Big Top Traveller: Razorbacks and Roustabouts in the Far Future...

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I've been hard at work for the past three months noodlin' around with putting down the rules and regs for a new type of Traveller character career that I developed during a campaign almost ten years ago. After finding all the little pieces of paper, post-it notes, and assorted scribblings, I'm almost done with the project.
I'd like to post it here in sections ('cause its so damned big), but I want to make sure I'm not in violation of any of FFE's Fair Use provisions (or any other legal boilerplate-ish sort o'stuff.)
I'm working on PDF-ing the thing into a quasi-LBB sort of a format, but again I don't want to ruffle the feathers of any lawbirds.
I just want everybody to take a look at it, critique it, and hopefully make it better for the next campaign I've got planned this winter.
Can I do this? Should I do this? Will the world of Traveller fans be richer for it?
These are the questions which plague my every waking moment, and make my life a living hell.
Let me know what ya think, and if I get the thumbs-up from Hunter and his merry band, I'll be happy to start posting away...

 

[jappel]

I'll try to answer in order:

a) (Hunter or another knowledgeable person, please correct me if I'm wrong!) If I interpreted the earlier brouhaha correctly, the issue was that material under copyright was being distributed. If you avoid doing that then you're most likely on safe ground. There's a number of other "prior career" articles out there that don't seem to raise anyone's hackles.

If you're still not sure, drop Marc Miller an e-mail describing what you're doing; judging by past history it's very likely he'll give you permission (for example, there's a person with substantial portions of High Guard posted on the web, which Marc has approved).

Or, you could pitch this to Martin & Hunter for publication by QLI, either here at CotI or as part of a Traveller's Aide.

The rest of the "Can I?" is up to you!

b) Yes, you should! Do it anyway for the joy of creating something, and worry about the distribution of it separately.

c) Yes, we will be. Even if my current crop of players aren't likely to make use of this, *I* will certainly mine it for inspiration, and many others will as well. *All* thoughtful and creative input into what Mr. Whipsnade refers to as "our consensual hallucination" enriches us.

Regards,

John

 

[signless]

Heeeeere we go. This is the first post in a series that outline life in travelling carnivals and circuses IMTU. The tables and skills definitions will follow. Please let me know what you think..

Introduction
Traveller is a game about travelling. As rich and varied as the backdrop is in the charted territories of both humaniti and the other major races, it is often not feasible for many to enjoy it. They may be constrained by family or economic ties to their homeworlds, but still the urge to see and experience life outside their limited experience can be overwhelmingly powerful.
That is when a few brave and entreprenurial spirits have the opportunity to bring the galaxy by for a visit.
This volume deals with the characters who decide to live the roaming life of the carnival worker.

General Background
Cultural artifacts which predate the Rule of Man, circuses and carnivals use a combination of shrewd business practices, shameless exploitation and a thorough understanding of human nature to survive. These travelling shows have become a relished part of life both on the edges of Charted Space and the sprawling megalopoli of the Empire.
The expansion of humaniti, and its communications, have been limited to the speed of its transportation system. This limitation creates a niche for both goods and services, especially in the information sector of the economy. Travelling enterprises, such as carnival and circus acts, have been notorious for exploiting such a limitation.
The first circuses and carnivals began as travelling planet-bound roadshows, primarily within Solomani space. They took the natural step of moving to interplanetary and then interstellar space soon after Terrans began colonizing space in earnest.
Life on the frontier is often difficult for those located off the main trade routes. News and information about the rest of the galaxy is often gleaned by those occasional travellers who stop in-system for a visit, or to take on cargo. The arrival of a travelling entertainment venue is often cause for system-wide celebration, as those starved for diversion, or a look at the rest of the world rush to take in the shows and the opportunity to learn about the latest trends and fashions from the more cosmopolitan places in the galaxy.
But the carnival has its rough appeal in even the trendiest of subsector capitiols. Providing the cultural elite with a look at the rough-and-tumble rustic life of the frontier, these shows are often valued for their slapstick humor and quaint good fun.
The unique forms of entertainment offered by these programs proved wildly popular among the Vilani throughout the life of the Ramshackle Empire. As the Rule of Man collapsed, many of these travelling shows were the sole links between worlds otherwise cut off from the rest of their neighbors. These circuses and carnivals became repositories for knowledge and science lost during the chaos of the Long Night.
Those who provide such services are far more than simple rough laborers and entertainers. They are highly trained and skilled craftsmen who have learned to keep their eyes, ears, and minds open to every new world, every new culture they encounter.

Required Material
Traveller Books 1-7, 2 six-sided dice, paper and pencil.

Die Rolling Conventions
As per CT rules.

Circus and Carnival Organization
There are several distinct classes of circus and carnival operations ("Outfits") travelling throughout known space.

The Big Toppers
These are large Outfits, employing a hundred or more people and a handful of large ships. Big Toppers feature acrobats, magicians, animal trainers, clowns, daredevils of all sorts, and often operate their own midway rides and attractions. Their name comes from the huge smart-fabric structures they erect over their performing rings and stages.

The Medicine Shows
Smaller Outfits employing from a handful to several dozen people, Medcine Shows are often simple midway entertainers which hop from one low tech-level world to another. Dancing girls, comics, sideshows and simple thrill rides are their primary means of entertaining a crowd. Oftentimes "patented" medicines (nothing more than flavored exotic liquers mixed with cough syrup) guaranteed to cure any and all ailments are quickly sold to the crowd. This usually precipitates a rapid roll-up of the operation and a hasty transit to the system's jump point.

The Museum Shows
A common small Outfit, the Museum Show can be a one-man tour-de-force. The primary operator usually bills himself as an "expert" in a certain field (anthropology, archaeology and zoology are the most common), and opens a small exhibit containing wondrous, unusual, and sometimes simply freakish artificats.

Outfit Composition
Most large Outfits consist of three main sections:

Administration
The Administration section handles the legal and bureaucratic interaction between Outfit operators and the worlds they visit. Usually based as a fixed operation on an outfits homeworld, this section may be absent in the smaller Medicine Shows and Museum Shows.

Operations
This is the labor end of the circus and carnival business. The Operations section handles all the logistics involved in moving an Outfit from one world to another. Broken up into smaller divisions headed by "bosses", Operations workers crew starships, fabricate needed parts and building supplies, and assemble structures on-planet. Bigger outfits also staff concession stands, rides, and sideshows from this pool of labor.

Advance Teams
These are the scouts who ply the spaceways ahead of their Outfits. Searching for suitable planets and populations, they act as liasons between the Administration and Operations sections. Given the authority to wheel and deal on behalf of an Outfit, Advance Teams strike bargains with landowners, investigate law levels and have been known to "smooth the way" with an under-the-table offer of cash or free tickets to local officials. They are also the marketing arm of their Outfit, handling the local press and distributing flyers and handbills wherever they can.

Aquiring Skills and Expertise
Enlistment
The player rolls 2D6 in order to determine the size of Outfit to be joined.

Terms of Service
Upon enlisting, the character embarks on a term of service which lasts one full year, with the exception of Special Duty and Cross-Training assignments, which last for an initial term of four years. This adds the corresponding number of years to the character's age. Every re-enlistment or transfer which follows is for an additional one year of service, with the exception of Special Duty assignments which are for an additional four years of service.

Outift Assignment
After enlisting in an Outfit, the player determines the type of crew the character will work with during his or her term of service. Roll 2D6 to determine Outfit Assignment.

Operations
The character is involved with the day-to-day life of working in a carnival.

Administration
The character is involved with the business and office aspects of running a carnival operation.

Advance Team
The character is involved in scouting suitable locations for a carnival, and clearing any hurdles
which stand in the way of an Outfit's operations on-planet.

Cross-Training
The character has been selected to receive special training in two separate fields of carnival work.

Crew Position
Once the type of crew has been determined, the character will then determine the position he or she will hold in that crew. Roll 2D6 to determine crew position.

Special Duty
A roll which results in a Special Duty position for the character means he or she has been selected to serve in one of the specialized areas of carnival life. These assignments are for four-year terms, and upon a successful re-enlistment roll, the character may continue to pursue his Special Duty career. If the character wishes to return to regular carnival life, they may then select the crew type and crew position category of their choice.

Cross-Training
A roll which results in a Cross-Training position for the character means he or she has been selected to receive special training in two of the specialized areas of carnival life. The player may select from any two of the Special Duty categories in which his or her character will receive training. Cross-Training assignments are for a one-year term of service only. Upon completion of this term, the player must roll to determine a new crew type and crew position for the coming term of service.

Asignment Resolution
Upon determination of a character's assignment, move to the corresponding assignment resolution table and determine the following for the character's crew type and crew position:

Survival
There is danger association with the life of a carnival worker. Accidental injury and death can occur, depending on the occupation involved. But, a character is not finished simply because of a failed survival roll. Mishaps can sometimes result in disfigurement or disability instead of death. Consult the survival table to determine the outcome of a failed survival roll.

Skills
Life in the carnival results in an extraordinary amount of on-the-job training and education. Carnival workers are taught to be students for the rest of their lives, and that attitude is reflected in the startling number of skills a single carnival worker may learn. A successful skill roll means the Player moves to the service skills table, and rolls accordingly for each of three categories; shipboard life, carnival life, and home life.

