Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2

A sequel to Interstellar Players, this title has been produced with some possible (though not necessarily probable) influences upon the Jihad storyline, from the dubious "White Noise" HPG data stream as a dominant source. Peeks at previous known and unknown secret societies, missing planets and intelligence agencies are provided, as well as directions for gamemasters who seek to add the rumors to their own campaigns.

From the back cover
"On October 25, 3068, the Word of Blake flooded the Inner Sphere HPG networks with "White Noise", a stream of gibberish and propaganda that made communications virtually impossible. Amid the noise, stunning secrets were revealed: Anastasius Focht was once Frederick Steiner; ComStar Primus Sharilar Mori was a Kurita spy.

Yet along with the secrets revealed and the spreading fires of the Jihad, the Blakists unveiled terrible new weapons and an army the size of which the intelligence agencies of the Inner Sphere had scarcely dreamed, spawning a darker, new wave of mysteries, and whispers of shadowy cabals. Hidden worlds, cults of assassins, ancient societies and even the mysteries of hyperspace&mdash;all emerged as possible sources for the Word of Blake's new found power. Once more spanning all of human space from ancient Terra to the far-flung Clan homeworlds, the conspiracies behind the Jihad could be the key to unraveling the greatest war since the days of Amaris.

Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2 describes several of the most powerful and influential people, organizations, and entities at work behind the scenes of the Word of Blake Jihad. Some of these conspiracies are firmly grounded in Classic BattleTech lore, but shown here in ways never before seen; others have only recently emerged from their own shadows. Gamemasters and players can decide which of these power brokers are real and which are paranoid fantasies spawned by the chaos and fear of the Blakist Holy War!"

Contents

 * Found and Lost


 * Introduction
 * How to Use This Book
 * What If?
 * Where It All Leads?
 * The Original Plan?


 * The Hidden
 * The Ballad of Brooklyn Stevens
 * Amaris and ComStar?
 * Hiding Planets
 * The Big Picture
 * Gamemaster's Section


 * "Uncle" Chandy
 * Stagnation
 * Hachiman Taro Electronics
 * Economic Tentacles
 * Irian Technologies
 * The Jihad
 * Gamemaster's Section
 * Chandrasekhar Kurita
 * Aims and Objectives
 * Holdings
 * Security
 * Mercenaries


 * The Society
 * Signs of Conspiracy
 * Society Structure
 * Playing Gods?
 * Society Operations
 * Wheels Within Wheels
 * Gamemaster's Section


 * The Brotherhood of Randis
 * Gamemaster's Section


 * Mysteries of the Void
 * The Mariner's Tale: In the Darkness Between
 * Skipjack
 * Ghosts, or Ghost Particles?
 * Winning the Lottery
 * Early Arrival
 * Time's Arrow
 * On Second Thought...
 * A Change of Heart
 * What Lives Between
 * Children of the Void: A Touch of Wrongness
 * Stowaway
 * Becalmed on the Cocytus
 * The Nameless One
 * Manei Domini
 * Ascension
 * Witness to Madness
 * And So, You See, It's All Come to This
 * Gamemaster's Section
 * Misjumps
 * The "Void Children"


 * The Ancients
 * The Belters
 * Early History
 * The Belt and the Terran Hegemony
 * The Belt and the Fall of the Star League
 * The Belt, The Succession Wars, And Today
 * Belters: Where and Who Are They?
 * Government
 * Slowboat Colonies
 * Gamemaster's Section


 * Cult of the Saints Cameron
 * Origin of the Cult of the Saints Cameron
 * The Knights of St. Cameron
 * Modern Times
 * Gamemaster's Section
 * A Cult Divided


 * The Saurimat
 * The Saurimat: A Compendium
 * Belief to the Stars
 * Humble Before Change
 * Faith Rises
 * The Saurimat Today
 * Gamemaster's Section


 * Interconnectedness Unlimited
 * Interconnectedness Unlimited: Taking the Fall
 * The Turning
 * The Prestige
 * Gamemaster's Section
 * Facts: The Corporation
 * Facts: Behind the Stage


 * Minor Groups
 * Devlin Stone
 * The Elusive Devlin Stone: The Truth (Or a Few Reasonable Facsimiles)
 * Gamemaster's Section
 * Thuggees
 * Operation: Revelation
 * Gamemaster's Section
 * The Tanites
 * Subject: The Tanite Civilization
 * Gamemaster's Section
 * The Blake Documents


 * Rules Addendum
 * Classic BattleTech RPG Rules
 * Influence and Special Contacts/Enemies
 * Influence Trait
 * Special Contact/Enemy Traits
 * Skills and Fields
 * Martial Arts/Quick Death (New)
 * Personal Equipment
 * Roleplaying Addendum
 * Possession
 * Cutting In
 * Roleplaying With Interstellar Players
 * Interstellar Players NPCs
 * Belters In Game Play
 * Belter Augmentations
 * New Mercenary Employer: "Uncle" Chandy
 * Thuggee-Manei Domini (Phasnigar) Hybrids
 * Classic BattleTech Rules
 * New Vehicle Equipment: Smart Robotic Control Systems
 * New ProtoMech Equipment
 * New Aerospace Equipment: Super-Jump Drives
 * New Vehicle Equipment: Centurion Weapon Systems
 * New BattleMech: RMP-5G Rampage
 * New Aerospace Fighter: Mk. 30 "BlackWasp" Robotic Interceptor
 * New Force Rules: The Saurimat