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connection/INTERSTELLAR PLAYERS/section00: TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE ILLUSION OF POWER 5

INTRODUCTION 8

How to Use This Book 8

MechWarrior, Third Edition 8

THE DARKNESS OF LIGHT 9

THE SIXTH OF JUNE 12

Sixth of June: Unravelling the Mysteries 13

Fracture and Reformation: A Historical Perspective 13

Power and Fanaticism 15

Machiavellian Politics, Plots and Free Enterprise 16

The Master and Followers 17

Final Thoughts and New Revelations 18

Gamemaster’s Section 21

Organization 21

Sixth of June Scenarios 21

THE ILLUMINATI 22

Absolute Power 23

The Illuminati’s Past 23

The Rising Order 24

The Great Illuminati War 25

Activities in the Present Day 28

Gamemaster’s Section 29

IRIAN CORPORATE CABAL 30

Irian Technologies: Ruler of the Galaxy or Simply Business? 31

History of Irian Technologies 31

Politics and Other Pastimes 32

Playing the Puppeteer 33

Business is Business is Life 34

Gamemaster’s Section 35

The Truth Behind the Cabal 35

Organization and Goals 36

Characters and the Cabal 36

INTERSTELLAR EXPEDITIONS 37

Overview 38

History 38

Operations 39

Conclusion 41

Draft Report Addendum 42

Gamemaster’s Section 47

Goals of Interstellar Expeditions 47

Known Facts 47

Character Involvement 49

GENECASTE 50

Paranoid Fantasy or Horrific Reality? 51

Nightmares 51

Genecaste: The Real Story 54

Genecaste Society 54

Gamemaster’s Section 58

How to Use the Genecaste 58

BROTHERHOOD OF CINCINNATUS 60

Patriots or Terrorists? 61

Origins of the Brotherhood 61

The Brotherhood Speaks 63

Gamemaster’s Section 66

The Real Evolution of the Brotherhood 66

Organization and Goals 67

THE EXITURI 68

Encyclopedia Galactica: Exituri 69

Encyclopedia Galactica: Shiloh 69

Irian News Interstellar Syndicated Article: As He Wills 70

Gamemaster’s Section 75

The “Truth” 75

THE ONE STAR FAITH 76

Destination Unknown 77

The Faith Among the Clans 77

Is It As Bad As It Looks? 79

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Gamemaster’s Section 80

Goals of the One Star Faith 80

Organizational Structure 81

The One Star Faith and Players 81

THE BOUNTY HUNTER 82

The Bounty Hunter: Piercing the Legend 83

The History 83

The Myth 84

The Man 86

The Legend Reborn 86

Answers, Or More Questions? 87

Gamemaster’s Section 88

The Bounty Hunter’s Associates 88

Support 88

Hiring the Bounty Hunter 89

Player Character Involvement 89

DAVION WARRIORS’ CABAL 90

Gamemaster’s Section 94

Organization and Goals 95

Player Character Involvement 95

MINOR GROUPS 96

The Far Lookers 97

Looking Outward 97

A New Era 98

Winters of Discontent 98

Changing Times 99

Building a Better Tomorrow 99

Conclusion 99

Gamemaster’s Section 100

The Coterie 101

Thoughtful Echoes 101

Gamemaster’s Section 103

The Scourge of Death 105

Omni Public Archive Record: The Scourge of Death 105

The Coursing 106

The Sangreal 107

Gamemaster’s Section 108

The JàrnFòlk 109

Contact Report ESC-COL 67-4-7 109

Blood Simple: The Journal of Adept Jonas Veranov 112

Gamemaster’s Section 114

The Hidden 115

From Atlantis to Jardine, are the lost really “lost?” 115

RULES ADDENDUM 116

Classic BattleTech RPG Rules 117

Traits 117

Influence (New) 117

Special Contact (New) 119

Special Enemy (New) 119

Skills and Fields 119

Martial Arts/Systema (New) 119

New Occupational Fields 120

Personal Equipment 121

Jarnfolk Pistols 121

Suicide Implants 121

Concealed Toxins 121

Incendiary, Chemical and Explosive Implants 121

Remote or Automatic Activation Implants 122

Battlesuit/Exoskeleton

Space Operations Adaptation (Inner Sphere) 122

Environmental Survival Implants 123

Roleplaying Addendum 124

Brainwashing 124

Living in a Micro-Gravity Environment 125

Roleplaying With Interstellar Players 126

Interstellar Player NPCs 128

Bounty Hunter Game Rules 128

Genecaste NPCs 128

Genesubcaste Rules 128

Manei Domini As Non-Player Characters 131

Classic BattleTech Rules 134

Manei Domini Infantry 134

The Bounty Hunter 135

Record Sheets 138

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connection/INTERSTELLAR PLAYERS/section01: CREDITS