Bonuses
Bonuses are the result of a combination of hard work and luck. Successful venues and tours are the result of the dedication and teamwork of an entire Outfit, and the resulting wealth gets spread around. Carnival managements have learned long ago that happy workers are productive workers.

Promotions
Occasionally, if the time is right and the character attracts the attention of more experience workers, he or she may be elevated in status by those in his or her outfit. These "promotions" are largely ceremonial in the Operations divisions of carnivals. In the more rigidly-defined Administration and Advance Team sections, titles and ranks are awarded with slightly more decorum. Promotions give the character a better chance at earning more pay, and greater benefits upon leaving carnival life.

Special Duty
The carnival would be nothing without its special attractions. Special Duty assignments mean the character is being groomed to work in one of those attractions.

Cross-Training
Carnival management keeps an eye on promising workers who show the flexibility required to keep any good Outfit in business. Cross-Training assignments help groom a player for advancement in the organization, with an eye toward a leadership position in the future.
Transfers
At the end of each term of service, the player may choose to continue his career with a different aspect of his or her Outfit, or to move to a different type of Outfit entirely. Transferring from one division to another is acheived by rolling 6+ on 2D6. The character may then choose which crew type he will work with during the coming term of service. Transfer from one Outfit type to another is achieved by rolling 6+ on 2D6. Upon a successful transfer to another Outfit, the player may NOT choose his or her crew type. A DM of +1 for every four years of carnival experience is allowed for players who are transferring outside of their outfits when it comes to determining a new crew type position.

Re-enlistment
Re-enlistment in the carnival is encouraged in most cases, and is achieved by rolling a 4+ on 2D6. The character then returns to the crew assignment table to continue the pursuit of his or her carnival career. Apply a DM of +1 for every four years of experience the character has gained to the throw for crew type assignments.

Mustering Out
Once a player has decided to leave his or her outfit, they proceed to the Mustering Out tables. The player rolls once on both the Material Benefits table and the Cash table to receive his final benefits and pay from his work with the carnival.

Carnival Characters
Character Generation
Carnival Character Generation Checklist
1. Generate Character
A. Generate the six personal characteristics (2D each).
B. Determine Homeworld.
2. Enlistment
A. Determine the specific type of Outfit to be joined (Big Topper/Medicine Show/Museum Show).
B. Determine Crew Type (Operations/Administration/Advance Team).
3. Assignment (One per year).
A. Determine Crew Position Assignment (Razorback, Roustabout, Back End, etc...).
B. Determine any Special Duty Assignments.
4. Assignment Resolution
A. Survival. If this roll is failed, Player must roll on the Survival Table.
B. Service Skills. Roll 2D6 (per year) to determine skills learned for Shipboard Life, Carny Life
and Home Life.
C. Bonus. Player may roll once on either the Material Benefits OR Cash Table per bonus awarded.
D. Promotion.
E. Determine any Special Duty Assignment Skills. Roll 2D6 (per year) to determine skills in
Special Duty Categories.
5. Re-enlistment/Transfer. Throw 4+ to re-enlist. DM +1 if rank 03 or better. Re-enlistment re
quired on 12+.
Throw 6+ to transfer from one crew type section to another. DM +1 for every cross-training assignment. If successful, apply a DM of +/- 1 for every four years of carnival experience to determine crew position assignment.
6. Mustering Out. Player may roll ONCE on the Material Benefits and the Cash Table.

 

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Here are all of the relevant tables for the previously posted rules. More on the history, organization and examples of some of my carnival outfits will follow...
Man, I hope like hell I haven't forgotten anything.

Carnival Character Generation Tables
Enlistment
Big Topper 9+ (DM +1 per year of Medicine/Museum Show experience.)
Medicine Show 7+ (DM +1 per year of Museum Show experience.)
Museum Show 6+
Re-enlistment: Throw 4+ to re-enlist, DM +1 per promotion and/or cross-training assignment.

Assignment
Outfit Assignment/Transfer Tables:
Big Topper Medicine/Museum Show
1. Operations 1. Operations
2. Operations 2. Operations
3. Operations 3. Operations
4. Administration 4. Operations
5. Administration 5. Operations
6. Advance Team 6. Administration
7. Advance Team 7. Administration
DM's: +1 if Intel. 9+, +1 per promotion and/or cross-training assignment.

Crew Position Assignment Tables
Operations
Big Topper Medicine Show Museum Show
2. Roustabout 2. Roustabout 2. Roustabout
3. Roustabout 3. Roustabout 3. Roustabout
4. Razorback 4. Razorback 4. Razorback
5. Cross-Training*** 5. Razorback 5. Razorback
6. Front End* 6. Front End* 6. Front End*
7. Cross-Training*** 7. Front End* 7. Front End*
8. Back End* 8. Back End* 8. Back End*
9. Cross-Training*** 9. Back End* 9. Back End*
10. Midway 10. Midway 10. Back End*
11. Pit Crew 11. Cross-Training*** 11. Special Duty**
12. Tool Crew 12. Tool Crew 12. Special Duty**
13. Special Duty** 13. Special Duty** 13. Special Duty**

NOTE: * qualifies player for advancement to Administration Level. Throw 6+ on 1D6. DM +1 for Edu. 9+, DM +1 for every year spent in * position.
** Move to the Special Duty Resolution and Skills Tables.
***Move to the Cross-Training Resolution and Skills Tables.

Administration
Big Topper Medicine Show
2. Clerk 2. Front End
3. Clerk 3. Trader
4. Clerk 4. Back End
5. Liason 5. Broker
6. Liason 6. Attraction Crew Boss
7. Front End Boss 7. Attraction Crew Boss
8. Back End Boss 8. Tool Crew Boss
9. Midway Crew Boss 9. Tool Crew Boss
10. Pit Crew Boss 10. Outfit Boss**
11. Tool Crew Boss 11. Outfit Boss**
12. Outfit Boss** 12. Outfit Boss**

DM +1 for Edu. 9+.
NOTE* Characters with less than 2 years of carnival experience are not eligible for this position. Re-roll.
** Characters with less than 8 years of carnival experience are not eligible for this position. Re-roll.

Advance Team
Big Topper Medicine Show
2. Roustabout 2. Roustabout
3. Roustabout 3. Roustabout
4. Razorback 4. Razorback
5. Razorback 5. Razorback
6. Trader 6. Trader
7. Broker 7. Trader
8. Broker 8. Broker
9. Scout 9. Broker
10. Scout 10. Scout
11. Team Boss* 11. Scout
12. Team Boss* 12. Team Boss*

DM +1 for Edu. 9+
NOTE* Characters with less than 4 years of carnival experience are not eligible for this position. Re-roll.

Assignment Resolution:
Roustabout Operations Administration Advance Team
Survival* 6+ 5+ 7+
Skills 5+ 6+ 5+
Bonus 11+ 11+ 11+
Promotion 8+ 8+ 7+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Razorback Operations Administration Advance Team
Survival* 6+ 5+ 7+
Skills 5+ 5+ 5+
Bonus 11+ 11+ 11+
Promotion** 8+ 8+ 7+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Front End Operations Administration
Survival* 6+ 5+
Skills 5+ 5+
Bonus 10+ 10+
Promotion** 9+ 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Back End Operations Administration
Survival* 6+ 5+
Skills 5+ 5+
Bonus 9+ 10+
Promotion** 9+ 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Midway Operations Administration
Survival* 6+ 5+
Skills 5+ 5+
Bonus 10+ 9+
Promotion** 9+ 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Pit Crew Operations Administration
Survival* 6+ 5+
Skills 5+ 5+
Bonus 11+ 11+
Promotion** 9+ 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Tool Crew Operations Administration
Survival* 6+ 5+
Skills 5+ 5+
Bonus 11+ 11+
Promotion** 9+ 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Clerk Administration
Survival* 6+
Skills 5+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Liason Administration
Survival* 7+
Skills 5+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 8+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Front End Boss Administration
Survival* 8+
Skills 7+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 11+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Back End Boss Administration
Survival* 8+
Skills 7+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 11+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Midway Boss Administration
Survival* 8+
Skills 6+
Bonus 9+
Promotion** 11+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Pit Crew Boss Administration
Survival* 8+
Skills 7+
Bonus 9+
Promotion** 11+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Tool Crew Boss Administration
Survival* 8+
Skills 6+
Bonus 9+
Promotion** 11+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Attraction Boss Administration
Survival* 8+
Skills 7+
Bonus 9+
Promotion** 11+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Trader Administration Advance Team
Survival* 8+ 9+
Skills 7+ 6+
Bonus 10+ 9+
Promotion** 9+ 8+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Broker Administration Advance Team
Survival* 8+ 9+
Skills 7+ 6+
Bonus 9+ 8+
Promotion** 8+ 7+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Scout Advance Team
Survival* 9+
Skills 7+
Bonus 9+
Promotion** 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Adv. Team Boss Advance Team
Survival* 9+
Skills 8+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 11+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+

Special Duty Tables
Special Duty
Big Topper Medicine Show Museum Show
1. Security 1. Animals 1. Exotic Animals
2. Animals 2. Exotic Animals 2. Exotic Tech.
3. Exotic Animals 3. Exotic Tech. 3. History
4. Cooking 4. History 4. Cooking
5. Acrobatics 5. Magic 5. Magic
6. Cross Training 6. Design 6. Design

