Oni-Senada Corporation

by Roy Crisman and "indy"

In this first installment of Corporate Connections we have recovered material from lost web sites but have expanded upon it. Roy Crisman developed the Oni-Senada Corporation as a manufacturer of low quality knock-offs to plague the player characters with. Indy of the “Raiders of the Lost Dungeon” developed a low quality weapons failure table which was simple and easy to use.

The editorial staff of the Frontier Explorer has expanded on this material by developing fresh graphics for the logos of the knock off brands that the Oni-Senada creates to cash in on quality brand names with cheaper products. Taken all together this installment of Corporate Connection equips a referee with the material to slip dud items past the players in much the same way a fantasy genre game slips cursed items into treasure hordes.

The cheap and low quality items can be slipped into play as items carried by opponents that end up looted by the player characters, issued by a credit pinching employer or out-right sold to the PCs through a front business. To soften the blow of being sold bad items the players might earn a modest reward from the mega corp whose name was being infringed on by providing the tip that closes down the front business.

The Oni-Senada Corporation

by Roy Crisman

When I was in high-school, I often borrowed a friend’s calculator. It was a nice looking Sharp that could do everything we needed way back then. I started looking at its design one day and realized that the company name wasn't SHARP at all, it was SHRAP.  The font, the color, and everything else were taken directly from the Sharp logo but this was a cheap imitation, and my friend paid for a Sharp. This became the inspiration for a Star Frontiers mega-corporation.

Oni-Senada (O-S)

Oni-Senada formed from the merger of two smaller corporations:  Onidata which designed less expensive ways to produce products by simplifying designs of existing products and Senada Manufacturing which was a producer of medium to lower quality merchandise.  The new company, while profitable, isn't necessarily the first name in quality.

Oni-Senada is the supplier of choice for those who can get by on less fancy products, have little money, or need equipment where having it is more important than quality. The company specializes in look-a-likes, generic versions, quality look with cheap construction, and buttons which do nothing. Low-tech and mass produced items, as well as less complicated lower yield high-tech items, are their specialty. One of the major benefits of the corporation is that they rarely put their logo where it is immediately visible or use front companies with similar yet legal look-a-like logos.  Not all products made by Oni-Senada are low quality, they are just best known for the low quality ones: "No wonder...Oni-Senada!" being a clichéd punch-line and "Oni-Senada?!? Oh Crap!!!" being famous last words.

Many mega-corps do not appreciate Oni-Senada.  This corporation floods the market with cheaper merchandise lowering prices and often lower public opinion of the other mega-corps products with their look-a-likes.  But Oni-Senada is like a hydra, as soon as one area becomes non-profitable or risky they move on to the next area just as quickly.  Since their production methods are cheap, there is little damage that can be done.  Despite these annoyances to the other mega-corps, Oni-Senada does also benefit mega-corps as the public learns to distrust no-names and buys directly from chain stores.

Corporate Data

Headquarters:  Lake Geneva, Rupert's Hole (Cassidine)

Chief Executive:  Ernie G. Xagyg

Subsidiaries:  Look-a-likes of virtually every mega-corp or manufacturer of quality.

Allies:  None

Enemies:  Makers of quality merchandise and name-brands

Occasional Opposition:  Anyone with taste

Saturday Night Special Failure table

Poor quality weapons sometimes screw-up; in either minor or major ways. This is why there's a market for higher-cost, quality items. Sadly, some people insist on using cheap imitations (in some campaigns, the Oni-Senada corporation is infamous for making these cheap knock-offs). Here's what can happen:

On a to-hit roll of 98-00, check on the following table. Weapons of slightly better quality check this table at -10, really bad or damaged weapons check it at +10.

Projectile or Gyrojet Weapons

Misfire -- weapon doesn't shoot. Cycle action to remove round, then weapon may fire normally after this one turn delay.

Jam -- round lodged in action. On following turn, make DEX check; if successful, weapon may fire normally the next turn. If not, character may attempt DEX check in subsequent turns.

Explosion -- round explodes in barrel. Weapon is ruined.  Character takes 1d10 points inertia damage.

Beam Weapons

Misfire -- gun doesn't shoot, circuit not completed. No SEU used, gun may fire normally next opportunity (may be next turn, or same turn if ROF > 1)

Jam -- one of the weapon's components was fried (Blown Circuit). SEU lost, gun not useable until repaired (standard repair rules).

Explosion -- catastrophic failure, weapon destroyed (and SEU lost). Character takes 1d10 electrical damage.

Corporate Logos

By Tom Stephens and Tom Verreault

Here we present some of the corporate logos of both the real corporations and the Oni-Senada front corporations.  Just like the products they sell, the corporate logos are knockoffs of the real thing.

MerCo-86h.png [1]

Merco is allied with Streel and specializing in mercenaries.  It aggressively goes after the Oni-Senada front corporation Morco. Emphasis should be placed on “aggressive”.

MorCo-86h.png [2]

Morco is a front corporation for Oni-Senada that dabbles in cut rate mercenaries and cheap arms. The corporation is not above maintaining contacts with pirates and smugglers.

PanGalaxyLogo.png [3]

The PanGalaxy corporate front has been used to sell cheap knockoffs of PGC goods. Fake PGC showrooms spring up and close rapidly before PGC can take action. PanGalaxy knockoff items make their way into the hulls of independent traders and shippers as well, though the Capellan Free Merchants avoid trading in PanGalaxy goods altogether.

PanGalLogo.png [4]

The PanGal Corporation is famous throughout the Frontier for their show rooms. PGC lawyers constantly pursue infringements of the PGC name.

SteelLogo-93h.png [5]

StrealLogo-93h.png [6]

The Steel & Streal corporations are front businesses for Oni-Senada and are currently under investigation by Star Law for illegal banking practices.

StreelLogo-93h.png [7]

Streel Corporation is cooperating with Star Law in pursuing the perpetrators of several savings and loan scandals that tarnished the Streel name by association.