Ancients

[kafka47]

Marc/Avery

Any chance that we can go back to revist the Ancients? Even after 25 years, the Ancients seem to still invoke a sense of wonder which Secret (of the Ancients) did not simply cast away.

What will the status of the Ancients be in T5? Other than CT we did not really see the development of the Ancients, save beyond the fact that they were the progenitor race. Can we expect to see their return in a big way in T5?

 

[Ron]

In one of his editorials of the online JTAS, Loren Wiseman commented that explaining the Ancient's secret was a mistake as it demystified them. I agree with that, but I would welcome some hints of possible ancient activities in recent times.

 

[kafka47]

What about for a start, that the term Ancients refers to the cluster of civilizations circa -300,000 rather than just the Droyne?

 

[Ron]

Kafka, I believe that many canon centric players would not like it. However, consider this: What about some long distance survey find evidence of stars being moved to form a complex structure outside the range of the Imperium starships? I am planing to introduce this in a forthcomming adventure. Perhaps in an isolated system 20 parsecs away from any jumpable system.

 

[TimAllan]

The MegaTraveller adventure book Knightfall has information about an ancient race which predatae the Droyne, had incredible tech and mysteriously disapeared.

 

[kafka47]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TimAllan:
The MegaTraveller adventure book Knightfall has information about an ancient race which predatae the Droyne, had incredible tech and mysteriously disapeared.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ahh, yes, the Primordials. But, like the Ancients the name lends itself to a broader interpetation.

One also has to remember this was a time of super charged Humans who could have acted as courier, courtiers, for the the Droyne overlords.

I suspect that if we begin scratching away, at the Secret of the Ancients. More secrets can be revealed. For instance, it is known that they did not achieve more TL A in their pre-Ancient period. But, perhaps this only applies to their Space Travel Tech. Maybe, their civilization exceled in other areas such as computers or biology that could push their tech level much higher. For it is known that Droyne can act as one mind through psionics. Perhaps, psionics is the tip of the iceberg of something greater...

 

[kafka47]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ron:
However, consider this: What about some long distance survey find evidence of stars being moved to form a complex structure outside the range of the Imperium starships? I am planing to introduce this in a forthcomming adventure. Perhaps in an isolated system 20 parsecs away from any jumpable system.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This sounds intriguing...tell me more, only problem 20 parsecs from where? That would still within reach plus the information would be 70 years old at the reception point and much older as moves farther away. Also, this point raises an interesting issue that can be followed up in the field of Interstellar Scout Service that being...what is the state of Astronomy in the 3I and beyond?

 

[Ron]

I'm planning to run a game next year somewhere in the boundaries of the great rift, perhaps in the Reft Sector. The idea is that the system is that the possible Ancient activity was discovered no more than a year ago and it is currently being monitored by the Scout Service. I plan to involve the players in some sort of prospecting company working closely with the Scout Service, who is secretly planning a mission. Finally, I think of starting the Rebelion sometime in the third of fourth game session.

I still in brainstorming phase and I have to figure out the remaining. I would appreciate any comments. There is no chance they would actually contact Grandfather, although I am considering some interaction with his robots.

 

[J]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ron:
I'm planning to run a game next year somewhere in the boundaries of the great rift, perhaps in the Reft Sector. The idea is that the system is that the possible Ancient activity was discovered no more than a year ago and it is currently being monitored by the Scout Service. I plan to involve the players in some sort of prospecting company working closely with the Scout Service, who is secretly planning a mission. Finally, I think of starting the Rebelion sometime in the third of fourth game session.

I still in brainstorming phase and I have to figure out the remaining. I would appreciate any comments. There is no chance they would actually contact Grandfather, although I am considering some interaction with his robots.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How about using Verge sector instead. Reft has been detailed in TCS, which may be useful for you but then again may prove to be a pain.