Special Duty Resolution
Security
Survival* 7+
Skills 5+
Bonus 7+
Promotion** 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

Animals
Survival* 7+
Skills 5+
Bonus 7+
Promotion** 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

Exotic Animals
Survival* 8+
Skills 5+
Bonus 5+
Promotion** 10+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

Cooking
Survival* 8+
Skills 6+
Bonus 7+
Promotion** 8+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

Exotic Tech
Survival* 9+
Skills 6+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 10+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

History
Survival* auto
Skills 8+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 10+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

Magic
Survival* 5+
Skills 7+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

Design
Survival* auto
Skills 7+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

Acrobatics
Survival* 8+
Skills 4+
Bonus 10+
Promotion** 9+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if Special Duty Skill is 3+

Cross Training Resolution Table
Survival* 7+
Skills 6+
Bonus 11+
Promotion** 10+
NOTE: * Player must consult Survival Table if roll is failed.
** DM+1 if Leader skill is 2+, DM+1 if any Cross Training Skill is 3+

Service Skills
Roustabout
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Gambling Communications Mechanical
3. Blade Cbt. Vehicle Medical
4. Vacc Suit Grav Vehicle Engineering
5. Zero-G Cbt. Mechanical Electronics
6. Gun Cbt. Electronics Communications
7. Communications Engineering Vehicle
8. Jack-o-T Animals Gun Cbt.
9. Steward Exotic Animals Blade Cbt.
10. Gunnery Gambling Leader
11. Vehicle Carousing Investing
12. Grav Vehicle Streetwise Research

Razorback
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Gunnery Pilot Leader
3. Instruction Navigation Electronics
4. Navigation Ship's Boat Medical
5. Pilot Vacc Suit Gravitics
6. Ship's Boat Engineering Communications
7. Vacc Suit Gunnery Vacc. Suit
8. Zero-G Cbt. Ship's Tactics Instruction
9. Blade Cbt. Electronics Leader
10. Engineering Mechanical Computer
11. Gravitics Pilot Ship's Boat
12. Electronics Navigation Vehicle

Front End
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Cooking Cooking Computer
3. Steward Leader Medical
4. Medical Medical Gambling
5. Steward Gambling Carousing
6. Gambling Carousing Trader
7. Blade Cbt. Trader Broker
8. Zero-G Cbt. Broker Investment
9. Carousing Administration Administration
10. Trader Ship's Boat Vehicle
11. Ship's Boat Vehicle Leader
12. Administration Computer Cooking

Back End
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Administration Administration Administration
3. Liason Liason Leader
4. Steward Forgery Research
5. Ship's Boat Gambling Forgery
6. Forgery Bribery Gambling
7. Gambling Streetwise Carousing
8. Streetwise Carousing Streetwise
9. Carousing Trader Investment
10. Trader Broker Investment
11. Medical Investment Instruction
12. Zero-G Cbt. Recruiting Leader

Midway
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Mechanical Mechanical Animals
3. Medical Medical Exotic Animals
4. Electronics Carousing Mechanical
5. Engineering Gambling Electronics
6. Communications Streetwise Medical
7. Research Electronics Communications
8. Steward Communications Sleight of Hand
9. Carousing Illusion Illusion
10. Gambling Sleight of Hand Storytelling
11. Streetwise Storytelling Investing
12. Jack-o-T Animals Leader

Pit Crew
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Mechanical Mechanical Instruction
3. Electronics Electronics Computer
4. Medical Medical Medical
5. Communications Communications Mechanical
6. Engineering Streetwise Communications
7. Computer Forgery Gambling
8. Steward Bribery Investment
9. Research Liason Leader
10. Streetwise Carousing Leader
11. Liason Gambling Electronics
12. Instruction Computer Administration

Tool Crew
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Instruction Mechanical Research
3. Mechanical Engineering Illusion
4. Engineering Electronics Animals
5. Electronics Computer Exotic Animals
6. Computer Gravitics Naval Architecture
7. Gravitics Communications Survival
8. Communications Instruction Blade Cbt.
9. Instruction Medical Gun Cbt.
10. Jack-o-T Animals Fortune Telling
11. Jack-o-T Exotic Animals Research
12. Medical Illusion Investment

Administration
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Administration Liason Administration
3. Administration Liason Legal
4. Administration Carousing Computer
5. Legal Recruiting Investment
6. Legal Leader Research
7. Leader Streetwise Instruction
8. Computer Computer Forgery
9. Computer Computer Research
10. Investment Bribery History
11. Investment Forgery Investment
12. Research Recruiting Leader

Advance Team
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Pilot Legal Pilot
3. Navigation Forgery Navigation
4. Survey Liason Legal
5. Legal Gambling History
6. Forgery Liason Research
7. Research Streetwise Forgery
8. History Bribery Instruction
9. Legal Jack-o-T Survival
10. Forgery Legal Recruiting
11. Liason Bribery Leader
12. Jack-o-T Recruiting Survey

Special Duty (Roll once for each Life table, then once on the Special Duty Table)
Shipboard Life Carny Life Home Life
2. Instruction Animals Animals
3. Animals Acrobatics Exotic Animals
4. Acrobatics Cooking Research
5. Zero-G Cbt. Illusion Cooking
6. Blade Cbt. Sleight of Hand Storytelling
7. Cooking Exotic Animals Survival
8. Naval Architecture Gambling Naval Architecture
9. Illusion Fortune Telling Research
10. Sleight of Hand Equestrian Acrobatics
11. Survey Storytelling Investing
12. Exotic Animals Survey Jack-o-T

Special Duty Skills
Acrobatics (Automatic Acrobat Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. Acrobatics
2. +1 Strength
3. +1 Dext.
4. Zero-G Cbt.
5. Blade Cbt.
6. Martial Arts

Animals (Automatic Animal Husbandry Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. Animal Husbandry
2. Medical
3. +1 Strength
4. Hunting
5. Survival
6. Animal Training

Cooking (Automatic Cooking Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. Cooking
2. Medical
3. Botany
4. Biology
5. Research
6. History

Design (Automatic Design Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. Design
2. Naval Architecture
3. Big Top Architecture
4. Pit Architecture
5. +1 Edu
6. +1 Social

Exotic Animals (Automatic Exotic Animal Husbandry Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. Exotic Animals
2. Vacc. Suit
3. Hunting
4. Medical
5. History
6. Research

Exotic Tech. (Automatic Exotic Technology Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. Exotic Technology
2. Research
3. History
4. Electronics
5. Mechanical
6. Computer

History (Automatic History Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. History
2. Human
3. Ancient
4. Alien, Major Race (Choose one: Aslan, Hiver, K'Kree, Vargr)
5. Alien Minor Race (Choose one: ?)
6. Esoteric

Magic (Automatic Magic Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. Magic
2. Illusion
3. Sleight of Hand
4. History
5. Research
6. Mechanical

Security (Automatic Security Skill per Assignment, plus one of the following on 1D6.)
1. Security
2. +1 Strength
3. +1 Dex.
4. Martial Arts
5. Bodyguard
6. Investigation

Cross Training (Roll twice on 1D6 for two of the following skills.)
1. Acrobatics
2. Security
3. Cooking
4. Magic
5. Animals
6. Exotic Animals

Survival Table (Roll 2D6)
1. Death by Accident or Intent
2. Animal Attack (Minor Scarring)
3. Animal Attack (Disfigurement)*
4. Animal Attack (Disability)**
5. Major Illness (Disfigurement)*
6. Major Illness (Disability)**
7. Death by Disease (Low Berth Suspension)***
8. Major Illness (Terminal Disease)
9. Nervous Breakdown
10. Starship Accident (Disfigurement)*
11. Starship Accident (Disability)**
12. Allergic Reaction (Disfigurement)*
13. Allergic Reaction (Disability)**

DM +1 for Edu 9+, DM -2 for Edu. 6-, DM +1 for End. 9+, DM -1 for End. 6-, DM +1 for Strength 9+, DM -1 for Strength 6-, DM +1 for Intel. 9+, DM -1 for Intel. 6-.

NOTE:* Player must consult Disfigurement Table.
** Player must consult Disability Table.
*** Player may roll 10+ every year for cure to be found and administered. Character may attempt re-
enlistment.

Disfigurement Table
1. Minor Facial Scarring.
2. Major Facial Scarring.
3. Minor Body Scarring.
4. Major Body Scarring.
5. Loss of one eye.*
6. Loss of one ear.*

NOTE:* May only occur once. Re-roll as necessary for further results.

Disability Table
1. Blindness.*
2. Must walk with a cane.
3. Prosthetic Limb (Arm).**
4. Prosthetic Limb (Leg).**
5. Constant Medication Required.
6. Deafness.*

NOTE: *May only occur once. Re-roll as necessary for further results.
** Once both limbs have been replaced, further loss will require the Character to be wheel-or-grav
chair bound for life. Further rolls will automatically mean the Character requires constant
medication/and or medical attention.


Table of Bonus and Mustering Out Benefits
Material Benefits
Operations Administration Advance Team
1. High Passage High Passage High Passage
2. +1 Edu. +2 Edu. +2 Edu.
3. +1 Strength +1 Intel. +2 Intel.
4. +1 Dex. Blade Traveller's Aid
5. Traveller's Aid Traveller's Aid Blade
6. Blade Medicine Ship* Scout Ship*
7. High Passage Museum Ship* Far Trader*

DM +1 if rank 03, DM +2 if rank 04.
NOTE* Ships may only be awarded once. Player may re-roll on either the Material Benefits Table OR the Cash Table.

