Ageing by Tech Level

[Condottiere]

1. I think I would need an official publication to confirm multiple starports, if only in the same solar system.

2. And by multiple, I would mean distinctive commercial entities, not just widely distributed terminals under the same administration.

3. You could consider downports feeding a single high port to be under the same administration, by default.

 

[mike wightman]

Invasion Earth is as official as you get and that grants Terra three starports.

 

[Condottiere]

But don't those events play out while Terra is still under Confederation control?

And capitol.

 

[McPerth]

1. I think I would need an official publication to confirm multiple starports, if only in the same solar system.

Aside from Mike's pointing of IE (i'm surprized no one took it to bear earlier, BTW, as it ws the first thing to come to my mind), in MT WBH, page 74, makes quite easy for a planet to have starports of the size of the main one in more than one primary city, if the pop is large enough.

 

[Condottiere]

I had Invasion Earth in mind, and the Confederation either ante and post bellum might have different policies regarding the number of starports per system, assuming they bother to have direct control and/or regulation of them.

 

[MThompson016]

But don't those events play out while Terra is still under Confederation control?

And capitol.

GT: Rim of Fire and Mongoose Solomani Rim both have Terra as having three starport locations a century after Invasion: Earth.

 

[Spinward Flow]

GT: Rim of Fire and Mongoose Solomani Rim both have Terra as having three starport locations a century after Invasion: Earth.

{chuckle}

Need I point out that the question asked was about the Spinward Marches ... and that Terra is nowhere near the Spinward Marches?

Are there multiple starport worlds in the Spinward Marches?

"Back to you, Chet."

 

[Condottiere]

To be fair, I anticipated this result.

Terra would fit the criteria of large population and sector capitol; I'd expect the Imperium Capitol to have even more starports, likely specialized.

The reason I picked out the Spinward Marches is because it's the longest and most documented region of space in Traveller, under Imperium control, mostly, and if there's a multistarport system there, we'd understand a great deal more of how that functions, in general and in relation to each other.

Chances are the Aslan clans each have their own starport/spaceport if they co-occupy a planet, and the Vargr might have a rather loose definition of what constitutes one.

 

[McPerth]

Are there multiple starport worlds in the Spinward Marches?

Again in MT:WBH there's a map of Regina (though not its stats). It's far from being the clearest map I've seen in Traveller published material, but it seems to me there are 3 Starports marked on it: one SW of Kinsbury, another at Regni and a third in Iskis (going from West to East i nthe map).

Glisten, as described in TD #15, has two class A starports (Glisten and Pluvis)

Outside the SM, but also in the 3I:

• Vland ,as described in MT:V&V has 2 starports A (though it may also be a special case, being the Vilani homeworld).
• Capital, as described in TD #9 has 4 cities with starport A (of course, another special case)
• Earth in 1105 (so in Imperial control for over 100 years), as described in TD #13 keep s 3 starports a (Los Angeles, AECO and LaGrange) as shown in IE (again, a special case)
• Pilgar (Massilia 1203), a described in TD #16 has two class A starports (Lutem and Angim) aside from one B and two C (probably the leaast "special case" of all)

I guess all those examples are seen as official, and, de spite several (it not most) of them may be seen as special cases (but then, most described worlds are for one reason or otehr, as non special worlds are rarely described in detail), they illustrate than multiple starposts is (at least) not a uncommon case....

 

[Spinward Flow]

multiple starposts is (at least) not a uncommon case....

Best way to interpret the UPP then is that it reports the "highest" class starport at the mainworld, rather than the "only" starport on the mainworld. That way you can have multiples and the UPP only needs to record the "best" starport classification available within the system.

Such an interpretation allows for a lot more freedom (in terms of world design) than just declaring that every world "only gets ONE" and that's the end of it.

After that, it's mainly a question of "how many?" built upon population levels (9+ is likely to have multiple) and government type (7 is more likely to have multiple) and whether the system is a subsector capital (which are more likely to have multiples due to extra traffic).

 

[McPerth]

Non Traveller:

Currently, Earth has starport E (I guess, maybe some would consider it D), but even then we ha ve several. US, Russia, ESA, Japan, China and India (at least, not sure about others) have starports classed as such...

 

[mike wightman]

Until the Vegans show themselves or we build our first jump ship then the spaceport designations from LBB:6 should be used rather than starport.
Type Description

F Good quality with unrefined fuel, minor repair facilities.

G Poor quality with unrefined fuel, no repair facilities.

H Primitive installation, no facilities.

Y No Spaceport.

Spaceports are established primarily to facilitate in-system travel.

 

[Condottiere]

Vland, Capital and Terra would likely have had their starports taken over by the Third Imperium authorities, and likely pre-exist it.

