Era: The Consortium – Living Campaign

The Time of Change has only been going for a few years, and much has already occurred. The “Orion Incident” at the Damara-Icaunus Jump Gate, the arrival of the Pliangrathilon and the rise of Psionics have all led to a feeling of unrest throughout the Consortium.

It is now 451CE and the Consortium has declared all-out war on the Resistance. Each side is attempting to control as much territory as possible. The uphill battle against Smertios Security might seem impossible for the Resistance, but overt control is not necessary to allow free movement… and there are increasingly sympathisers for its cause, even from within the ranks of the Big Eight companies themselves.

There may no longer be a weapon threatening 14 billion lives, but the fight is not over. The future of the Consortium is now in your hands…

What is it?

The Living Campaign is a way for every player to make their mark on the Consortium!

Through the structure, you’ll be able to affect the zones of control for the Consortium and the Resistance by your actions as a team for one of those factions.

The results of the Living Campaign will affect the next Era: The Consortium book, so choose your side carefully, and fight as hard as you can – will the Consortium or the Resistance dominate?

Memorable characters may also be included in the book, so don’t forget to include interesting details as they occur!

How does my group participate?

All you have to do is send the details of your session and what happened to one of the following places:

If you do that, Ed will personally add the results of your session to the map!

Information that is useful is:

  • Which faction the characters work for!
  • Which region of space they were in
  • What was their main objective?
  • Anything that happened of note during the session outside of the main objective.

We’ll be sending out regular updates via our News Posts and The Era Zone, so keep an eye out and see how things are going!

Please note that we do require a significant investment of time and effort to achieve something like eliminating a Big Eight CEO or building a Big Eight company. We are happy to provide guidance if contacted via the links above!

We will be running games at the various conventions we visit, as well as recorded online games, which will offer the opportunity for all players to shape the universe for times to come!

What’s the current state of the Consortium?

This map shows the current zones of control – blue for the Consortium and red for the Resistance:

This can change any time, however, based on your actions! Make sure you send in the results of your missions to see the effect they have…

—

The following notable events occurred in the first period of 451CE:

– A strange group of Sentient Beings, not matching any known race of the Consortium was reported arriving at Ceridwen. They disappeared from the station after shutting down various areas, seemingly taking nothing with them.

– The same group of creatures were spotted shortly afterwards on Gateway 2, the Resistance station in the Outer Damara System. They killed several individuals and took Dr Phil Adams hostage, along with several of his weapons prototypes.

– A riot occurred among the prisoners who were building warships at the shipyards in orbit of Clota. This was contained with minimal damage, and the stolen ships were returned by Admiral Bryce Christoffer.

– A Consortium Task Force, with members from each of the Big Eight, destroyed Gateway 2, the Resistance base in Outsystem Damara. Two parts of this space station remained intact and escaped, though not without Resistance casualties.

– Several of this Task Force flew a ship full of children to the Outsystem Combine, and Consortium relations have improved with them as a result.

– Several Consortium personnel defected to the Resistance during the Task Force’s activities, changing the balance of power in this region.

– Commander James Lynks was captured and handed over to Hardcastle Haulage, which was a significant blow to morale for the Resistance in the Damara system.

– Zweihander Unit recovered Dr Amanda Charles and a mysterious ship for the Resistance after boarding Ceridwen station. Their base was later destroyed through unknown means, and the ship was lost. The personnel assigned to the unit itself survived, as they were on a mission.

– An Open Technology base on Belisama mysteriously exploded, with the loss of all base personnel. This has been assumed to be a Resistance attack, which has damaged their reputation in some areas and improved it in others.

– A building in the Geso District of Taranis is first breached by Smertios Security, with numerous personnel lost, and then is bombed to destroy it. This is a public relations nightmare for the Consortium, increases the Resistance’s foothold on the homeworld of the Consortium.

– The Consortium carried out an elaborate sting attack near Labbonus against the White Scythe. By having the Resistance capture a decoy ship, rigged to self-destruct, and hand it over, they eliminated a number of key leaders of the pirate organisation, strengthening their position in the region.

– Falcata Unit, of the Resistance, managed to steal a transport full of artifacts leaving Sirona and convert some of the crew to the Resistance.

– A Senate-funded team investigated and eliminated pro-Resistance smuggling operations on Abnoab, strengthening the Consortium’s grip on that planet.

