frontier_quickdraw_network
Table of Contents
Races | Economy
FRONTIER QUICKDRAW NETWORK
Overview
Frontier Quickdraws are purely mechanical vending machines scattered across the Free State of Settlers. Operated by the Frontier Supply Company, these spring- and gravity-powered dispensers provide settlers with essential goods — personal care items, snacks, beverages, and chew meats — without requiring staffed shops. Each Quickdraw stands in a recessed kiosk or corner, ready 24/7 for quick purchases.
Operator & Distribution
- Operator: Frontier Supply Company
- Distribution: Over 50 machines installed in major and minor settlements, road junctions, mining camps, and guard outposts.
- Refill Protocol: Company couriers replenish stock weekly, using standardized supply crates and spring-wound hoists to load new drums.
Mechanics & Design
- Drive System: Spring-driven mainspring coupled to ratcheting gears; counterweights used in larger mountain-site units.
- Coin/Token Mechanism: Accepts standardized Kourou coins or pre-purchased tokens. A lever-actuated escapement only releases one item per token.
- Housing: Salvaged drone and cargo-crate panels, reinforced by Last Frontier hull plating; iron framing with quick-access lockcovers.
- Weatherproofing: Sealed chutes and drip covers; internal components greased with antifreeze resin to resist mist and dust.
Contents, Gameplay-Effects & Pricing
| Item | Description | Price | Remark |
| Dry Shampoo and Soap Kit | Travel-sized dry shampoo and soap sachets sourced from Last Frontier stock | 6 K | Removes one level of the “Filthy” conditionm which normally imposes disadvantage on Stealth or social checks in civilized areas.PC gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks for the next hour — their senses feel sharper after feeling clean. |
| Emergency Space Nutrition-Pack | Sealed liquid nutrition packs from Last Frontier emergency stock, providing durable sustenance for extended periods | 4 K | PC regain 1d6 HP, and suffer no further “Hunger” exhaustion for the next 6 hours |
| Starshine Schnapps | Small hip flask (200 ml), developed by Space Drinks Inc.; Virel spice-infused schnapps (30 % ABV); | 6 K | For 1 h after a dose the drinker’s exhaled breath shimmers with tiny glittering crystals; Stealth checks –2 due to sparkling fog |
| Chew Meat Strip | Dried bilax root & hoos meat jerky-style chew strips produced by Hope Meat Inc. | 7 K | PC regain 1d4 HP, and suffer no further “Hunger” exhaustion for the next 2 hours |
| Mistspring Water Flask | Sealed flask (750ml) of fresh mistspring water, filled by Mistspring Water Inc. | 6 K | Removes one level of exhaustion (as if you’d eaten and rested), grants advantage on any saving throw vs. dehydration or heat exhaustion for the next 2 hours. PC also regain 1d4 HP if they were below half their hit point maximum. |
| NeuroCalm Nano-Vial | 2 mL auto-injector by Schreder Pharma Inc.; moderate pain & field anaesthetic; cancels pain penalties; | 12 K | –2 Perception for 6 h; often diluted for resale—check authenticity or risk inert doses |
| SP-AMP Broad-Spectrum | 10-tab blister by Schreder Pharma Inc.; cures bacterial infections | 10 K | Restores 1 HP per hour for 6 h; advantage on disease saves |
Roles and Responsibilities
- Frontier Supply Company: Installs machines, sets maintenance standards, manages supplier/revenue-share contracts, and schedules refill runs.
- Refill & Maintenance Couriers: Hoos-mounted Refill and Maintenance Couriers who restock goods on-site (cassettes stay in the machines), fine‑tune springs and chutes, record sales/maintenance in field ledgers, and haul back empty refill crates.
- Local Steward: A settlement-appointed liaison who reports jams, vandalism, or shortages to FSC HQ and coordinates safe access during crises.
Service Tokens & Special Access
- Courier Service Deal: Under a barter-revenue agreement, the New Kourou Courier Service and Firetown Courier Service as well as all Free State Courier Riders received a limited batch of infinite-use Quickdraw tokens for cart drivers. The logic: keep couriers stocked without slowing routes.
- Usage Limits: Officially “on duty only ”— misuse voids the deal. Tokens are stamped with rotating micro-notch patterns to deter counterfeits.
- Black-Market Value: A single courier token fetches a steep price among settlers; it grants free pulls from any Quickdraw. Confiscation squads and stewards watch for suspicious repeat use.
- Replacement Protocol: Lost tokens must be reported within 24 hours; the matching notch series is retired and machines are re-pinned at the next refill cycle.
Security & Maintenance
- Tamper-Proof Locks: Spring-loaded detent locks prevent unauthorized access to stock drums.
- Nominal Surveillance: A per-machine counter logs dispenses; discrepancies trigger a maintenance alert.
- Emergency Manual Override: Company-issued master key for override during crises or official inspections.
Player Interaction Possibilities
Legal
- Purchase necessities on-demand without shop queues.
- Exchange bulk tokens at Company kiosks.
- Redeem an authorized Courier Token while on duty (verification by steward or rider ledger).
- Report a broken unit for priority refill or repair.
Illegal
- Pick locks to steal entire stock drums.
- Jam coin slots to get free items.
- Sabotage mechanical parts to cause dispersion errors or mechanical lockdown.
- Forge or fence courier tokens; copy micro‑notch patterns to mint fakes.
Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters
As unstaffed supply points, Frontier Quickdraws are ripe for plot hooks:
Adventure Hook Example:
- Poisoned Bottle Blackmail: Talia "Quickshot" Maren, founder of the Frontier Supply Company, is in full panic mode. She just got a ransom note demanding 10.000 Kourou by next Friday — or more Quickdraw goods will turn lethal. One water bottle’s already been tainted, and every vending‑machine staple could be next: the Starshine Schnaps, Chew Meat Strips, even the Emergency Space Nutrition Packs and Dry Shampoo & Soap Kits.Talia hires the PC to Intercept the poisoned bottle before it reaches a customer, trace the breach in her supply chain and to unmask the saboteur …
Related Pages and Further Information
frontier_quickdraw_network.txt · Last modified: 2026/01/04 07:38 by admin