WRITINGThe Illusion of Power Herbert A. Beas IIIntroduction Herbert A. Beas IIGreat Conspiracies Peter SmithSixth of June Warner DolesThe Illuminati Nick “Gunslinger” MarsalaIrian Corporate Cabal Andreas ZuberInterstellar Expeditions Christoffer “Bones” TrossenGenecaste Randall N. BillsBrotherhood of Cincinnatus Herbert A. Beas IIThe Exituri Chris HartfordThe One Star Faith Ken HornerThe Bounty Hunter Christoffer “Bones” TrossenDavion Warrior’s Cabal Paul SjardijnMinor Groups The JàrnFòlk Chris Hartford The Far Lookers David L. McCulloch Scourge of Death Chris Hartford The Coterie Paul SjardijnRules Addendum Herbert A. Beas II Randall N. Bills Warner Doles Chris Hartford Ken Horner Nick “Gunslinger” Marsala David L. McCulloch Peter Smith Paul Sjardijn Christoffer “Bones” Trossen Andreas Zuber

Product Development Herbert A. Beas IIDevelopment Assistance Randall N. Bills

Product Editing Diane Piron-Gelman

BattleTech Line Developer Randall N. Bills

Production StaffArt Direction Randall N. BillsCover Art Kevin McCann

Cover & Header Design Jim NelsonLayout David M. Stansel-GarnerIllustrations Dave Allsop Klaus ScherwinskiAdditional Graphic Elements Chris Lewis

Special Thanks To Randall for conceiving this project and letting me run with it—the Genecaste was such a small price to pay, eh? Peter Smith, for taking up some of the slack and giving one voice to “Starling”. Our esteemed playtester and fact-checker apparatus. The five “Herblets”: Tribble, Annie, Oscar, Merlin, and Meggie. And, as always, one Rebecca

“Beckie” J Beas, still with me after all these… has it been two years already? To the proof checkers: Rich Cencarik, Mike Miller, Ben Rome and Chris Searls.

Playtesters Joel Agee, James “Damon” Amirault, Raymond Arrastia, Daniel M. Ball, Ron “Steel Hawke” Barter, Paul “Blackhorse” Bowman, Rick Casarez, Loren “Rumor” Coleman, Dawn DePalma, Brent Dill, Tim DuPertuis, Bruce Ford, John Gordon, Dan “Flake” Grendell, Anthony “Shadhawk” Hardenburgh, Ross Hines, Michael “Konan” Koning, Peter La Casse, Edward “TenakaFurey” Lafferty, Mike Miller, Jeff “Highlander” Morgan, Darrell

“Flailing Death” Myers, Louis “Nukeloader” Myers, Aaron Pollyea, Robin “Shooter” Powers, Simon “Big Ken” Pratt, “Medron Pryde”, Rick Raisley, Christopher K. Searls, Joel Steverson, Lara Harman-Steverson, Michael

“GuruMike” Stouffer, Rob Strathmann, Geoff Swift, Scott “Clutch” Taylor, Roland “Ruger” Thigpen, John E. Tiffany, Christine Tucker, Øystein Tvedten, Jason “Panzerfaust 150” Weiser, Chris “Chinless” Wheeler, Patrick “Roosterboy” Wynne, Steel City MechWarriors: Rich Cencarik, Ben Rome.

©2005 WizKids, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Interstellar Players, Classic BattleTech, BattleTech, ’Mech, BattleMech, MechWarrior, Classic BattleTech RPG, AeroTech 2, and WK Games are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of WizKids, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permis-sion in writing of the Copyright Owner, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published. Printed in the USA.