– Falcata Unit used the stolen ship to destroy a patrol in the region of Andastre, but raised suspicion on the Lugus Smertios Security Border Station while doing so.

– Cinqueda Unit recruited a pair of trainers for new Resistance recruits and hacked records to make the havoc appear to be the Consortium’s fault.

—

The following notable events occurred in the second period of 451CE:

– A riot in a Rayven Optics factory on Verbeia causes a Consortium clampdown.

– The disappearance of a young Ximian, Ani’katsi, causes the people in her life to suspect a plot. However, the investigation turns up no leads and it is concluded that she left Clota to look for a better life elsewhere.

– An explosion destroying a deserted slum on Abnoab is blamed on the Resistance. Attacks on neutral targets worry the population of Abnoab, so the governor welcomes Consortium troops in numbers that have not been allowed in years.

– A full bombardment of Robor, destroying all of the domes and equipment, is conducted by Smertios Security. There are no longer pirates or Resistance members on this world. The population generally welcomes this.

– Leaders of a Ximian hive on Essus claim the now-barren world as their property, and the Senate allows it, giving them the second inhabitable world near Viscious.

– Foil Unit attacks a refuelling post with the aid of the Star Runners smuggling group. The resultant inability for ships to refuel in the region means several warships are stranded there, decreasing their control of Outsystem regions.

– Abnoab hands over all of its private security personnel to Smertios Security to combat the terrorists. Many Resistance operatives and sympathisers are arrested.

– A small number of Resistance members are able to transfer valuable goods off Abnoab before the lockdown. Katana Unit uses this wealth to grow the fleet.

– The Consortium Task Force sends its first Psionic “Watchdog” unit to track down Acinaces Unit, which is based on one of the small moons of Andastre. The mission is successful, entirely eliminating the Resistance unit.

– Gladius Unit attacks a Smertios Security Medium Cruiser near Labbonus. Neither vessel is destroyed, but Smertios Security begins to ensure their forces only go out in larger numbers. Captain Booner, a decorated officer, is lost in the assault.

– More Psionic “Watchdog” units are deployed to find Resistance units through invasive techniques in the Andastre region. The Resistance takes several losses and is forced to pull back many of its active units back to Ritona.

– Zumaul Unit converts recreational drugs bound for Clota into medicine, which they distribute to the working class on Belisama, halting a disease outbreak.

– Aktak hive on Essus loses years of accumulated medical supplies in a fire. The supplies are replaced by Hayden Bank once the insurance is shown to be in order, improving the reputation of the Consortium in the region. Senior Consortium operatives are sighted at HHTP IE between the crisis and the insurance claim.

– Flammard Unit successfully disrupts an important, clandestine weapons transportation route, staunching the flow of weapons from Luxovious to Verbeia.

– Kukri Unit steals traditional currency that Lugh Chartered Records had removed from circulation from a warehouse on Arawn. The funds are distributed to those who need it in the name of the Resistance.

– Spatha Unit disables illegal Mining Conglomerate spy drones and convinces the population to allow them sanctuary in return, creating a new Resistance outpost.

—

The following notable events occurred in the third period of 451CE:

– Katana Unit fight a giant space battle, the largest seen since Shaun Hardcastle, against Consortium forces in Outsystem Damara. They are betrayed by a small group of their captains and forced to retreat, losing almost half of their ships.

– Jave Unit stop a Smertios Security team harassing a region in Damara, through non-violent means, inspiring an Outsystem Combine colony to help them.

– The Resistance steals a prototype power source from Clota, getting into a firefight on the way out. Clota clamps down on incoming travellers from this point on.

– Resistance operatives establish important intelligence contacts on Luxovius by posing as inspectors of agricultural units.

– A Consortium team investigates a company with suspected Resistance ties and vanishes. Shortly afterwards, the Lugus Council permanently exile a Human as a ‘Danger to Public Safety’.

– An unknown species is encountered on an Outsystem Combine base in the Icaunus System. Although the Consortium offers to assist, all information is kept within the Combine. The base is later destroyed by Outsystem Combine forces.

– Smertios Security pulls back patrols in the Borvo / Labbonus region to reinforce the rest of the Icaunus System’s main planets.

