a sector to start, sharing thoughts

[dr fre0n]

Hey everyone,

I am preparing my campaign as a referee - and I am thinking about an area (as in a sector) to start-up.

Here is the state of my thought as of now on the matter: As a new referee (as I mentioned in previous posts) I only have a very superficial knowledge of the canon. I do not want to make to much errors at that level, for example ignoring somewhat important stories, facts or locations.

If my players choose to go check official stories online or in old magazines, I prefer to minimize the potential of discrepancies - same thing for me if I later learn / read something I'd like it to be easily integrated in my campaign - (or the other way around).

The solution to that issue is to choose maybe a backwater systems - ideally far from The Imperium, where I would like to start my own thing which would be later attached to the whole. They will be exploring, doing small scale politics within a small cluster - with few interaction with the outside. Interaction at first will be with other small independent empires, where law level is unequal outside a few inhabited world etc. Later on when the basics will be there for the group as a whole I will introduce the Imperium at large and other large powers if needed.

I have read an excellent paper which provided me good insights at http://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/columns/t5i/sectors.html.

So far Vanguard Reaches, Far Frontiers looks promising for that. Foreven is too 'open'. In Pandemonium, there is a some German sounding names for local powers, looks interesting but can't hardly find any sources or litterature on these (ex: Grossdeutchland, Pionierkorps, Langemarck). Anyone got pointers here ?

So yes that is about it - I am still working on it, but I am interested in reading if you had a similar problematic and how you dealt with it - or any other input or recommendation for a starting point in the spirit of my post

fre0n

 

[mike wightman]

Just about every sector outside the Imperium that has had stuff written for it has been canonised then decanonised so often i would just ignore everything.

Pick a location for your home-brew sector, put it a sector or so away from the SpinWard Marches and you are good to go

 

[rancke]

I am preparing my campaign as a referee - and I am thinking about an area (as in a sector) to start-up.

Here is the state of my thought as of now on the matter: As a new referee (as I mentioned in previous posts) I only have a very superficial knowledge of the canon. I do not want to make to much errors at that level, for example ignoring somewhat important stories, facts or locations.

Um... why are you setting your campaign in the OTU in the first place? Presumably to take advantage of all the work done by other people that you won't have to do yourself. If so, setting your campaign in a place that hasn't been written about much tends to negate the advantage of using the OTU.

If my players choose to go check official stories online or in old magazines, I prefer to minimize the potential of discrepancies - same thing for me if I later learn / read something I'd like it to be easily integrated in my campaign - (or the other way around).

What I tell my players is that public knowledge is what people think is true. In many cases that means it probably is mostly true, but there could be exceptions. Also, that I reserve the right to ignore any particular part of canon that I don't like and to check with me first before they rely on anything. Secret knowledge is something their characters don't know, so they definitely shouldn't rely on that -- I'm very likely to make changes.


Hans

 

[dr fre0n]

Just about every sector outside the Imperium that has had stuff written for it has been canonised then decanonised so often i would just ignore everything.

Pick a location for your home-brew sector, put it a sector or so away from the SpinWard Marches and you are good to go

Of course - after reading your simple and yet to the point answer, I realized I am probably very good in making simple things complex.

Will consider thank you !

fre0n

 

[dr fre0n]

If so, setting your campaign in a place that hasn't been written about much tends to negate the advantage of using the OTU.

This is right - but as a beginner, I expect that I will have to dig a bit in the forums and resources to find elegant answer to dead-ends on my side - and I also expect at the same time while browsing that I will learn all sort of things about OTU. It is not that I don't want to use the background, it is more that I don't want to do it yet, as I want to focus on my campaign first.

What I tell my players is that public knowledge is what people think is true. In many cases that means it probably is mostly true, but there could be exceptions. Also, that I reserve the right to ignore any particular part of canon that I don't like and to check with me first before they rely on anything. Secret knowledge is something their characters don't know, so they definitely shouldn't rely on that -- I'm very likely to make changes.

Great suggestions here, I will surely use your advice in my campaign, thank you very much

fre0n

 

[rancke]

This is right - but as a beginner, I expect that I will have to dig a bit in the forums and resources to find elegant answer to dead-ends on my side - and I also expect at the same time while browsing that I will learn all sort of things about OTU. It is not that I don't want to use the background, it is more that I don't want to do it yet, as I want to focus on my campaign first.

That's reasonable. But if you select a starting point that is a long way from the well-documented¹ regions, you're going to have to leave everything you've worked out behind when you decide to move on to the more substantial parts.

¹ Or rather, less badly documented. ​

If you have or get a subscription to Journal of the Travellers Aid Society Online there's a possible solution. If you go to the archive and search for 'Regina Startown', you will get a list of articles that together constitute a beginners campaign set in, you guessed it, Regina Startown (I was one of the writers).

The campaign is deliberately written so that referee and players alike can concentrate on events in the startown and pretty much ignore the rest of the universe. At the same time there are built-in links to the surroundings that can be explored at whatever pace you are comfortable with.

By the time you've finished the whole campaign, you should be well prepared to go out into the bigger universe around you. And Regina is slab in the middle of a lot of canon material. Also, Aramis and the Sword Worlds subsectors, the two best documented subsectors in Charted Space are quite close.