Cash Table (in Credits)
Operations Administration Advance Team
1. 1,000 1,000 1,000
2. 5,000 5,000 10,000
3. 10,000 10,000 15,000
4. 20,000 20,000 25,000
5. 30,000 25,000 35,000
6. 40,000 50,000 50,000
7. 50,000* 100,000* 75,000*

DM +1 if Gambling 1+, DM+2 if Investment 1+
NOTE*Only one of these cash awards per character. Player must re-roll on either the Material Benefits Table or the Cash Table.

Table of Titles and Promotions
Operations
Rank Razorback Roustabout Front End Back End Midway Pit Crew
00 Rube Rube Rube Rube Rube Rube
01 Wog Trouper Cookie Barker Shill Builder
02 Shellback Snake Concessionaire Maestro Barker Fabricator
03 Boss Boss Boss Boss Boss Boss
04 Professor Professor Professor Professor Professor Professor
Rank Tool Crew
00 Rube
01 Builder
02 Fabricator
03 Boss
04 Professor

Rank Administration
00 Clerk 1
01 Clerk 2
02 Liason 1
03 Liason 2
04 Greaser
05 Big Boss

Rank Advance Team
00 Greenhorn
01 Gypsy
02 Trouper
03 Scout
04 Boss
05 Arrow Man

Available Skills
The following skills are interpreted as explained in the various CT rules:
Administration Instruction
Aircraft Jack of All Trades
Blade Cbt. Leader
Brawling Legal
Bribery Liason
Broker Mechanical
Carousing Medical
Communications Naval Architect
Computer Navigation
Electronics Pilot
Engineering Ship's Boat
Equestrian Steward
Forgery Streetwise
Gambling Survey
Grav Vehicle Survival
Gravitics Trader
Gun Cbt. Vacc. Suit
Gunnery Vehicle
Hunting Zero-G. Cbt.

Additional Skills
The following skills are unique to the Circus/Carnival way of life:
Acrobatics - The character is a skilled gymnast, capable of a number of different physical feats. Upon being awarded this skill, the Player should choose from one of the following:
Tumbling - The character is able to fall from distances up to twice his or her height with no injury.
Balance - The character is able to maintain his or her balance on a surface no wider than 1 centimeter.
Trapeze- The character is able to leap from one place to another, regardless of his distance above ground.

Animal Husbandry - The character is skilled at caring for standard animals. Upon being awarded this skill, the Player should choose one of the following as an area of expertise:
Carnivores - The character is familiar with maintaining the health and well-being of meat-eating animals.
Herbivores - The character is familar with maintaining the health and well-being of plant- eating animals.
Avians -The character is familiar with maintaining the health and well-being of flying animals.
Aquatics - The character is familiar with maintaining the health and well-being of both fresh and saltwater dwelling animals.
Arthropods - The character is familiar with maintaining the health and well-being of both land and sea dwelling shelled life.

A skill level of 2+ means the character has the ability to teach his animals tricks. Throw 8+ on 2D6 for success at training. DM +the Husbandry skill level of the trainer.

Cooking - The character has the ability to generate tasty meals from scratch. A skill level of 3+ means the character can prepare gourmet-calibre cuisine from scratch.

Throw 8+ for the character to achieve absolute perfection for the dish at hand. DM+1 per skill level of the cook.

Exotic Animal Husbandry - The character is skilled at caring for non-standard animals. Upon being awarded this skill, the Player should choose from the following:
Deadly Poisons - The character is familiar with maintaining the health and well-being of animals who kill with toxins. Throw 10+ to develop anti-toxins for animal bites. DM +1 per skill level. Throw 8+ to harvest/culture toxins for use as poisons. DM +1 per skill level.
Atmospherics - The character is familiar with maintaining the health and well-being of animals who dwell in non-standard atmospheres.
Cryptozoology - The character is familiar with maintaining the health and well-being of animals with unusual skills or attributes. Throw 8+ to recognize dangerous attributes of a newly-discovered creature. DM+1 per skill level.

A skill level of 2+ means the character has the ability to teach his animals tricks. Throw 8+ on 2D6 for success at training. DM +the Husbandry skill level of the trainer.

Fortune Telling - The character is skilled in all forms of divination and scrying. Using simple, non- Psionic talents, the character is able to glean personal information from another.
Throw 8+ on 2D6 for success. 12+ will convince even the most cynical skeptic there is some arcane presence at work. DM +1 the skill level of the fortune teller.

History - The character is well-versed in all aspects of the general history of a certain region of space. Upon being awarded this skill, the Player should choose the Sector, and Subsector in which the character has specific knowledge. In addition, the Player should select one of the following areas:
Mundane History - The character is well-versed in the standard history of the region.
Arcane History - The character is well-versed in the folklore and exotic tales of the region.

Throw 8+ to determine if character has knowledge of the subject at hand. DM + the skill
level of the historian.

Illusion - The character is well-versed in all aspects of creating and performing large-scale illusion
tricks.

Throw 8+ to succeed with an illusion. DM+1 per skill level. DM-1 for less than two hours prep time. DM-3 for less than one hour prep time.

Investing - The character is well-versed in all aspects of financial planning.

Throw 8+ to increase an investment by %10. 10+ by %50. 12+ to double an investment. DM+1 per skill level of the investor. DM-1 for investments made within one year. DM-2 for investments made within 1/2 year. DM-3 for investments made within the quarter.
DM-4 for investments made within the month.

Magic - The character is well-versed in all aspects of magic trick performance.

Throw 8+ to recognize any magic trick. 10+ to duplicate that trick on paper. DM+1 per skill
level. DM-4 if this is the first time the trick is seen. DM-2 if this is the second time the trick is seen.

Negotiation - The character is well-versed in bargaining strategy. Add as a DM+ 1 per skill level when coupled with a bribery/liason attempt.

Throw 8+ for the character to clear minor legal hurdles. 10+ for major hurdles. DM+1 per skill level of the negotiator. Throw 10+ for the character to talk himself out of trouble with the law. DM+1 per skill level of the negotiator.

Research - The character is well-versed in all aspects of researching subjects.

Throw 8+ to successfully locate background material on any general subject, 9+ for specific material. DM the skill level of the researcher.

Security - The character is well-versed in all aspects of personal and business security.

Throw 8+ to spot all potential security hazards. DM +1 for each Security skill level.

Sleight of Hand - The character can perform simple close-up magic tricks.

Throw 8+ to perform trick without giving it away, DM +1 per Sleight of Hand skill
level.

Storytelling - The character can captivate an audience by telling a tale.

Throw an 8+ to rivet an audience's attention for 5D minutes. DM +1 for each
Storytelling skill level.

 

[signless]

This post concerns some of the more gear-headed aspects of CT carnival life. I'm still working on getting more stuff transferred over from my scribbled notes (I shoulda been a doctor, I've got the handwriting for it...). If anyone out there wants to make some tweaks to this stuff, please share them with me (especially to the ships).
Speaking of the gearhead stuff, the ship designs would never have been finished if it weren't for the handiest damned program around, High Guard Shipyard...just givin' props where they're due.

Circus and Carnival Life
Equipment
The Caravan
These are the ships used to carry an Outfit from one world to another. The largest outfits have their own modified vessels, while most other mid-sized operations rely on large merchant vessels to do the job.

Most large outfits rely on 2,000 dTon hulls or larger to transport their performers, laborers, animals and buildings. Smaller 100 dTon scout ships are used by their Advance Teams who find new worlds to visit.

Independent Outfit vessels will be just that, independent. They will carry onboard fuel processers, machine shops, medical facilities, and vast cargo spaces in which to carry prefabricated buildings, amusement rides, and their animal performers.

Starships
The Caravaner Class Carnival Freighter 2Ktons
USP EX - B121222 - 090000 - 70005 - 0
Bat Bear 1 1 1
Bat 1 1 1

Cargo: 984 tons. Fuel:440 tons. EP: 40, Agility: 1, Marines: 10
Craft: 1-50tn. Modular Cutter wi. 2-30t. Cargo Modules, 2-8t. Grav Carriers, 2-4t. Air/Rafts.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: 11 command, 2 Eng., 4 Gunnery, 8 Flight, 4 services, 50 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 50
Weapons: 5-triple missile turrets, 5-triple beam turrets, 10-triple sandcasters.
Computer: Model 2
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 2 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-1, Jump Drive-2, Power Plant-2.