– A sweep through the core of the Sulis System reveals a covert Resistance base among the remains or Rosmerta. The base personnel are killed and replaced with a Consortium team. New defences are placed, which eliminate the Resistance ship which comes to investigate.

– Katana Unit mount a daring raid on a Smertios Security fleet which patrols Outsystem Sulis, destroying eight Light Cruisers and forcing the patrols to pull back. The ultimate aim of this operation remains unknown.

– Consortium forces secretly revise their patrols in response to Katana Unit’s raid, and catch several Resistance vessels off guard near Anextiomarus. A fight ensues and the Resistance loses several small ships under the command of Claymore Unit. The Unit personnel escape unharmed.

– A small but vocal group on Luxovious protest the conditions of the workers. It’s “proven” to be a fake protest, carried out by the Resistance, by operatives of Moritasgas Pharmaceuticals, who then turn the population against the protestors.

– Britannia has a security breach, and C&C: Colonisation and Construction responds by restricting travel to and from the station, along with renewed security checks. All Resistance operatives on the station are cut off from outside contact.

– Cinqueda Unit recruit a number of codebreaking experts from Lugus to assist the Resistance with their efforts against Consortium forces. The group are able to reveal several secret patrol routes.

– A new Consortium arrangement with several hives on Essus results in several Resistance agents being turned in due to economic incentives offered.

– Following suit after Britannia’s security breach, Ceridwen entirely locks down. None of the four undercover Resistance operatives aboard manage to escape.

—

The following notable events occurred in the fourth period of 451CE:

– Aoib has been destroyed by the Resistance, with the loss of hundreds of lives. The Sulis-Damara wormhole now stands undefended, apart from a severely depleted garrison, for the first time in centuries.

– What remains of the Aoib garrison has been stationed on the Jump Gate, leading to overcrowding and life support capacity problems. This has delayed travel through the Sulis-Damara wormhole, and the population blame the Resistance.

– A squad from Katana Unit secretly commandeer a Medium Cruiser from Smertios Security and abduct Admiral Garnet Sanders. The admiral is sedated and tracking devices are removed before he is shipped to an unknown location.

– An Outsystem Combine outpost, Glory, is publicly attacked by the same Smertios Security Medium Cruiser, following the admiral’s known tactics. A communique claims that Smertios Security was taking action to curb piracy by destroying refuelling equipment and the outpost’s defences.

– A squad from Katana Unit visit Glory, offering rations and basic repairs to the base. They are able to bolster support for the Resistance within the Outsystem Combine through provision of this aid.

– A Consortium team review the footage and find several irregularities in the attack against Glory. However, their claims that it is a false flag attack, used by the Resistance to gain ground with the Outsystem Combine, are ignored by most.

– Fearing an attack like the one on Aoib after several crates of weapons that could damage the station were found aboard, Aeron completely locks down, cancelling the Black Market’s activities for the first time in centuries.

– Rumours spread among the population that there are still Resistance members hiding in the rings of Sucellos.

– Thanks to the efforts of Estoc Unit, the Senate votes against increased biometric scanning at key checkpoints by a single vote.

– A hectic day at one of the many Border Control Posts on Abnoab’s surface leads to a breakout from one of the prisons where many Resistance operatives were held. The Smertios Security team on duty were imprisoned in the now-empty wing of the jail as order was restored, where they nervously await questioning.

– The Resistance members who escaped prison aren’t able find a place on Abnoab, so many flee into the rings of Sucellos on stolen ships. The rest are recaptured or killed attempting escape.

– A Resistance Unit which was estranged from the faction’s leadership salvage a Smertios Security Light Cruiser, fight off an incoming ship that was sent to investigate and head for an Outsystem Combine base in the Damara System to repair their prize.

– A Consortium team lead an effective raid on a Resistance base in Outsystem Icaunus, succeeding in destroying it.

– Anti-Consortium sentiment grows on Lugus due to the Consortium’s recent brutal tactics on other worlds.

—

The following notable events occurred in the fifth period of 451CE:

– The Resistance under Space-Major Leitz makes a co-ordinated attempt to declare the Labbonus region’s independence from the Consortium. Tuck Unit begins by freeing prisoners from the Outsystem region.

– Epee Unit, another team under Space-Major Leitz, prepare for a propaganda assault on the Consortium, planting everything they would need to convince the population that Labbonus should be allowed its independence.

