Whether your players’ characters are merchants, smugglers, mercenaries, pirates, marines, scientists, or miners, they all share in largely being subservient to some political, ideological, or corporate superiors.
Marines of the MCRN protect scientists on missions to the various new worlds beyond the rings, the scientists in turn serve both political endeavours as well as the free curiosity-driven research.
UN ambassadors have to broker deals with the OPA on Ceres and Medina, both parties with one or several agendas for the betterment of their peoples or increase of power.
Merchants serve the supply and demand of goods, while avoiding or ‘handling’ pirates, negotiate with port officials, and their employers. This goes doubly for smugglers who also have to sneak past blockades and the scrutinising gaze of ‘legitimate authority’.
You get the point.
Whoever provides opportunity attracts potential employees, and potential for power exists in these relationships. Regardless of intent and what this power is used for, the chances are that some will suffer due to the actions of the player characters and their benefactors.
The socio-political climate of humanity is a key element for telling compelling Expanse stories. However, this element’s correspondence with the stories played out around our tables can be expressed in many ways, all ultimately dealing with some aspect(s) of social justice. Whether the tyranny of corporations and the super-wealthy, political regimes and coercive power, or military ambitions of a safe and secure solar system.
However as evident by the actions and results of OPA actions, even the “little guys” can exert power, authority, and have significant impact. The use of suffering as a political tool may be ethically problematic, but can also be a legitimate strategy to attain goals and betterment.
Players in the Expanse tell stories. Stories about people, organisations, politics, and the insatiable human desire to succeed, accumulate wealth and power (even if just enough to feel independent historical oppressors), and explore the undiscovered.
This themes are ripe for the picking. The old, and new, social fault lines of oppression and points of contention begs stories that expose the players to moral and ethical dilemmas. The discontent of ice miners suffering illness due to the negligence of their employers may be a side-quest, and pay less than the bounty on your target.
A less-than-legal investigation (and potential scavenging) mission may put the players in conflict not only with corporate goons from a competitor of their employer, but also legitimate law enforcement, even marines.
A greedy and opportunistic doctor may be the cause of death and suffering among Belters or colonists on faraway worlds. The player characters may not be paid much for the job, but perhaps it is sufficient to help out?
Helping out in a labour dispute may seem like easy picking and quick money (and the “right thing” to do), however loyalties may change as prejudices run deep, and sense of justice can be subject to the whims of opportunity.
Hijacking a freighter to steal the goods may be unlawful, however not everyone balks at the ethical particularities of obtaining the “big score”. Particularly if you can get away with more than the employers offered. No matter the troubles and bounties this may result in.
Similarly, a pick-up job may in fact be a kidnap job that in fact may be a hostage situation. Who works for whom, are loyalties or money the most important? And is the job worth dealing with the passenger the characters have to bring aboard?
A distress call from an unregistered space station puts the players in a precarious (and potential powerful) position. Particularly as no one appears to be home, even if the message keeps repeating, changing, and asking questions.
The One Page Adventure vol 1, 2, 3, and 4 (found in the Adventures section) contains 30 short adventures where variants of the above dilemmas appear or may be added.
Originally written and posted on 4 October 2022.
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