Hans

 

[Orr]

A sector is just too big, Doc. You're going to spend more time trying to fill it and less time actually running your group through it. Go for a subsector first and then add on as necessary.

Mike and Hans advice is very good. Either start far enough away from the canonical material so it won't cramp your style or use as much of the canonical material as you want while ditching the rest.

If you will be using canonical materials - and you should because you'll save loads of time - be sure to tell your players before your campaign starts that you've only used canon as a scaffold and that you've ignored, changed, and added whatever you saw fit. That way when someone complains that Book X says Y about Z, you can remind them that you told them they wouldn't be playing a wholly canonical setting.

Besides, they should be paying attention to what you're presenting as the GM and not digging through old Traveller books in the hopes of finding "cheat codes'!

 

[Ulsyus]

A sector is just too big, Doc. You're going to spend more time trying to fill it and less time actually running your group through it. Go for a subsector first and then add on as necessary.

Great advice here Doc - do this!

 

[Kilgs]

What I tell my players is that public knowledge is what people think is true. In many cases that means it probably is mostly true, but there could be exceptions. Hans

I think this is key. Information in Africa or the Middle East is woefully outdated or incorrect by the time westerners finish their reports/books/histories etc. Now add non-FTL comms and lack of interest.

Maybe the information the characters have is based on the work of one historian/explorer/author with bad sources or is from twenty-one years earlier. Lots of ways to mess with things and still keep it TU (or rather ATU).

As far as locations, don't neglect the sectors near Ley (Gateway Domain). Lots of interesting stuff going on there! Okay, so it's my favorite region... sue me.

 

[savage]

A sector is fine, but pop out of the OTU into deep space. You can mimic whatever you want in OTU to save time.

At first, don't go too crazy with the system physics and details.

 

[robject]

Go for a subsector first and then add on as necessary.
[...]
If you will be using canonical materials ... be sure to tell your players before your campaign starts that you've only used canon as a scaffold and that you've ignored, changed, and added whatever you saw fit.

Both of these. By all means, craft a fresh subsector. Place it as near to (or far from) the Imperium as you like. If it's sectors and sectors away from charted space, let Joshua Bell over at Travellermap.com know and he'll be happy to host your data. Otherwise you can plunk it down in place of a subsector in Foreven or Far Frontiers, or replace the Pax Rulin subsector (for examples).

 

[dr fre0n]

If you have or get a subscription to Journal of the Travellers Aid Society Online there's a possible solution. If you go to the archive and search for 'Regina Startown', you will get a list of articles that together constitute a beginners campaign set in, you guessed it, Regina Startown (I was one of the writers).

Hah there we talk - I will check it out

By the time you've finished the whole campaign, you should be well prepared to go out into the bigger universe around you.

Basically, that is what I had in mind when I first shared my thoughts. Glad I posted really, thank you for your insight

fre0n

 

[dr fre0n]

Go for a subsector first and then add on as necessary.

yes may be necessary to scale down to more local - it was kinda of a starting point to make the discussion going, as I am still in the process of getting familiar with all of this ! But a couple of system should be sufficient to start at a sub-sector scale

Mike and Hans advice is very good.

will definitely consider!

Besides, they should be paying attention to what you're presenting as the GM and not digging through old Traveller books in the hopes of finding "cheat codes'!

None of them is familiar with the system and canon, so it is not my greatest issue. Possibly I will point to them some online resources, if they feel compelled to dig something on their side it could benefit the group as a whole, as they can develop an interest / quest / idea / goal that I absolutely didn't foresee

But I will have to be clear beforehand about how information on the universe can be used in our campaign



fre0n

 

[Golan2072]

Why not go to the far Rim, at the Rimward frontier of the Solomani Confederation?

 

[shadowcat20]

Bigger is not always better.

Pick ONE planet system and flesh out all the planets, rock fields, gas giants in it. Then let them wander around in a non jump capible ship for a while.

I worked up a game where the adventurers are in a duel sun system running supplies for a small mining supply company. Figure out where things come from and go to then work it up from there. Easier to control the wandering urges of the party also you get a better handle on their adventures. Sooner or later let them find a jump drive that will fit in their ship then have them have to fix it before getting out of the system.

As I said I worked it all up and it is a nice change for everyone from normal jumping around.

 

[aramis]

If you're building your own, you may want to make the subsector populations better fits to the worlds.

For example:
In each subsector
Generate your physicals.
Generate your population rolls - but don't roll them with the physicals.
Put your best population rolls on the best worlds. The Size 7-9, Atm 5/6/8, Hyd 5-8 worlds get the highest.
The the sizes 4-10 Atm 4-9 Hyd 1-9 worlds
then the sizes 4-10 Atm 2-9 any hyd worlds remaining
Then the rest in the orders rolled.

It's a slow process, but it creates much more "believable" worlds.

Likewise, if you stick to a subsector, it's not too hard to generate a whole system at a time (unless using MGT, which lacks system generation of any meaningful type).

 

[dr fre0n]

robject, Golan, aramis, Shadowcat

I was away and could not answer before

these are all great suggestions - I will integrate these fresh ideas in my way of doing things. My perspective on the matter is maturing thanks to you guys.

So back to the drawing board, let's build these systems. I think I will start small first. I also happen to like numbers, and planets, as an earth scientist I plan to get some hard planetary background as well in my setting

I will update on how things are going !

fre0n