The Midnight Class Medicine Ship 800 tons
USP EX - 8132332 - 550000 - 50304 - 0
Bat Bear 1 1 1 1
Bat 1 1 1 1

Cargo: 181 tons. Fuel: 264 tons. EP: 24, Agility: 0.
Craft: 1-50tn. Modular Cutter wi. 1-30t. Cargo Module, 1-8t. Grav Carrier, 1-4t. Air/Raft.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Navigator, 3 Eng., 1 Medic, 4 Gunnery, 3 Flight Crew, 7 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 20
Weapons: 2-triple missile turrets, 2-triple beam turrets, 2-triple sandcasters, 2-single Partical Accelerators.
Computer: Model 3
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 3 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-2, Jump Drive-3, Power Plant-3.
Hull Armour: 5

The Ballyhoo Class Carnival Scout 125 tons
USP EX - 11244B1 - 500000 - 40000 - 0
Bat Bear 1
Bat 1

Cargo: 9 tons. Fuel:30 tons. EP: 5, Agility: 3.
Craft: 1-4t. Air/Raft.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Gunner, 4 Carnival personell.
Staterooms: 6
Weapons: 1-mixed (beam/missile/sandcaster) turret.
Computer: Model 2 fib
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 2 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-4, Jump Drive-2, Power Plant-4.
Hull Armour: 5

The Gypsy Class Museum Ship 500 tons
USP EX - 51344C2 - 530000 - 20002 - 0
Bat Bear 5 5 5
Bat 5 5 5

Cargo: 95 tons. Fuel: 170 tons. EP: 20, Agility: 2.
Craft: 1-8t. Grav Carrier, 2-4t. Air/Rafts.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Navigator, 3 Eng., 1 Medic, 5 Gunnery, 4 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 15
Weapons: 5-mixed (beam/missile/sandcaster) turrets.
Computer: Model 3 fib
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 3 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-4, Jump Drive-3, Power Plant-4.

The Midway
The meat and potatoes of many travelling Outfits are the rides and attractions which comprise a midway. Usually midways feature portable thrill rides, tent shows, and myriad games of strength, skill, and chance.

The Big Top
The Big Top is one of the enduring symbols of most Outfits. Emblazoned with the Outfit logo and/or colors, it is a miracle of modern prefabricated building technology, and is in fact composed of many smaller structures.

Covering what lies beneath is the Smart Canvas. Utilizing incredibly tough ballistic-grade "smart fabrics" the Travelling Canvas protects against the elements, radiation exposure, and can be sealed airtight in a matter of seconds. The waterproof exterior wicks away excess moisture and directs it to collection units contained in the hidden "Back End" of the structure.

Beneath the Big Top's canvas are the smaller dressing trailers, animal containment cages, small vehicle garages, and the performing stages and "rings" of the circus.

The Rings
The Rings are the centerpieces of the Big Top's performance area. Rimmed with holographic projectors, they can display settings from a wide variety of worlds and epochs throughout time and space. Separate projectors can beam panoramas from around the galaxy on the smart canvas walls and roof of the Big Top.

Hidden grav plates act as "safety nets" for the high-flying acrobats, and provide some of them with the little extra assist they need in soaring to heart-stopping heights above the crowd.

Outfit Life and Culture
While most circuses and carnivals can chart their history back to the days of the Ramshackle Empire, and are quite proud of it, there is no rampant Solomani sentiment among Outfitters. Instead Outfitters look at themselves as one big family, human and non-human alike. Vargr, Aslan, Virushi, K'kree and even the occasional Hiver are all treated with dignity and respect in their Outfits. All are welcome, so long as they have something to contribute to the success of the operation.

On the Road
Outfitters are a proud, yet secretive, people. They work hard, play hard, and are fiercely loyal. Dressed mostly in simple well-worn jumpsuits and working clothes, they are often treated with suspicion, if not outright contempt by the "decent, law-abiding folk" of the worlds they visit. Over the years, this has created a very strong "Us" and "Them" mentality amongst Outfitters. They don't make friends easily, if at all among the "Low-Downers", as they call the planetside residents. Even those who treat them well are easily forgotten...it doesn't pay to make friends among people you'll likely never see again. But, if in the course of their travels they encounter someone who causes them trouble or pain, Outfitters can be found to have very long memories.

At Home
Most smaller Outfits don't have the luxury of a place to call home. But larger operations are usually based on a single planet, the beginning and end of every tour. These are often sparsely-settled worlds with Standard atmospheres and at least a 60% hydrosphere. Here, the grubby clothes come off, and the cramped quarters of the massive travelling ships are forgotten.

Most Outfitters live quite well, in fact most do better than the upper class of the worlds they visit. Many own vast estates, or advanced cooperatives with fellow Outfitters.

Thanks to aggresive and scrupulous investment managers, Outfits can be among the most successful businesses in any frontier subsector. Their financial strength has also lent them a great deal of clout on the Sector level as well. A little-known fact is Outfit operations are heavily involved in "silent partner" arrangements with many companies, and a leading source of venture capital for a number of small start-up operations.
Barnstorming
Many larger outfits run "Barnstorming" operations as a way of recruiting and training Rubes. These are small-scale carnivals and fairs which are often run out of a single Caravaner Class starship, or in a group of small Ballyhoo Class Scouts. These off-season performances are often scheduled for rough-and-tumble frontier planets, and guarantee an outit a pool of seasoned replacement workers when the regular touring season begins.

Glossary of Carnival Terms/Job Descriptions
Job Titles
Arrow Man - the leader of an Advance Team who smooths the way for his outfit on-planet. The title came
came from the carny workers who would place paper arrows along the route their carnival
caravan would take to the showgrounds.

Back End Boss - supervises all of the shows and operations inside the Big Top.

Barker, Talker - A carnival worker who specializes in enticing crowds to see a show, or take part in a game of chance.
Beastmaster - supervises all of an outfit's animal acts and exhibits.

Big Boss - supervises the business and administration end of all planetside outfit operations.

Razorback - term used to describe the starship crew who carry outfits from planet-to-planet.

Roustabout - laborers and craftsmen who raise and maintain an outfit's Big Top and other outbuildings used on-planet.

Canvas Boss - supervises the construction and maintenance of an outfit's Big Top and other outbuildings.

Concessionaire - member of the operations team who manages a Grab Joint*.

Front End Boss - supervises all of an outfit's food, beverage and general merchandise sales and operations.

Maestro - supervises the floor activities which take place inside the Rings of the Big Top.

Midway Boss - supervises all rides and operations outside the Big Top.

Pit Boss - supervises all outbuilding attractions outside the Big Top.

Professor - member of the outfit who has amassed a wealth of knowledge in his field. Also used to describe the operators of Museum Shows.

Scout - ranges ahead of the main outfit to gather intelligence on likely new systems to visit.

Shill - Carnival worker planted in a crowd of rubes in order to entice others to follow him in to a game, joint
or attraction. Shills pretend to "buy" tickets, or "win" at games of chance. A good shill can turn an
entire "tip" and cause them to "break" for games or ticket boxes.

Silhouette Cutter - A carnival worker who crafts a silhouette of a mark. Often done with the customer's choice of tools.

Showman - member of the operations team who manages a certain midway attraction or big top event.

Tool Boss - supervises fabrication and repair of all outfit materials.

Trouper - member of the outfit who has worked at least one full season/year of shows.

Carnival Terms
Animal Show:
Any attraction which features live animals as a draw for the crowd. These animals are usually exotic in nature, as opposed to the trained animal acts which happen inside the Big Top.

Back End:
Inside the Big Top at opposite end of the tent from the front door or the 'connection' between the menagerie and the big top. The 'back end' of a carnival consists of the performing Rings. Concessions, no matter where located, are part of the 'front end.

Bally, Ballyhoo:
A free show given outside a side show to attract a crowd (a 'tip') of potential patrons. Word came into being at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The fakirs, gun spinners and dancing girls from the Middle East spoke no English, only Arabic. The interpreters used the expression "Dehalla Hoon" to call performers outside to the show fronts. The Western ears of the talkers translated it as 'ballyhoo' and so used it when the interpreters were away for lunch.

Barnstorming:
Taking a show from spot to spot, with little pre-arranged plan for the next spot, generally in the off- season. Showmen depend on their ability to generate a generous crowd with little on no pre- publicity. These usually occur on frontier or backwater worlds.

Cabinets of Wonder:
The Terran English translation of kunstkammer and wunderkammer, the cabinets of curiosities and wonders that evolved into the dime museums of the 19th Century. These are private collections of odd, bizarre, unusual, exotic and - by current Imperial standards - relatively mundane objects, many of which might be found in any museum of natural history.

Concessionaire:
The game and food stand personnel; the people who operate "joints." Because of that, they're also called "jointees," as opposed to the "showmen" who run the shows.

Girl Show:
In its generic sense, a show in which dancing females are the primary attraction. These could range from the reviews with dancing girls or the more exotic 'foreign' reviews to the racier hootchie kootchie shows. The racier shows often feature non-human performers.

Grab Joint:
An eating concession where the customer is served directly over the counter from the grill.

Independent Midway:
The midway concessions booked in separate from those with the carnival. During planetary or subsector fairs, for example, the midway could consist of booths for local businesses, food stands raising money for fraternal organizations, even shows such as might appear on the carnival midway such as Animal or Girlie shows.

Jam Joint:
A direct sales concession, usually worked as an auction, where the buyer's confidence is built up by winning "swag".

Land Office Business:
Doing so much business you almost have to turn people away.

Low-Downer, Mark, Mundane, Rube:
Term used to refer to the patrons of a carnival. Usually derogatory in nature.

Medicine Show:
Usually a small show the primary purpose of which was to sell patent medicine, often touted to cure virtually every ailment known to man. The shows would usually consist of some other small attractions in addition to the medicine pitch. The term is now used to describe any Outfit larger than a Museum Show which operates without the cover of a Big Top.

Midway:
In its broadest sense, the location where all the concessions, rides and shows are located in a circus, fair or carnival: the midway between the 'front door' to the carnival grounds and the 'big top'.
Midways include all of the side-shows and sales operations for modern carnivals.

