Non OTU: Building out an MTU

[Kpeterson]

I'm working on building out a MTU and would welcome any comments, criticisms, and suggestions on the ideas I'm in the process of outlining.

I'm strongly modelling my MTU off the OTU timeline after the end of the Long Night, and during the rise of the Sylean Federation. I want to reflect that period of growth, gradual exploration and colonization, and social and military conflict between competing pocket empires. I just want to build the sub/sectors, and define the history and galaxy myself.

The campaign will focus on a region of space controlled by the Palansii Federation, a 'pocket' empire consisting of about a dozen high population worlds, and a score of aligned worlds spread across adjacent subsectors. Many of its member worlds participate in a Moot-like council, sending their diplomats and emissaries to help decide upon Federation policy, and voting on resolutions to internal and external issues.

The Palansii Federation grows gradually, but its growth is stunted to some degree due to threats across a number of its borders. There are rival pocket empires who contest its territories, and an inscrutable alien race with whom they have had many 'misunderstandings' with. The "Collectivists" are a religious dictatorship that control 6 worlds, and have an aggressive strategy of 'indoctrination'. The Kingdom of Ylant has spread across 8 worlds and regularly provoke flashpoint space battles with the Palansii Federation. The alien race (which I have yet to name), is a vegetable/mold species with a penchant for invading agricultural worlds and terraforming them to their needs. While the Palansii Federation is the strongest pocket empire in the region, it is these many threats that keep its Federated Navy and ground forces preoccupied.

I'll fill in more details as I get an opportunity this week. Thanks for looking!

 

[simonh]

Sounds like you're got plenty of ideas. One suggestion I'd make is to have a rift somewhere nearby so you can have a region of space on the other side that's not too far away but relatively unknown. It'll give you a lot more flexibility to add new potential threats and mysteries later in the campaign.

Simon Hibbs

 

[Lapthorn]

I'm sure you're aware but just in case, T4 was set in your period ("Milieu Zero"). There was a Milieu Zero sourcebook and another supplement called Pocket Empires that had rules for gaming out state conflicts. T4 often gets a bad press (although I like it) but those two sourcebooks are fairly well-regarded.

 

[SpaceBadger]

I'm not clear on one thing: is your Palansii Federation area part of the OTU, or something new that you are creating from scratch?

If part of OTU, there are apps available to "backdate" SEC files from 1105 era back to Year Zero era, that you might want to look at. When I was backdating subsectors in Reavers' Deep and Daibei Sector for my SBRD campaign set in 3731 AD (-787 Imperial) I ended up doing most of it by hand, because I had some particular ideas of what I wanted the sectors to look like.

 

[Kpeterson]

I'm sure you're aware but just in case, T4 was set in your period ("Milieu Zero"). There was a Milieu Zero sourcebook and another supplement called Pocket Empires that had rules for gaming out state conflicts. T4 often gets a bad press (although I like it) but those two sourcebooks are fairly well-regarded.

I've heard of those supplements but I haven't looked at anything-T4 in about 15 years. I'll grab them in pdf and see if they're useful inspiration.

 

[Kpeterson]

I'm not clear on one thing: is your Palansii Federation area part of the OTU, or something new that you are creating from scratch?

If part of OTU, there are apps available to "backdate" SEC files from 1105 era back to Year Zero era, that you might want to look at. When I was backdating subsectors in Reavers' Deep and Daibei Sector for my SBRD campaign set in 3731 AD (-787 Imperial) I ended up doing most of it by hand, because I had some particular ideas of what I wanted the sectors to look like.

It's something I'm creating from scratch. I'm using the OTU for (strong) inspiration but I'd rather not conform to canon.

 

[BillDowns]

No matter the details, it's always satisfying to make your own TU.

 

[Sifu Blackirish]

Sifu strolls in...

I began by using the Classic TRAVELLER ruleset. From the very beginning I filed off serial numbers and changed body lines, in an effort to find something that had its own flavor. Finally I decided on a tweak with the 'jump' drives to make my ATU unique. That is what I would suggest you do first. Have something that makes you stand out from the crowd.

Also, remember that nothing is cast in stone. If you are just playing at TRAVELLER it is fine to make all sorts of assumptions that players will never see. When you actually play with live people those pesky players throw a wrench into your carefully made plans. Be flexible and both player and referee have more fun. You may have wanted that mystery planet that has all the secrets to be thirty parsecs away, but if the flow of the game and your players demand it, move the darn planet closer!

What sort of pace do your players expect? Do they want gritty realism, with an entire session detailing how they got that spin habitat module into place and anchored? Or is it cinematic, with a wave of the hand moving you from one system to another? Regardless of the pace, if you keep track of all those crunchy bits you came up with, your players can throw anything at you and your response looks planned, even if it is random.