompany the Tripods. Their primary role is reconnaissance, resource harvesting, and the handling (capture) of biological specimens.
Type: Medium Walker (15 ft. tall, multi-limbed)
TL: 5 (Alien)
Speed: 20m/round (Ground)
AC: 14
HP: 30
Armor: 4
Crew: 1 Martian or Telepathic Drone Brain
Handling Machine Traits
Rapid Retrieval: Can move up to its full speed and perform a Grapple attack with its claw in the same round.
Kinetic Resistance: Its armor reduces damage from Non-Heavy kinetic weapons (like assault rifles) by 2, but it is vulnerable to all Heavy Weapons, Energy, and Psionic attacks.
Handling Machine Weapons
| Weapon | Attack Bonus | Damage | Range | Notes |
| Collection Claw | +4 | 1d6 (Crushing) | 5m | Target is Grappled. If the grapple is maintained, the target is considered Captured and will be transported to a Cylinder. |
| Stun Discharge | +4 | Special | 10m | Target must make a Physical Save (Diff 6) or be Stunned for 1 round. Deals no damage. |
Essential Pretech Salvage Missions
The PCs cannot win by conventional force. They must find the technology capable of piercing the Tripods' defenses. These relics are excellent hooks for adventure.
1. The Gravitic Field Nullifier
This is the core target. It's the only known device capable of creating a temporary field that interferes with the Tripod's own TL5 power generation and anti-kinetic shielding.
Location: Found in a sealed Pretech Vault beneath the ruins of an ancient world (or a TL5 research facility on the target planet). The vault is protected by formidable AI Defenses and Security Constructs.
Effect: Once found and activated (requires a Tech/Pretech (Diff 8) check), the Nullifier, when mounted to a vehicle or heavy weapon platform, can target a Tripod within 200m. If successful, the Tripod loses its Kinetic Immunity trait for 1d4 rounds, dropping its effective Armor from 10 to 4. This is the window for conventional weapons to hurt it.
Salvage Requirement: Requires 3 units of Pretech Salvage and 1 unit of Rare Earth Metals to restore and mount.
2. The Metastasis Projector (Maltech/Biological Option)
An outlawed Maltech weapon designed to accelerate biological failure. This is the perfect delivery system for the Martian plague.
Location: Held by a dangerous, isolated Cult or a paranoid Crime Lord who views it as their ultimate defense. The PCs must negotiate, steal, or fight for it.
Effect: A successful hit (using the Shoot skill) with the Projector forces the target to make a Physical Save (Diff 9). If the target is a Martian, they are instantly subject to the effects of The Plague at day 2 of the infection, bypassing the initial exposure time.
Drawback: If a human target fails the save, they suffer debilitating, long-term health issues (e.g., permanent -1 penalty to Physical saves, lost point of Constitution).
3. The Siren Array (Psionic Option)
A Psitech device of the Biopsion or Telepathy disciplines. It doesn't hurt the machines, but attacks the pilots.
Location: Found in an abandoned Psionic Academy or hidden base of a former Mandate Faction. The site may be protected by dormant psychic traps or other hostile psionics.
Effect: When activated, it broadcasts a targeted, chaotic psychic noise. All Martians (who are telepathic) within 1km must make a Mental Save (Diff 8) or suffer System Strain and be unable to take an action for 1 round due to psychic feedback.
Salvage Requirement: Requires a PC with the Psionic class and a successful Tech/Pretech (Diff 7) check to operate.