Motordrome:
A daredevil show involving wheeled vehicles which race around inside small, circular mesh enclosures (a 'wall of death') or spherical mesh enclosures (a 'globe of death').

Museum Show:
In ancient times, any show where the exhibits were not alive. The show might contain specimens that are preserved, such as taxidermied or mummified freak animals, or other exotic items of interest, such as the weapons used by famous murderers. Also called a Still Show. The term is now used to describe any single-ship Carnival Outfit.

Nut;
The operating expenses of an Outfit. The story goes in ancient times a creditor came to the carnival grounds and took the nuts off the wagon wheels until he was paid. An Outfit always seeks to 'make the nut' and clear its expenses. A show that hasn't done so is 'on the nut', one that has is 'off the nut'."

Panorama Show:
A show where a large painting is rolled from one huge roller to another, allowing the viewer to watch the images move past. Modern Panoramas include Tri-D footage, and sensoround recordings of exotic planets and faraway places that give the marks the illusion of really "being there".

Pit:
A small enclosure in which side show acts were performed. Now, the term is used to describe any prefabricated building which stands on the midway and houses a joint, game, or attraction.

Swag:
Any cheaply made or manufactured merchandise given away to marks in order to boost their confidence.

Sway Pole:
An acrobatic act which features performers who climb a tall poles and rock them back and forth.
Extremely dangerous to perform, these acts are often played for laughs.

Tip:
A crowd gathered in front of a "ballyhoo." If the bally is successful, the talker or Barker is said to have "turned the tip" or "cleaned the midway".

Trouper:
A person who has spent at least one full season with a carnival Outfit.

Turn the Tip:
When a successful Bally talker or Barker has convinced the Rubes gatherd in front of the Ballyhoo that his spiel is truthful, and they all buy tickets to the performance.

NEXT POST: Outfit Creation, and Carnival Adventure Seeds!

 

[jchurchill]

Very impressive and comprehensive. I'd be curious to see your reduced generation system as well -- if you can bring your self to condense all this into a Book 1 style 4 table method.

Also, where is the all important Geek skill? Is this a default skill? A modestly proposed description follows:

Geek:

The individual is is versed in the methods and procedures of biting the heads off of common farm avians of various worlds. Geek may be used as a lesser level of Admin. e.g. Geek-4 may be used as Admin-3.

 

[clementk]

As a player of a Traveller/ex-acrobat-juggler*/etc. this is great material. (as the hard drive whirrs)

Or as Asu would say: WOO HOO!

Seriously, this should be compiled and put up on some Traveller website like Freelance Traveller.

Casey

* I used the Entertainer career from the site that used to host the TML

 

[Gaming Glen]

Yes, lots of thought and work went into this. Good job. It is interesting and can make for some adventures.

I skimmed it so may have missed something concerning my main question:

Is an interstellar circus commercially viable? Those big ships are expensive to buy and maintain. What does it have that a planet-bound circus does not? I can think of a couple of things: alien animals that may not be able to come down to the planet; interstellar news and information has been mentioned (but this may not be a high-value commodity). What else? Would they allocate cargo space for trading, bulk goods, passengers (especially if operating in rarely travelled areas)? How much would the tickets be? Who could afford them? How long would they have to stay at one place to make a profit? Hmmm, especially made "air/rafts" in the shape of rings would be a quick way to move from one location to another on a planet.

How about an orbital circus with shuttles for the attendees? Or one that only visits orbiting stations/ports? A whole new group of acts and rides could be performed in Zero-G. This would be something that a planetary bound circus could not do (not counting anti-grav equipment). Speaking of which, trapeze and high-wire acts will not longer have the appeal with the invention of anti-grav.

Circuses in general had declined here on Earth with the advent of radio and television. Would they rebound? Would Ringling Bros. take to space, especially at the high start up cost?

To flesh it out you could add the details of an Outfitter. Maybe a former trader, down on his luck and having a load of alien creatures that no one took at the delivery point, saw the onlookers at the starport, sold tickets, and began his new career.

I may not use the information given as detailed, besides I'm using T20, but the "circus" may provide some adventure ideas. It also rounds out some "spaceship encounters" besides warships, merchants, yachts, passenger liners.

Glen

 

[Gaming Glen]

Here's another thought about travelling entertainment: why travel but instead let your holographic show travel instead? A circus would be too big, but I'm thinking of stand-up comedians and musicians. One recording and data-uploaded would spread the show far and wide. Now circuses could be the main purveyors of said shows, especially those that are not so popular. Or equipped with their own holographic projectors, circuses (what else could they be called? Encoms for Entertainment Complexes?) could go to less technological capable planets.

Yeah, I'm almost answering my own questions of the previous post.


I suppose some shows are worth seeing live (is it Memorex or is it live?) and worth paying for the expensive ticket to see such. But then there's the entertainer that hates going through the FTL jump so would command a bigger ticket price due to rare live appearances (could be a gimmick to raise prices).


Glen

 

[signless]

Thanks for the feedback, everybody.
I'm still in the process of collating the background for some sample Outfit organizations, and will hopefully have those up on the boards (along with a few adventure seeds) by the end of the weekend.
To answer a few things:

A) The commercial viability of Outfits. Since so many of their predecessors (current day circuses) folded, Outfits have been heavy in the financial and investment end of the entertainment business. These cats are shrewd gypsies, almost mafia-like in their business attitudes. They play the markets of known space VERY well, and rely on that to plug any economic holes they encounter.
Smaller Outfits are a mixture of tramp traders and performing acts, mixing commerce and entertainment in one package. The Big Toppers do the same, but on a much grander scale.

B) Travelling holographic shows are a routine part of the performances given by smaller Outfits. The larger ones use their Ring equipment and the sides of the smart-fabric Big Tops to perform massive "Imax-y" kinds of holographic performances.

I've always seen Outfits as being the gypsy traveller equivalent to megacorporations. They have their fingers in many pies, and smaller Outfits are mostly spinoffs or second-cousins to their larger counterparts. Museum and Medicine shows are many times underwritten by larger Big Top organizations, and used as training and promotional tools.

Circus and Carny life results in heavily skilled characters. When assembled together to form their own Medicine or Museum shows, provide GM's with a spicy bunch of iconoclastic misfits perfect for all sorts of trouble.

Alas, real life beckons....I'll post more soon...and give more thought to some of your questions, too. Thanks again!

 

[TheDS]

This is some excellent stuff! Good of you to open up something that few of us ever think about, but once read, becomes an important glimpse of what it's like to be there. Keep up the good work!

 

[signless]

Here are a rnival Adventure Seeds:

Adventure Seed: Wunderkammer
A "wunderkammer" is an Old Terran term which means "Cabinet of Wonder". It was used to describe the lockers and cabinets of curiosities which later evolved into the dime museums of 19th century Terra. These were usually private collections of the exotic and bizarre.
In the current Traveller era, these artifacts are the result of careful craftsmanship combined with state-of-the-art technology. Some can hold dozens of small specimens of alien life, or mineral treasures from distant worlds. Some of them are even whispered to hold things much darker and mysterious...
The PC's have been hired by a representative from a medium-sized Medicine Show. The owner/operator of this small Outfit has become aware of a certain wunderkammer of peculiar properties, the fabled "Cabinet of Professor Tan-Lu". The characters are asked to track down the whereabouts of the cabinet, and determine its authenticity.

1. All is at is seems. The cabinet is merely a cleverly constructed arrangement of holographic projectors which display unusual and hypnotic images. It is worth about Cr 10,000 on the open market, but 2dxCr 10,000 to a collector of such gadgetry, or the operator of a Medicine Show. The current owner will sell the cabinet to the party for Cr 20,000.
2. As in 1., but the current owner does not want to part with the cabinet.
3. The cabinet is something very special. It contains a collection of working Ancient artifacts. The current owner knows nothing about the nature of the cabinet and will sell it to the party for Cr 10,000.
4. As above, but the current owner knows there is something "unusual" about the cabinet. He will stall his negotiations in order to get as much money as possible from the party.
5. As above, but the current owner is entertaining an offer from another interested group - members of the Zhodani Consulate. The Zhodani will stop at nothing to secure the cabinet, and will attempt to follow the party and steal it at the first opportunity.
6. As above, but the Imperium is watching in the background as events transpire. If the characters lose the cabinet to the Zhodani, an agent will appear and offer to help retrieve it. Once the cabinet is in the hands of the party, Imperial agents will appear to "confiscate" it.

Adventure Seed: The Panorama Show
A "Panorama Show" used to represent an attraction where a huge painting was unrolled from one end to the other in front of an audience. The paintings would often be of exotic landscapes, and were supplemented with props such as shrubbery and a narrated tale describing that distant land.
The PC's have been hired by a Big-Top operation to gather tri-dee imagery from several interdicted worlds. These planets may contain inimical life-forms, insidious and exotic atmospheres or dangerous geological phenomena. The group will be paid handsomely for high-quality holographic imagery of forbidden places.

Adventure Seed: Snake Oil
The elderly owner of a raggedy Medicine Show approaches the characters with a plea for help. He claims to have stumbled across the formula for an extremely potent anagathic elixer, and is now in fear for his life. He begs the party to safeguard himself and his formula until he can rendevouz with representatives from a major Outfit. He can only pay a very modest sum (10,000 Cr. + room and board) for the party's services for the two weeks it will take him to make contact with the Outfit in question.