Version 1.0 (May 2005)

Published by FanPro LLC • 1608 N. Milwaukee • Suite 1005 • Chicago, IL 60647

Find us online:

Precentor_martial@classicbattletech.com (e-mail address for any Classic BattleTech questions)

http://www.classicbattletech.com (official Classic BattleTech web pages)

http://www.fanprogames.com (FanPro web pages)

http://www.mwdarkage.com (official MechWarrior: Dark Age web pages)

http://www.wizkidsgames.com (WizKids web pages)

http://www.studio2publishing.com (online ordering)

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Hands clasped together, slender fingers joined in a thought-ful steeple, Morgana sat at the head of a long table of polished, deep-stained pseudo-oak and savored—for the moment—the luxury of her high-backed synthleather chair. She surveyed the rest of the gathering as men and women, clad in suits and dresses as conservative and severe as her own—some adorned only as much as their solemn modesty would allow—claimed their seats around the conference table. Still muttering among themselves, those who enjoyed their vices of fine brandy and finer cigars drained the dregs from their glasses and crushed out the last of their tobacco. The room’s auto-refreshers quickly scrubbed clean the thin mist they left behind, replacing the pungent odor with the fresher, sweeter scents of Morgana’s favored native lilac blossoms. In the dim lighting of overhead chandeliers, the grand cham-ber, its bulletproof bay windows concealed beneath heavy white drapes and gold braids, seemed far too ostentatious for the board-room attire of its occupants. Its rows of bookshelves, crammed full of classic print volumes in synthleather bindings, instead hinted at a more classical and ancient library or study. Of course, the classical surroundings were, like most things in these people’s lives, a ruse to distract those from outside their selective order. Beneath the bookshelves, under the table’s polished surface and even entwined with the air conditioning and refreshers, an array of hidden sensors, displays, holographic emitters and electronic jammers made the room more of a command center than a study, a place to plan and influence. A command center befitting a member of those who truly—rightfully—ruled the affairs of all humankind. The Illuminati. A genuine smile came to Morgana’s face as Balder claimed a seat beside her, first offering a half-bow of respect to the evening’s host. Balder, like Morgana, claimed his name only for the occasion—a name associated with the culture of the realm his family ruled, above even its own ruling House. Though all Illuminati made it a point to know each other’s true names, at functions such as these tradition demanded the veneer of false identity. As the Steiner Illuminist sat, Morgana once more savored the warm glow of pride, but masked her feelings with a light sip from her own wineglass. A warm blend of peaches and native grapes hit her tongue as she silently enjoyed the deference of her guests, her supposed equals. The sensation was as gratify-ing as the lifetime of quiet, virtually unmatched rule Morgana en-joyed over her own realm, a sensation made all the more pleasant by that fact that she—like

her peers—knew this kind of power for real, while the so-called Great Houses would know it only as an illusion. Clearing her throat as she set down the glass, Morgana rose as the last of her colleagues finally settled down, and tapped a con-cealed key at her end of the table. A soft click sounded from the chamber doors behind her and at the far end of the room as locks engaged to prevent any servants from entering unbidden, while jammers in the ceiling simultaneously engaged to scramble any sensor accidentally or deliberately trained on this chamber from within or without. Thirteen pairs of eyes focused on Morgana as the chandelier nearest to her increased its glow slightly, respond-ing to another light tap on the table. “Welcome, my brothers and sisters,” she said, her cool voice commanding respect as her eyes met each Illuminist in turn. “I am pleased and honored that we could gather here this evening. It has been far too long since our last converse.” “The honor and the pleasure is ours, Morgana,” said Izanagi, the Combine’s Supreme Illuminist, who claimed the chair to Balder’s right. His dark Asian eyes demonstrated none of his Lyran colleague’s deference to the hostess, but instead held the intensity of one determined to show no weakness, expose no secrets, and—above all else—to get the job done. Morgana had to admire that about him, even if his politely phrased interruption egged her on. Morgana nodded to Izanagi to let him know she got the mes-sage. Let’s get down to business, then. With another subtle tap, the large, apparently seamless sur-face of the pseudo-oak table separated at the center. Four panels slid noiselessly into the remainder, forcing Minerva—the Free Worlds’ Supreme Illuminist—to quickly snatch back her half-filled wineglass before it could topple into the crevasse. From within the thick tabletop, a mini-holotank arose, broad and flat and un-lit until it reached its apex three centimeters above the table. As the room lights automatically dimmed in response, the projector brought to life a floating, two-dimensional image of the Inner Sphere and its nearest Periphery neighbors.