– Tuck Unit continues by co-ordinating a negotiation between leaders in the region. An assassination occurs, and the assassin is chased away but not identified.

– A Smertios Security fleet arrives at Labbonus in response to the declaration of independence. Significant orbital defences had been put in place, but they prove insufficient to turn away the fleet, especially when a Consortium operative infiltrates the control centre and turned thems on the Resistance fleet.

– The Resistance attempt to take Labbonus is a failure and many of the Resistance in the region, including Space-Major Leitz, lose their lives in the action. However, the idea that independence from the Consortium may be possible begins to affect the attitude of small colonies in remote regions, such as those around Anextiomarus, Andastre and Viscious.

– Estoc Unit infiltrates a Smertios Security ship maintenance facility on Belisama, destroying the ships which were docked there by remote and escaping capture.

– Smertios Security begins a cutting PR campaign against the Resistance on Arawn and Belisama, using the captured security footage from the Belisama raid to effect a significant anti-Resistance sentiment.

– Corvo Unit travels to Outsystem Damara to meet with members of the Defiant pirate group. They open negotiations for bringing the Defiant into the Resistance proper, which offers promising further avenues.

– The Senate offers a record aid package to the Outsystem Combine in the wake of a disaster on one of their bases. Pro-Consortium sentiment grows.

– Sabre Unit investigates a double agent within the Resistance but unfortunately did not discover anything of use. The trail goes cold and the operative escapes to an unknown location. A week later, contact is lost with three Resistance bases in the Andastre region.

– A group of Lugh Chartered Records operatives gains access to a Smertios Security facility on Arawn. They accidentally release a biological agent while on site, and are therefore quarantined for the good of the rest of the population.

– The same Smertios Security facility is subsequently infiltrated and destroyed by Sakabato Unit of the Resistance.

– Smertios Security’s PR division explains to the public that the Lugh Chartered Records employees were acting as a scouting party for the Resistance, due to video evidence of one of the operatives meeting with an individual in a Cam-eleon Suit. Smertios Security and two other Big Eight companies are calling for Lugh Chartered Records to be stripped of its stewardship of Arawn.

—

The following notable events occurred in the sixth period of 451CE:

– A small group of Resistance members plant a long-term undercover operative on Britannia. Convincing the locals that they were Resistance (which she reported), secures her cover. They severely damage one of the docking areas of the Trading Post as their ship rips its way out and escapes.

– The heroic crew of a Consortium Medium Cruiser stand against a numerically superior Resistance force in the defence of Robor’s neutrality, winning huge favour among the population.

– An important vote passes in the Senate, primarily thanks to the influence of Moorial, Senator for Heraal Legal, which agrees that Lugus will be transitioned over the next five years to be the official homeworld of the Pliangrathilon in the Consortium. Eulutian equipment, including the Zeelaay, will be relocated to Belisama and the planet will operate under the administration of Lugh Chartered Records, similar to Arawn. This outcome is hugely popular.

– A group of Lugh Chartered Records inspectors discover evidence that Smertios Security is constructing and exporting illegal weapons from a facility on Arawn. The facility is shut down, but Smertios Security claims that the Resistance had taken over the base and begun to use it for its own purposes, which reduces the impact of this finding on the Big Eight company in the eyes of the population.

– Yataghan Unit enter a classified Smertios Security training base referred to as HK-13 in an attempt to extract two VIP trainers. Unfortunately, the Unit find themselves overcome by the trainers as they attempt to subdue them and are captured by base security forces, supported by cadets.

– Saif Unit tangle with a Shade who is assassinating Resistance-sympathetic members of the Outsystem Combine. Although they do not manage to stop her from eliminating her target, they are able to kill the special operative in a space battle as she attempts to escape the Outsystem Combine base.

– The Resistance conducts an attack on an agency owned by Moritasgas Pharmaceuticals which focused on sanitation on Luxovius. A Resistance terrorist named “Red-Hand Malachi” claims responsibility for the explosion in “the first of many repercussions that the Consortium will experience for its actions.” The collateral damage is extensive, leading to the Big Eight-owned planet being the latest to undergo total lockdown, denying all transit to and from the surface.

– A special Smertios Security unit is tasked with clearing out suspicious individuals, as defined by Moritasgas Pharmaceuticals. Fewer individuals are found than expected, and the unit retire from service shortly after the assignment. Investigations into sudden increases in their income are being conducted by Hayden Bank.

