Why are you here now?
Chance is likely not the reason. Colonists have either been born within the colony or sentenced to it. Guards have been trained and chosen for the posting. Researchers from the Planar Anchor Group have also been authorized by Carcer Corporation. Colony 724 rarely sees unauthorized visitors as, simply put, there isn’t much for a tourist to see.
Colonist
Sadly, it doesn’t take a lot to be consigned to a term in the colonies. Sometimes it can be as simple as offending someone with enough political clout to get you sent in for a year or two. More often though, it is for a crime that was severe enough to warrant banishment from your home – but not severe enough to be punished with worse.
Your welcome gifts are culture shock and location shock, sure, the colony is like nothing else at all. Time might as well flow differently here. The people certainly do. You can bring whatever thoughts you like from your life before, but it might be easier not to. Get settled, get to know the names, get an idea of how the place runs. Soon enough, you’ll be helping run it, too.
There are a dozen and half mundane jobs you could do –cooking, cleaning, inventory and the like– but why bother with chores when you can pick anything else? You can join with our engineers, fall in with our medics and faith healers, or pick up a toolkit and transform our resources into nice new things. You haven’t really lived until you’ve done a resource walk in the wastes. We’d be happy to take you along. Or maybe you’ve got a talent for sweet talk? We need diplomats and traders and fixers.
What stories do you know? What songs can you share? What are you good at besides getting noticed enough to be joining us here? You might find you’re good at things you never imagined. You might find staying here is easier than leaving, and not for the reasons you think you know.
Researcher
Carcer has recently provided rolling authorization and transport service for Planar Anchor Group (PAG) personnel to Colony 724. As authorized visitors, PAG personnel will be treated as guests within the colony.Quarterly reports of findings will be required by Carcer and will be compensated based on quality of research and discoveries. Carcer trusts that its guests will follow all colony laws and provide as little disruption to the colony community as possible.
Planar Anchor Group has abruptly designated the colony a research outpost. Recently, a call has gone out to recruit field researchers from a variety of disciplines, as well as security personnel to provide support and defense for said researchers, to study an undisclosed phenomenon happening beyond the colony perimeter, providing an excellent opportunity for scientists seeking a break from the lab! Reimbursement requests for expenses and hazards encountered must be submitted by the lead researcher for review within one month of expenditure/encounter.
Something somewhere caught the attention of the upper echelons of Carcer and PAG. Whatever it is has caused an unprecedented reallocation of funding to divert high-level research teams from other projects and to hire specialty security staff. There are plenty of rumors, but your guess is as good as mine.
Unauthorized Visitor
Unauthorized Visitors (UVs) travel at their own risk. Chance is what brings them to a colony, and that is usually all they have in common with anyone else. Unlike colonists and guards who are routinely transported by Carcer, or authorized visitors who have requested entry and been provided both transport and hospitality as guests of Carcer, UVs have made their own way to the edge of the map. Carcer and colony etiquette requires respect for others, so guards will not deny these unexpected arrivals entry to the colony’s shelter from the hazards outside.
Unauthorized Visitors are called many other things by guards and colonists, from UV, to tourist, wanderer, vagrant, or worst of all, adventurer. Their presence in colonies is tolerated at best, so long as they follow the rules of colony life. Being useful earns food and shelter, though UVs often have to do more to earn goodwill. While there have been cases of tourists becoming valued members of a colony, it is rare. Whatever most tourists are looking for, either it isn’t in the colony or seeing the place is enough and they soon wander out the same way they wandered in.
Guard
Being a Carcer Corporation Guard or Guard Recruit is not a starting option for your first character. However, you can choose to start as a new guard recruit after you retire your first character or your character finals. See the section on Retirement in the Supplemental Rulebook for more information. There may be in-game ways your first character can earn a place on the CarcerCorp payroll, but those must be discovered in-game.
The life of a colony guard isn’t glamorous. Yeah, the uniforms are sharp, the food isn’t bad, and the benefits are good. Still, constantly monitoring the perimeter for external threats while monitoring the colonists and visitors for any hint of internal trouble brewing starts to feel like being a glorified babysitter wondering when the backyard would ever catch fire or if the kids will start drawing on the walls (again).
Fraternizing with the colonists is frowned upon, though not strictly prohibited. Knowing names and faces, keeping general track of who is where and doing what, means you get to pass the time of day and have a conversation now and then. The worst thing you have to deal with, outside of incursions, is breaking up the rare fight or tracking down misplaced property. Colony law dictates that everyone treats you with respect, so it’s no real hardship that your contract dictates you treat them with respect too. And after all, the ones that can’t get the hang of Colony life won’t stick around. The chain of command will relocate them, and what other problems are there?
No, guard life isn’t glamorous or exciting, but it could be a lot worse.