1. The situation is not as it seems. The man is insane after sampling too many of his own elixers. 1D6 days into the contract, he will call the characters to his ship saying he's seen suspicious people lurking about. When the characters arrive, he will open fire and try to kill them. He is armed with a body pistol. If the characters kill the old man, they will be forced to answer to the authorities, and the strange "medicinal" contents of the old man's ship will undoubtedly make the situation seem far worse for the party.
2. The old man has indeed stumbled across a secret formula, but it is not exactly as it seems. Upon further investigation, the characters may determine that the drug created by the formula is a mixture of a psi-booster and combat drug, lost since the Long Night. If anyone chooses to sample the drug, throw 1D6. A roll of 4+ means the character in question has suffered a psychotic break, and will reactic with violence and extreme paranoia to those around him. A safe roll indicates the drug performs very well, giving the character limited prescience and the bonuses of combat drug without any of the side-effects.
3. As in 2 above, but the formula really is an anagathic. But instead of being an ancient secret, the old man managed to steal it from a SuSag representative. The megacorp has recently become aware of the theft, and is now beginning to close in on the old man. Shadowy characters will be seen lurking around the starport, and in the general vicinity of wherever the old man happens to be. After 1D6 days a representative of the pharmaceutical giant will approach the party with an offer; turn over the old man, and SuSag will reward them with a 10,000 Cr. "finder's fee". If the party refuses, another 1D6 days will pass before a small group of armed SuSag agents surprise the party and attempt to take the formula by force. If the party successfully delivers the old man to the Outfit, they will be rewarded with a 10,000Cr bonus, and High Passage tickets to wherever they choose.
4. As in 3 above, but the formula is authentic - a relic from the Long Night the old man recently uncovered. SuSag has learned of its existence and is beginning to close in. 1D6 days into the contract, an agent will approach the party and make the same "finder's fee" offer. If the characters accept, 1D6 days will elapse before they are contacted by very serious, and very frightening Outfit agents. They will be asked to explain themselves...and no answer they give will be quite good enough for the scary gypsies. If the characters defend the old man they will have earned the gratitude and respect of an important large Outfit. They will be given 20,000Cr. bonuses, High Passage tickets, and the offer of regular "irregular" work with the Outfit.
5. As in 3 above, but the formula has a serious flaw. The lack of one key ingredient will cause the recipient to begin aging at an abnormally rapid pace 1D6 days after taking the drug. If either the old man, or one of the characters uses the formula, the party will have 2D6 weeks to find the missing ingredient or risk death. Once the missing piece of the formula is recovered, it will behave as in 4 above. SuSag is present and will behave as in 3 above. Outfit representatives will behave as in 4 above.
6. As in 2 above, but Imperial authorites have gotten wind of the psionic properties of the formula and are moving to confiscate it. SuSag will act as in 3 above, the Outfitters as in 4 above.

Adventure 1: Bad Medicine - An adventure for the crew of a small rag-tag Medicine Ship - coming soon.


I'm still compiling the Carnival composition stuff...should be done by the end of the weekend.

 

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Here's a closer look at some of the Caravaner Starships, including financials:

Starships
The Caravaner Class Carnival Freighter 2,000 tons
USP EX - B121222 - 090000 - 70005 - 0
Bat Bear 1 1 1
Bat 1 1 1

Cargo: 984 tons. (600 available/384 Carnival Equipment)
Fuel:440 tons. EP: 40, Agility: 1, Marines: 10
Craft: 1-50tn. Modular Cutter wi. 2-30t. Cargo Modules, 2-8t. Grav Carriers, 2-4t. Air/Rafts.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: 11 command, 2 Eng., 4 Gunnery, 8 Flight, 4 services, 50 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 50
Weapons: 5-triple missile turrets, 5-triple beam turrets, 10-triple sandcasters.
Computer: Model 2
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 2 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-1, Jump Drive-2, Power Plant-2.
Equipment:
1 Midway - Fully Equipped
1 Big Top - 50x20x30
3 Rings - 2-5 Meter Rings, 1-10 Meter Ring
Cost: 321Kcr.

Monthly Expenses:
Crew: 318 Kcr.
Life Support: 200 Kcr.
Maintenence: 66.011 Kcr
Bank Payment: 1.376 Mcr
Total: 1.97 Mcr. (If ship is new)
584.011 Kcr. (If ship is owned)

Monthly Revenue Requirements:
Cargo: 600Kcr (Hauling Fees)
Operations: 1.37Mcr (If ship is new)
0Kcr (If ship is owned)

The Midnight Class Medicine Ship 800 tons
USP EX - 8132332 - 550000 - 50304 - 0
Bat Bear 1 1 1 1
Bat 1 1 1 1

Cargo: 181 tons. (100 available/81 Carnival Equipment)
Fuel: 264 tons. EP: 24, Agility: 0.
Craft: 1-50tn. Modular Cutter wi. 1-30t. Cargo Module, 1-8t. Grav Carrier, 1-4t. Air/Raft.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Navigator, 3 Eng., 1 Medic, 4 Gunnery, 3 Flight Crew, 7 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 20
Weapons: 2-triple missile turrets, 2-triple beam turrets, 2-triple sandcasters, 2-single Partical Accelerators.
Computer: Model 3
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 3 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-2, Jump Drive-3, Power Plant-3.
Hull Armour: 5
Equipment:
1 Midway - Fully Equipped
1 Big Top - 50x20x30
3 Rings - 2-5 Meter Rings, 1-10 Meter Ring
Cost: 321Kcr.

Monthly Expenses:
Crew: 52Kcr.
Life Support: 80Kcr.
Maintenence: 41.34Kcr
Bank Payment: 861.25Kcr
Total: 1.035Mcr. (If ship is new)
173.34Kcr. (If ship is owned)

Monthly Revenue Requirements:
Cargo: 100Kcr.
Operations: 935Kcr. (If ship is new)
73Kcr. (If ship is owned)

The Ballyhoo Class Carnival Scout
USP EX - 11244B1 - 500000 - 40000 - 0
Bat Bear 1
Bat 1

Cargo: 9 tons. (5 tons available/4 tons Carnival Equipment)
Fuel:30 tons. EP: 5, Agility: 3.
Craft: 1-4t. Air/Raft.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Gunner, 4 Carnival personell.
Staterooms: 6
Weapons: 1-mixed (beam/missile/sandcaster) turret.
Computer: Model 2 fib
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 2 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-4, Jump Drive-2, Power Plant-4.
Hull Armour: 5
Equipment:
1 Midway - Fully Equipped
1 Big Top - 50x20x30
3 Rings - 2-5 Meter Rings, 1-10 Meter Ring
Cost: 321Kcr.

Monthly Expenses:
Crew: 11Kcr.
Life Support: 24Kcr.
Maintenence: 7.712Kcr.
Bank Payment: 161Kcr.
Total: 203.712 (If ship is new)
42.712 (If ship is owned)

Monthly Revenue Requirements:
Cargo: 5Kcr.
Operations: 198.712Kcr. (If ship is new)
37.712Kcr. (If ship is owned)

The Gypsy Class Museum Ship 500 tons
USP EX - 51344C2 - 530000 - 20002 - 0
Bat Bear 5 5 5
Bat 5 5 5

Cargo: 95 tons. (80 available/15 Carnival Equipment)
Fuel: 170 tons. EP: 20, Agility: 2.
Craft: 1-8t. Grav Carrier, 2-4t. Air/Rafts.
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and Onboard Fuel Purification.
Crew: Pilot, Navigator, 3 Eng., 1 Medic, 5 Gunnery, 4 Carnival workers.
Staterooms: 15
Weapons: 5-mixed (beam/missile/sandcaster) turrets.
Computer: Model 3 fib
Fuel: 30 days power plant operation, 3 parsecs jump drive fuel.
Engineering: Manuever Drive-4, Jump Drive-3, Power Plant-4.
Equipment:
1 Midway - Fully Equipped
1 Big Top - 50x20x30
3 Rings - 2-5 Meter Rings, 1-10 Meter Ring
Cost: 321Kcr.

Monthly Expenses:
Crew: 31 Kcr.
Life Support: 50 Kcr.
Maintenence: 29.653 Kcr
Bank Payment: 618 Kcr
Total: 728.653 (If ship is new)
110.653 (If ship is owned)

Monthly Revenue Requirements:
Cargo: 80Kcr (Hauling Fees)
Operations: 648.653Kcr (If ship is new)
30.653Kcr (If ship is owned)

 

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Here are a few of the big Outfits IMTU:

Outfits
Big Toppers
The Spinward Faire
Home Base:
Moran/Mora (Spinward Marches)
UWP: C367300 - 8
Operator: Tancred Al-Brashear/Rista Al-Brashear
Transportation: 3 Caravaner-Class Carnival Freighters, 2 Midnight-Class Medicine Ships, 3 Gypsy-Class
Museum Ships, 3 Ballyhoo-Class Carnival Scouts.
Attractions:
Acrobatics - featuring the reknowned Nina "No-Hands" Ninevah, the performer of the death-defying triple-swing Flip of Death using only her teeth to grip the handles of her trapeze.

