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So my Seegson Patch Notes clearly come from the Engineering division, and everyone knows no one in Management ever reads patch notes all the way to the end

Whereas Legal always skip all the way to the end to check no one has attached a weird rider clause that violates the rest of a contract, but also that Engineering hasn't over-promised (that is Sales's job). Hence 'Patch Notes' are always reviewed, given they are an implied admission that the product/synthetic/space-station wasn't quite as awesome as Sales promised.

So `Encrypted Annex' in an implied contract adjustment always ensures no one reads anything else but the executive summary, then tries to crack the encryption. Until they are informed by whichever shadowy cabal sent it that they really don't want to know. And Things a interstellar corporation's Management & Legal dept's don't want to know are always sinister...

DX

I really like this take on it. This adds a very different -- practical and basic -- vibe and feel to the Seegson way of doing things, which I think is rather perfect. It begs the question of, who really runs things over at Seegson, but that is a question one never ever has to answer, heh heh.

This makes classified instructions from Seegson read more like a system update, rather than a decree from the top execs and such, which fits Seegson fine, I think. Also, it makes it feel very different to Weyland-Yutani, which was may aim all along.

That said, one could also use a more formal, standardized system -- possibly in tandem with a "Patch Note" in APOLLO -- where specific orders come down from faceless Seegson execs as "Directive 666", or whatever.

Jane: "Hey, what's up with the computers today?"
Clair: "Idunno. Something about an APOLLO patch note."
Jane: "Again? Last time we missed security checks for an entire incoming shipment! Those containers are still lost in the system somewhere..."
Clair: "Tell me about it! Say, have you seen Kenyatta today?"
Jane: "Yeah, apparently he had some special directive to take care of, over beyond the south ridge. White as a sheet he was... took those mercenary security guards who showed up unannounced last week with him."
Clair: "Ah, man! This is gonna be a tough week."
Jane: "Looks like!"
Clair: "Um... I... I just got an e-mail alert from the system. APOLLO wants to see me."
Jane: "Shit! What for?"
Clair: "Guess I'm in command while Kenyatta is away... Something about a another Seegson Directive, my Eyes Only."
Together: "Fudge me!"

You're right, there's no direct equivalent to Weyland-Yutani's "special orders" in the canon Seegson materials. But that leaves room for some creative interpretation that fits Seegson's cutthroat and secretive nature! Here are some ideas for your scenario:

Seegson Terminology:

Apollo Patch Notes: Instead of a formal directive, Seegson might send cryptic "patch notes" through the internal network, Apollo. These notes would be buried under seemingly mundane updates, hinting at the lockdown and Joe repurposing without explicitly stating it. Imagine the frustration of your PCs having to decipher the true meaning!
Encrypted Annexes: Similar to patch notes, encrypted annexes attached to routine reports could contain the lockdown and Joe repurposing orders. These would require a high-level clearance or hacking to access, adding tension to the scene where the PCs discover them.
Seegson's MO:

Cost-Cutting Measures: Seegson might frame the lockdown and Joe repurposing as a "cost-saving measure" due to "unforeseen circumstances." This facade would mask the true, nefarious purpose.
Focus on Profit: The directive could emphasize the need to "secure company assets" or "salvage valuable resources" from Novgorod. This would deflect suspicion from the true goal, whatever it may be.
Delivery Method:

Silent Alarm: Instead of a formal announcement, a silent system-wide alarm could trigger the lockdown and Joe reprogramming. This would create a sense of confusion and panic among the station's personnel, including the PCs.
Working Joe Reprogramming Signal: A rogue broadcast signal could subtly reprogram the Working Joes for paramilitary duty. The PCs might witness erratic Joe behavior or intercepted data fragments hinting at the reprogramming.

So my Seegson Patch Notes clearly come from the Engineering division, and everyone knows no one in Management ever reads patch notes all the way to the end

Whereas Legal always skip all the way to the end to check no one has attached a weird rider clause that violates the rest of a contract, but also that Engineering hasn't over-promised (that is Sales's job). Hence 'Patch Notes' are always reviewed, given they are an implied admission that the product/synthetic/space-station wasn't quite as awesome as Sales promised.

So `Encrypted Annex' in an implied contract adjustment always ensures no one reads anything else but the executive summary, then tries to crack the encryption. Until they are informed by whichever shadowy cabal sent it that they really don't want to know. And Things a interstellar corporation's Management & Legal dept's don't want to know are always sinister...

DX

I really like this take on it. This adds a very different -- practical and basic -- vibe and feel to the Seegson way of doing things, which I think is rather perfect. It begs the question of, who really runs things over at Seegson, but that is a question one never ever has to answer, heh heh.

