Uranium Fever
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Mining is a time-honored practice¸ its roots going back to the Stone Age. When humanity reached space¸ it began mining the asteroid bodies and extraterrestrial planets in pursuit of metal and ice. The most desired and profitable of these minerals are rare earths and radioactives. With asteroid mining¸ the Belter was born - a profession¸ and then a culture¸ of space miners. The company miner¸ working for corporation or government¸ works long shifts on interplanetary rocks for a steady salary and employment benefits. The independent belter¸ on the other hand¸ strikes out into the belt¸ prospecting¸ and mining with his own ship. Usually¸ he scrapes by on base metals and the more abundant rare earths. However¸ what sustains the belter through hard work and the loneliness of space is the lust for hitting a "motherlode" - good radioactive ore worth a fortune. As the 20th century song goes¸ this Uranium Fever infects the miner's heart and propels them into the unknown.
This product explores the theme of interstellar mining. Its default setting is These Stars Are Ours! - Stellagama Publishing's space-opera setting. However¸ almost all material in this book will work perfectly well in any science fiction setting using the Cepheus Engine rules or any similar 2d6 OGL ruleset. The book begins with a discussion of belt mining in Terran space in the 23rd century¸ and then provides detailed rules for generating belter characters¸ generating asteroid belt characteristics in the Cepheus Engine¸ and mining asteroid belts. It also includes three belter spacecraft¸ and a collection of equipment serving in the interstellar mining industry.
So¸ fire up your fission reactor¸ calibrate your mining laser¸ and follow the calling of Uranium Fever to distant stars!