Performers - The Gunderman Bros. perform astounding feats of illusion and chaos. Insurance waivers are required for audience participation.
Tanzer and Arranghurrfl amaze with their collection of exotic animals collected from around the Sector - including the dreaded Urk* from the deep valleys of Pimace (Pimace/Mora).
*Named for the last sound most sophonts make upon encountering this dreaded beast.

Re-enactors - perform such recreations as the Battle of the Bulge, where General George Armstrong Patton lost his life to the Red Enjuns led by Chiang Kai Shek; Life in the Big City where audience members are invited to participate in a thrilling dash through the streets of Los Francisco during the riots sparked by the election of President Orenthal Simpson; and Cow-Town, where experts portray such historic characters as the Town Blacksmith, and Cowboy Cheerleader.

Dancers - perform folk, ballet, and the acclaimed (and somewhat unsettling) Twirling Trin's Veil. Children under the age of 18 standard years, or adults with circulatory difficulty are not permitted to attend the latter performance.

A fully-equipped Midway will give everyone in the family something to scream about.

Background: Headquarted on Mora, the Spinward Faire began life as the dream of Vilmani Irushkadar, retired Professor of Solomani History at the Imperial College of Regina. Irushkadar had been fascinated with the recreation of ancient ways of life, particularly the nomadic wanderers of Terra. Working in conjunction with several other retired faculty members he organized a static festival to celebrate the talents and skills of those long-ago artisans and performers from mankind's birthplace. The first such festival was held in 1003.
The Faire remained a static attraction on Regina until Prof. Irushkadar's death in 1019. One of the more enterprising souls in the College's Kamenarrin School of Business (Ali "Big Al" Al-Brashear) came up with the idea of relocating the Faire every few years. Working with graduates from several merchant academies, the Faire administration planned an ambitious calendar which would see at least parts of the festival held on subsector capitol worlds throughout the Spinward Marches. This did require the shuffling of funds from the Research budget to the more prosaic line-items of "Transportation" and "Other". The franchise became an enormous success, much to the chagrin of the lofty administrators of the Imperial College. One of the Outfit's greatest added attractions made its debut in the Trin's Veil subsector, and involved several out-of-work female dancers from local drinking establishments and featured the use of live reptiles and an ancient Terran grazing animal known as a "goat". Several current Fine Arts faculty members of the University required medical attention after viewing this program.
Ali's daughter, Alison ("Little Al" - was named rather wistfully by the old man, known for her pixie-ish good looks and almost freakish dexterity) assumed control of the enterprise in 1040, and immediately began the widespread inclusion of the now-infamous Twirling Trin's Veil act at all of the Faire's venues. Some speculation has been given (and quickly dismissed...) that this travelling was somehow later responsible for the catastrophic explosion which damaged the Imperial Research station on Duale/Mora. Outfit officials call such speculation nonsense, although in their own words it comes out as "No comment".
Alison's daughter, Saalinen ("Big Saali" Al-Brashear - Alison never took her Researcher husband's last name, much to his relief...) took the helm of the Outift in 1065, leaving her position as Strongwoman when her mother embarked on a long-range scouting mission to a legendary subsector known as The Dark Wheel (Touchstone Sector). While it is believed Alison met her end during the adventure, there have been whispers in dark startport taverns of some strange goings-on involving certain Aslan clans, lost Droyne colonies and Vargr Skull-Jugglers*.
Soon afterward, a permanent home was found for the Outfit on the quiet, out-of-the-way world of Mora in 1089. In 1101, Big Saali's son, Tancred ("Tank") Al-Brashear took the helm. Under his guidance, the Faire purchased its first Caravner-Class transport and began sending some of its more popular acts out on long-range tours of the Sector. Tank runs the planning, research and development end of the Outfit operation from his homestead on Mora. His daughter, Rista, is in charge of the more practical day-to-day aspects of the business**, while her father plans more speculative ventures involving his Outfit.
*Skull-Juggling is a mixture of ancient Solomani Scottish Sword-Dancing with Vargr Philisophy created by Alison Al-Brashear and taught to her Vargr Roustabouts during the weeks spent in jumpspace. The performance involves the dancer weaving between sharpened Blades while juggling the skulls of enemies he has slain. Mistakes in the dance rarely happen twice.
**Bribery, Forgery, Investing, and the occasional Armed Response Unit deployment after one of her father's more "exotic" notions goes horribly wrong.

Cirque Du Solomani
Home Base:
Terra/Sol (Solomani Rim)
Operator: Francois Illyitch Wong
Transportation: 1 Caravaner-Class Carnival Freighter, 2 Midnight-Class Medicine Ships,
2 Ballyhoo-Class Carnival Scouts.
Attractions: All-Solomani acrobats and performers.
Background: The Cirque's roots can be traced back to ancient Solomani homeworld itself. Performers and acrobats are the direct descendents* of those who entertained breathless crowds on the world from which all humaniti sprang forth.** These skilled craftsmen perform incredible feats of dexterity, and often suicidal daring***.
The Cirque may rightly claim that none of its acts can be duplicated by another Outfit****, and the crowds are duly and rightfully impressed by each and every one.
The Cirque is based out of Terra itself, but through a special Imperial Decree is able to pass freely through and along the border regions of the Solomani Sphere.
It has been suspected by many***** that the Cirque may be a front for SolSec covert operations******.

*Not necessarily the "genetic" descendents, mind you. Rather these may be descendents "in spirit".
**Direct quote from one of the Cirque's advertising and promotional documents.
***As in "I dare you to drink this whole bottle of Vegan Cough Syrup and THEN try that..."
****Thanks to the Cirque's elite Solomani Legal Team, retirees from SolSec armed with enough boilerplate to armour a starship and paralegals with such names as "Vinnie the Axe" or "Mad Bastard O'Doul".
*****Not for very long, though.
******SolSec denies this vehemently. Very vehemently. Then insures ***** takes place.

The Midnight Caravan
Home Base:
Tureded/Lanth (Spinward Marches)
Operator: Shanren kar Paarliminen
Transportation: 1 Caravaner-Class Carnival Freighter, 1 Midnight-Class Medicine Ship,
1 Ballyhoo-Class Carnival Scout
Attractions: Oddities and Attractions from Charted Space.
Performances are scattered throughout the sprawling midway, and feature "seers" (trained psionicists), exotic animal displays, and a collection of exotic technology exhibits. Liberally salted among the demonstration and performance booths are commercial distribution outlets from a number of different firms throughout the Marches.

Background: The origins of this particular Outfit have been lost in the mists of antiquity. None, save the current operator, Shanren kar Paarliminen knows exactly how each aspect of the organization was created and developed*. Payroll information goes back for generations, and some documents have been uncovered in the Outfit archives on Turaded which were written in both Ancient High Sylean, and Terran English. Tracking down the history of her Outfit is Shanren's main hobby, when she's not busy actually administering day-to-day operations**.
The Midnight Carnival is known throughout Charted Space for being the most surreptitious of Outfits. They arrive quiety during the nightfall*** of whatever planet they choose to visit, and are never present for more than one standard week at a time.
This is the "serious" Carnival operation in the Marches, and oddly enough the only big Outfit which operates without a Big Top. The sheer size of The Midnight Caravan's midway operations qualifies it in this category, as do its wide-ranging distribution agreements among the sector's more specialized and unusual firms.
Booths which sell unique pharmaceuticals, are alongside those which sell a variety of lethal and non-lethal weaponry. Directly across the path may be found sword-swallowers, fire-eaters, and close-up magicians of all types.
The Midnight Carnival is also reknowned for its staff of Imperial-quality researchers. Indeed, many of them joined the Carnival after retiring (or being otherwise let go...) from careers at Imperial Research Stations. One never knows what one might discover when strolling down the lighted midway. But those who have visited remember the slightly menacing banner hung over the front gate - "Welcome, and beware, for here you may find what you seek."
* And even she is taking a stab in the dark half of the time.
**Which remain eerily efficient and error-free. An occurrence Shanren herself views with some suspiscion and a vague sense of unease. Then some researcher will call her attention to another discovery in the archives, and she'll forget all about her concern while poring over her newfound treasure with a nice, hot cup of herbal tea and a cheese biscuit.
***More than a few agricultural families have awakened to find that a two-thousand ton ship has silently landed on one of their Wheatbiscuit fields. None have ever made a complaint, since most of them are usually caught up in goggling at the very large crate of non-sequential 20 Cr. notes which has just as mysteriously been placed on their front doorstep.

The Movable Feast
Home Base:
Gladstone/Jardin (Solomani Rim)
Operator: Finn O'Fallin
Transportation: 1 Caravaner-Class Carnival Freighter, 1 Ballyhoo-Class Carnival Scout
Attractions: Performance Art - Spoken-word Poetry, Plays, and Comedians under the Big Top.
Standard, fully-equipped midway, heavy on the restaurant facilities.
Background: What makes The Movable Feast such a draw is its eclectic collection of talent. Artists and Performers from across Charted Space are featured acts, and many of the most famous have written and performed works which can only be seen by attending a performance at the Feast.
The cooking staff are comprised of noteworthy Chefs from all reaches of space, preparing dishes which otherwise could only be sampled on their world of origin.
The Outift features a vast library, and excellent academic-level research facilities. It is the only Outfit in history to have been invited to perform at the Imperial Court, and been dubbed a Treasure of the Imperium.