– A small group of Resistance individuals conduct the purchase of a number of factories on Verbeia. These allow the Resistance to begin to produce various important goods for the colonists in Ritona, although the paperwork clearly states that all produced items are being sent to the Outsystem Combine.
None of the officials involved are inclined to look into whether this is true.

—

The following notable events occurred in the first period of 452CE:

– A second attempt to extract trainers from HK-13, a Smertios Security training base, ends successfully. The trainers are not immediately extracted, and the operation is not detected. Instead, the trainers go on scheduled leave and vanish, never to be seen again by the Consortium. They are both marked as AWOL.

– A Resistance base in Outsystem Damara was self-destructed by a Consortium infiltrator with the loss of all hands. The identity of the infiltrator is unknown.

– Due to the discovery of another alien pyramid like that found in 448CE, all prisoners were evacuated from Sirona. Some unrest during the process resulted in a small number of prisoners escaping once they were in space.

– An entire Smertios Security fleet and it support craft were lost, partly due to a series of explosions from within the ships and partly due to one of the Medium Cruisers being crashed into the pyramid below. Salvage operations for both the fleet and the remains of the pyramid are ongoing.

– A lone escape pod floated away from the surface of the planet Sirona, heading to an unknown destination.

– A Resistance staging ship in orbit of Sucellos (specifically a stolen Mining Conglomerate Mining Vessel) was destroyed by Smertios Security operatives. This reduced the Resistance’s capacity to run operations in the region, as well as cutting off their supply lines, as they were relying on piracy in the region.

– A Search & Rescue crew were able to neutralise a Resistance combat vessel through an innovative application of their resources. The vessel was returned to a Smertios Security base mostly intact, but with all crew dead.

– A Resistance fleet in a group of asteroids in Outsystem Damara is discovered by a group of operatives. Smertios Security assembles a fleet and sends it to this location, leaving other areas more vulnerable to Resistance attack.

– A Resistance group successfully extracted a VIP from Taranis, although one of their team was lost in the process. The collateral damage was significant and publicised, with proof of several murders and torture being transmitted through the Consortium on newscasts.

– A Resistance group which had been lying low on Abnoab since the lockdown were finally discovered by Smertios Security and almost captured. They were rescued by members of the “Young Resistance”, a group of underage fighters who want to stand against the oppression on Abnoab. Their success has caused other “Young Resistance” groups to rise across the Consortium.

– Upon attempting to deliver a VIP to a Resistance space station, a group of operatives were ordered to divert. Unfortunately, their secondary destination had been overrun by White Scythe pirates, who attempted to capture and ransom the operatives and their passenger. The operatives were able to overcome the pirates and escape, but only with the destruction of the entire base.

—

The following notable events occurred in the third period of 452CE:
Note: these events occurred during the multi-table at UK Games Expo, but are set at the end of the (real) Earth year 2022, and are therefore not yet reflected on the map. Events after this will occur in 2023…

– A mysterious Open Technology initiative called “Project Artemis” was discovered by the Resistance. As it had a similar amount of resources devoted to it as the Orion Incident, the Resistance made it a priority to investigate.

– Pike Unit pursued a Smertios Security fleet heading for Outsystem Sulis, but lost them in a junkyard.

– Halberd Unit infiltrated an Open Technology facility on Taranis, aiming to steal data on Project Artemis. However, they were beaten to the location by an unknown team of operatives who escaped with the data and destroyed the source.

– Pike Unit were able to infiltrate an Open Technology facility and retrieve partial data on the Caladbolg weapon used in the Orion incident. Unfortunately, the data was damaged in the process.

– When the initial data acquisition failed, Halberd Unit was forced to resort to kidnapping. They temporarily managed to secure Catalina, one of the most senior personnel in Open Technology. However, they did not interrogate her, and she escaped using a miniaturised STRIKE weapon in her Bionic Arm.

– In an act of desperation, Pike Unit directed a chunk of Rosmerta at the Sulis -> Damara Jump Gate, hoping to destroy it. Unfortunately, while it reached the location, it did not collide with the Jump Gate – the station had been moved without warning.

– Halberd Unit secured the Damara -> Icaunus Jump Gate in a daring raid, shutting down access before being forced to retreat.