Verge is the next sector down (rimward) from Reft and doesn't really sit on a usable route through the great rift, there's a number of worlds in the rift that are difficult to get to that would make prime candidates for ancient sites that have yet to be discovered. Your prospecting company could have fallen on hard times and decided to risk a trip into the rift in the hopes of a large find.

As another alternative look at Riftspan Reaches. It's a jump-5 route accross the rift from Aslan space towards the marches. The advantage of this over Verge would be the possibility of a bit of passing traffic (aslan merchants etc).

J.

 

[Ron]

J,
Verge would work nicely too, good sugestion. I'm not very worried about previous mapping of the Reft sector in a minor supplement (I'm not sure what TCS is), as I always thought that charting your own sector was one of the strongest points of a Traveller experience. I'm not inclined to use the Riftspan Reaches. An Aslan invasion is suposely to take place during the early years of the Rebelion, when I plan to run my campaign. I'm considering of charting an incomplete jump route through the rift. I think that such a corner of the galaxy will work fine with my ideas, as I plan to develop a sort of Pocket Imperium there as the Rebelion develops.

 

[DaveShayne]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ron:
J,
(I'm not sure what TCS is)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

CT Adventure 5: Trillion Credit Squadron



------------------
I am increasingly of the opinion that RPGs are by the nature of their creation subjective phenomenon. due to the interaction between game designers, game masters, and game players all definitions, rules, settings, and adventures are mutable in acordance with the uncertainty principle as expounded by Heisenburg. This is of course merely my point of view.

David Shayne

 

[Fulacin Highport]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ron:
I'm not very worried about previous mapping of the Reft sector in a minor supplement (I'm not sure what TCS is)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Trillion Credit Squadrons... gained a wee bit of fame among 'serious' wargamers, who competed zealously to discover the best way to build a fleet that would devour their opponents fleets. The degree of effort that went into that was quite astonishing, from my point of view.

The only other official publication that I know of that handled Reft Sector in great detail was The Regency Sourcebook, from The New Era.

Personally, I *enjoyed* the way that the Islands Subsectors were done there... mainly because I had been dealt a stunning defeat by the forces of "The People's Republic of Colchis" back when a bunch of us were playing TCS...

------------------
Joe Brown

 

[J]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ron:
I'm not very worried about previous mapping of the Reft sector in a minor supplement (I'm not sure what TCS is)
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You could be burnt at the stake on some mailing lists for saying that

TCS is, as someone has pointed out, a tournament and campaign system for fighting high guard battles. At the back of it is a suggested campaign set in the islands subsectors (the cluster of worlds in the centre of the rift). If you want a bit of pre-made background it could be of use, but it does mean that Reft sector is settled so ancient sites may have been found.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ron:
as I always thought that charting your own sector was one of the strongest points of a Traveller experience.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep, if you have the time to do it of course, then again Verge is half empty so it shouldn't take long to develop. Verge is one area i've been thinking about developing for a while, it's off the beaten track and I can't think of any published material for it so your free to do what you like with it. It also lends itself to nice adventure names....."On the verge" etc. etc.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ron:
I'm considering of charting an incomplete jump route through the rift. I think that such a corner of the galaxy will work fine with my ideas, as I plan to develop a sort of Pocket Imperium there as the Rebelion develops.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Verge sounds ideal, it's not really going to be a major warzone is it? The only thing passing through would be the Arrival Vengence

J.

 

[MJD]

"You think you know about the Ancients?
You actually know very little.
And everything you know is wrong."

- yes, I paraphrased that. Anyone know where from?

 

[Anubis]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MJD:
"You think you know about the Ancients?
You actually know very little.
And everything you know is wrong."

- yes, I paraphrased that. Anyone know where from?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I dunno. Isn't that what Grandfather said in "Secrets of the Ancients" after being asked by the PCs "O.k. you little bugger. What the frag is goin' on here?"

regards,
Stephan

 

[Gatsby]

My Guess is one of the Backetts....

Gats'