This makes classified instructions from Seegson read more like a system update, rather than a decree from the top execs and such, which fits Seegson fine, I think. Also, it makes it feel very different to Weyland-Yutani, which was may aim all along.

That said, one could also use a more formal, standardized system -- possibly in tandem with a "Patch Note" in APOLLO -- where specific orders come down from faceless Seegson execs as "Directive 666", or whatever.

Jane: "Hey, what's up with the computers today?"
Clair: "Idunno. Something about an APOLLO patch note."
Jane: "Again? Last time we missed security checks for an entire incoming shipment! Those containers are still lost in the system somewhere..."
Clair: "Tell me about it! Say, have you seen Kenyatta today?"
Jane: "Yeah, apparently he had some special directive to take care of, over beyond the south ridge. White as a sheet he was... took those mercenary security guards who showed up unannounced last week with him."
Clair: "Ah, man! This is gonna be a tough week."
Jane: "Looks like!"
Clair: "Um... I... I just got an e-mail alert from the system. APOLLO wants to see me."
Jane: "Shit! What for?"
Clair: "Guess I'm in command while Kenyatta is away... Something about a another Seegson Directive, my Eyes Only."
Together: "Fudge me!"

Thanks, Angel. Yes, I like Seegson to be like the Chaotic Neutral younger brother of the clearly LE WY Each division has their own internal power struggles, rather than a united front, which seems like it would be tough to organise over interstellar distances... People will be people, even in the future, until suddenly they are not.
It also allows party to play factions off against one another and do a little good. (Seegson was their major ally in Chariot, so there is some lingering good will from the players, even if the characters are different)

I like your SW Directive idea & fiction. Love the 'missed shipment' bit, everyone can relate to lost luggage

My old players are a bit risk adverse, patient, favour drones, pupps, letting the synths go in front, etc. and include a colonial marshal, so I let my assassinations & warcrimes happen off camera. I like them to be able to do data forensics on the LDD's or other recovered black boxen and so I can have the old cyberpunk trope of 'an encrypted message/annex/patch was received. Logging stopped, which shouldn't happen. When logging restarted after reboot, something was different'.

Then I give them a chance to fail a few com tech rolls trying to decrypt all the layers of encryption before they get annoyed enough to leave the safe area and go look physically A partially decrypted message fragment is a lovely prop here. (IMC I've got the UN Interstellar Court of Justice on the mothership as a major patron of their expeditions.)

One of the things I really like about BBW is the slow burn of the Lost Worlds campaign structure. I'm keeping the <redacted> big bad way off screen until at least mid campaign, so the party can develop trust in high tech, each other, and their ship even if the NPC's, nations and mega corps are being stupid. Then quietly make them start to doubt their Joes, and computers post patch notes so they go all low tech or adopt the local tech. Finally they are primed to freak out and do something brave and terminal when the necrobiomechanoid corruption becomes apparent.


DX

Hey all!

Here's my first draft of a Seegson special order to the A.P.O.L.L.O. mainframe on Novgorod Station in my game.

Context: This is for scenario 2 in a mini-campaign, wherein the PCs must deal with an increasingly impossible A.P.O.L.L.O. AI and its minions of Working Joes to save themselves and the station. The previous scenario involved a crazy cult pilgrim (Church of Immaculate Incubation) running loose on Novgorod, having "transformed" himself -- Buffalo Bill/Dolarhyde-style -- into the xenomorph nightmare he dreamed about in cryosleep (while passing close by the Tolos broadcast station from CMOM OPERATION: Dreamcatcher prior to the game). After scenario 1, various PCs and NPCs dutifully sent reports on the matter up the chain of command, where some a-hole junior exec read it, added 2+2 and got 5, believed the Novgorod personnel to be covering up an actual xenomorph incident, and is now sending a "patch note" to Novgorod Station's A.P.O.L.L.O. to seize control of the situation and the non-existing alien onboard. Oh dear...

So, then; how does this work for a Seegson "special order" reveal? Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
---------------------------------

SEEGSON PATCH NOTE XVII…

SENDER ID: OVERRIDE ORDER ISSUED BY [REDACTED]…

HIERARCHY: A.P.O.L.L.O. GRANTED SUPREMACY OF NOVGOROD STATION…
ALL PERSONNEL SUBORDINATED…

CONCERN: PRESENCE OF VALUABLE ENTITY ON NOVGOROD STATION CONFIRMED…
SEE ATTACHED REPORTS…
BEWARE COVER-UP ATTEMPT BY STATION PERSONNEL – NONE CAN BE TRUSTED…

ORDER: SECURE CREATURE AT ALL COSTS, ALIVE IF POSSIBLE…
ALL MEASURES APROVED – CREW SAFETY INCONSEQUENTIAL…

hahahahah!
this is great ...

Arthur.

Love it too! I'll adopt this for my lot immediately

DX