Now, my personal belief is that there are a lot of facilities that cater to spacecraft, in most solar systems, galaxywide.

The difference here is, that within the Imperium, they appear to have a number of features:


1. Extraterritoriality

2. Likely within a hundred diameters of a planetary body, otherwise why bother with extraterritoriality

3. Regulated by the Imperium

4. Administered directly by an Imperium agency


It seems an instrument of control that the Imperium uses to control directly planetary economic development, and indirectly local politics.

It seems unlikely that most systems will have more than one, as one starport authority could have multiple orbital and dirtside facilities, except if it's more efficient to actually have two separate starports.

 

[BackworldTraveller]

If big enough. even if it has one "starport" it's going to have lots of landing pads for orbital and sub-orbital transports. It's going to have landing pads for other in-system transports. Every Grav Vehicle is going to have a landing pad as they are VTOL, Quiet and have no down-draft. (Safety issues from flying vehicles over built-up areas will have an impact though). It's odd that the starport authority isn't a major career given that it's one of the largest employers: larger than some Megacorporations and having more bases than the IN and the IISS combined.

 

[Krikkitone]

If big enough. even if it has one "starport" it's going to have lots of landing pads for orbital and sub-orbital transports. It's going to have landing pads for other in-system transports. Every Grav Vehicle is going to have a landing pad as they are VTOL, Quiet and have no down-draft. (Safety issues from flying vehicles over built-up areas will have an impact though). It's odd that the starport authority isn't a major career given that it's one of the largest employers: larger than some Megacorporations and having more bases than the IN and the IISS combined.

Starport authority is a major career, like elementary school teacher or construction engineer or insurance investigator, its just not a traveller one. (it fits into the citizen/bureaucrat careers)

Also there are multiple levels to “starport administration”, some parts could be separate in separate facilities, but traffic control would probably be unified and imperial. just like airports are separately administered, but there’s only one FAA.

 

[Condottiere]

Probably would be generic.

Administration, electronics, mechanics, engineering; security, hospitality, logistics, services.

 

[coliver988]

If big enough. even if it has one "starport" it's going to have lots of landing pads for orbital and sub-orbital transports. It's going to have landing pads for other in-system transports. Every Grav Vehicle is going to have a landing pad as they are VTOL, Quiet and have no down-draft. (Safety issues from flying vehicles over built-up areas will have an impact though). It's odd that the starport authority isn't a major career given that it's one of the largest employers: larger than some Megacorporations and having more bases than the IN and the IISS combined.

There are actually several SPA character generation systems. These are the ones I have, there are probably more

• Skyport Authority(JTAS 19)
  • Administration
  • Passenger Service
  • Freight Handling
  • Ship Servicing
• Port Authority(Ce, Diverse Roles; Gypsy Knights Games)
  • control
  • inspection
  • stevedore
• Starport Authority (Starport Planetfall, Cargonaut Press / Apocrypha 3)
  • Port administration
  • Port Services
  • Ship Services
  • Customs/Security

I have a list I've not really maintained much on my blog here: https://traveller-ct.blogspot.com/2020/11/traveller-careers-bibliography.html

 

[Timerover51]

It is amazing how a thread will wander from the original topic, but such is the forum.

For what it is worth, if a planet is balkanized, I take the view that every country that can afford it, and probably some that cannot, is going to have a starport under their control. I do have a sector well outside of the Imperium, to the Rimward of the Solomani region by several intervening sector, so I do not worry all that much about the Imperium. The Imperium is viewed somewhat as a rumor, in fact.

As for aging, I tend to be lenient on the rules regarding aging crises, but also go more with threescore years and ten for life expectancy. How many of you really would like to have a hundred years or so memories to deal with?

 

[Condottiere]

I don't think that in terms of facilities there would necessarily be much difference between a spaceport and a starport.

But the Imperium has strict criteria for what it considers one, and runs them all within it's borders.

I would think one advantage would be inspection times and fees for spacecraft that demonstrate they directly come from another Imperium run starport, with no stopovers elsewhere.

 

[aramis]

For a world that has more than one Landed Noble, would you assign the Port to the oversight of the highest-rank Landed Noble on-world, or to the Landed Knight of the world specifically (since every populated Imperial World that is not under interdiction is assigned a Landed Knight who generally remians on-world)?

I would think the Landed Knight, but YMMV.

Multuple Imperial Ports on-world might have the least significant overseen by the Landed Knight, and more significant Ports overseen by Greater Landed Nobles, I suppose.

Highest IMTU, tho' the others generally have their own lesser spaceports... sometimes not so lesser... The Duke of Sol sets AECO, the Count of Terra Phoenix. I put the Scout Base at Adak... (Used to be a USN NAS.) In the future, I'll make it Kodiak, since Kodiak is, currently, a functioning Spaceport.)