An Earth launch site for a Steampunk Space Campaign using Victorious rpg and Belle Epoque from the Red Room

 The "Iron Ascent" Launch Complex, Zanzibar

In a bid to control the Aetheric routes to the Moon and Mars, the British Empire (perhaps in a temporary, secret alliance with German scientists to ensure a European lead) established a launch site in their protectorate of Zanzibar. The site is a marvel of Victorian engineering but highly vulnerable to spies and sabotage, a perfect location for a Victorious RPG adventure set in the Belle Époque.

Cover to Amazing Stories, October 1927

Description

The "Iron Ascent" is carved into the side of a coastal cliff face on a remote part of the island. It does not launch typical rockets; instead, it uses a massive, steam-powered magnetic accelerator cannon (a rail gun principle, scaled up) to launch an armored capsule to high altitude, where supplemental aetheric engines take over. The complex is a mix of palm trees, colonial architecture, and massive, chugging steam machinery.

Location Details & Mechanics

The site can be abstracted using the SIEGE engine as a complex environment for various checks and challenges:

1. The Accelerator Cannon

The core of the complex. It is a series of massive brass rails, supercooled by vast amounts of water and powered by a dedicated boiler plant.

• Security: Heavily guarded by British troops and perhaps an Automaton Sentry (see previous monster stats).
• Sabotage Challenge (INT/Science Check CC 16): An agent could attempt to overload the power couplings. A success requires an immediate DEX save (CC 14) by anyone within 10 feet as high-pressure steam violently vents, dealing 1d4 damage.

2. The Command Center

A fortified, wood-paneled building overlooking the launch trench, filled with telegraph operators, engineers, and maps of the solar system.

• Intelligence Gathering (CHA/Diplomacy Check CC 15): Players can use their social skills to interact with nervous or drunk officers to gain launch codes or schedules.
• Hacking (INT/Science Check CC 14): An expert Contraptionist could tap the telegraph lines to intercept launch coordinates or enemy communications.

3. The Boiler Plant

A noisy, dangerous industrial area where coal is constantly shoveled into enormous furnaces to power the entire site.

• Environmental Hazards: The heat is intense, requiring a CON check (CC 10) to work for extended periods without rest.
• Concealment (DEX/Stealth Check CC 12): The noise and steam make this an excellent place for infiltration, as guards can barely hear anything over the din.

Defenses & Stats (Abstracted)

The site functions more as a location than a single entity, but its key systems have stats:

• Overall AC (Durability): AC 18 (Fortified Stone/Iron), Site HD 100d10 (Highly durable, but specific systems are vulnerable).
• Security Forces: Numerous British Guards (Standard Human stats) and potential "SuperMankind" antagonists like Gilded Cultists or rival nation agents.
• Site Alarm System: Requires a DEX check (CC 10) to avoid setting off tripwires and shouting guards.
• Automaton Sentry: AC 18, HD 4d8. Piston Fist +7 to hit, 1d8+3 damage.

Launch Scenario Example

The players need to stop a Gilded Hand agent from launching aboard the "Star of the Orient." The scenario is a chase scene through the complex:

1. Approach (Stealth/Social): Infiltrate the boiler plant (DEX/Stealth check CC 12).
2. Sabotage: Distract the guards in the Command Center (CHA/Diplomacy check CC 15).
3. The Launch Sequence: The capsule is loading. The agent is onboard.
4. Climax: The players must race up the gantry to the capsule while the countdown begins, requiring a series of STR/DEX/CON checks (CC 13) to navigate the machinery and resist the G-force buildup before the final magnetic launch sends the ship into the aether.