“Once more, my friends, we stand at a crossroads,” Morgana told them. “Though the recent fighting has had its desired

effects, hardening the various armies of our realms and strengthening the resolve of their peoples toward

our common goals, our plans are far from com-plete. Stagnation—principally, the stagnation of

certain leadership structures still in place—re-mains our greatest adversary.”

Lei-Kung, the Capellan Illuminist seated at the far end of the table,

scoffed at her remark. Morgana could feel the hard gaze of House

Liao’s smooth-headed master upon her, even though his

eyes and figure remained shrouded in the dark-

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Table of ContentsThe Illusion of PowerIntroductionHow to Use This BookMechWarrior, Third Edition

The Darkness of LightThe Sixth of JuneSixth of June: Unravelling the MysteriesFracture and Reformation: A Historical PerspectivePower and FanaticismMachiavellian Politics, Plots and Free EnterpriseThe Master and FollowersFinal Thoughs and New Revelations

Gamemaster's SectionOrganizationSixth of June Scenarios

The IlluminatiAbsolute PowerThe Illuminati's PastThe Rising OrderThe Great Illuminati WarActivities in the Present Day

Gamemaster's Section

Irian Corporate CabalIrian Technologies: Ruler of the Galaxy or Simply Business?History of Irian TechnologiesPolitics and Other PastimesPlaying the PuppeteerBusiness is Business is Life

Gamemaster's SectionThe Truth Behind the CabalOrganization and GoalsCharacters and the Cabal

Interstellar ExpeditionsOverviewHistoryOperationsConclusionDraft Report AddendumGamemaster's SectionGoals of Interstellar ExpeditionsKnown FactsCharacter Involvement

GenecasteParanoid Fantasy or Horrific Reality?NightmaresGenecaste: The Real StoryGenecaste Society

Gamemaster's SectionHow to Use the Genecaste

Brotherhood of CincinnatusPatriots or TerroristsOrigins of the BrotherhoodThe Brotherhood Speaks

Gamemaster's SectionThe Real Evolution of the BrotherhoodOrganization and Goals

The ExituriEncyclopedia Galactica: ExituriEncyclopedia Galactica: ShilohIrian News Interstellar Syndicated Articles: As He WillsGamemaster's SectionThe "Truth"

The One Star FaithDestination UnknownThe Faith Among the ClansIs It As Bad As It Looks?

Gamemaster's SectionGoals of the One Star FaithOrganizational StructureThe One Star Faith and Players

The Bounty HunterThe Bounty Hunter: Piercing the LegendThe HistoryThe MythThe ManThe Legend RebornAnswers, or More Questions?

Gamemaster's SectionThe Bounty Hunter's AssociatesSupportHiring the Bounty HunterPlayer Character Involvement

Davion Warrior's CabalGamemaster's SectionOrganization and GoalsPlayer Character Involvement

Minor GroupsThe Far LookersLooking OutwardA New EraWinters of DiscontentChanging TimesBuilding a Better TomorrowConclusionGamemaster's Section

The CoterieThoughtful EchoesGamemaster's Section

Scourge of DeathOmni Public Archive Record: The Scourge of DeathThe CoursingThe SangrealGamemaster's Section

The JàrnFòlkContact Report ESC-COL-67-4-7Blood Simple: The Journal of Adept Jonas VeranovGamemaster's Section

The HiddenFrom Atlantis to Jardine, Are the Lost Really "Lost"?

Rules AddendumClassic BattleTech RPG RulesTraitsInfluence (New)Special Contact (New)Special Enemy (New)

Skills and FieldsMartial Arts/Systema (New)New Occupational Fields

Personal EquipmentJàrnfòlk PistolsSuicide ImplantsConcealed ToxinsIncendiary, Chemical and Explosive ImplantsRemote or Automatic Activation ImplantsBattlesuit/Exoskeleton Space Operations Adaptation (Inner Sphere)Environmental Survival Implants

Roleplaying AddendumBrainwashingLiving in a Micro-Gravity EnvironmentRoleplaying with Interstellar Players

Interstellar Player NPCsBounty Hunter Game RulesGenecaste NPCsGenesubcaste RulesManei Domini as Non-Player Characters

Classic BattleTech RulesManei Domini InfantryThe Bounty HunterRecord Sheets