Differences Between Universes

[Vorlanth]

I only discovered how great Traveller is about 6 months ago (though I had heard about it before then). However, I found the sheer volume of material and divergent settings a little overwhelming (I like to feel I have a solid grasp on a setting before I run it). Plus, I was attracted to the earliest nature of traveller as a rule system to create your own setting. So using most of the Traveller conventions (a powerful centralized authority, jump drives, no FTL communication, etc...) I crafted my own setting where the Imperium is a cross between the Roman empire and Vorkosiga from Luis Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan novels.

But I prefer more opportunity for exploration, and small scale conflict, so the region of human colonized space is only about 900+ parsecs of space with 9 major interstellar polities of differing size and governments within that area. The imperium is the largest, but it's previous grip upon technological superiority has been exhausted by re-occuring conflicts on its borders and from internal successionist movements (which produced one of the newest polities) as well as a cold war between it and the 2nd largest polity - the Confederation of Allied Systems. There are some aliens but they aren't from Traveller's canon and their presence in human space is low (and humans haven't explored into their territory so they aren't included in the 900+ parsecs I mentioned above).

One of the biggest differences is that there isn't the large range of technology levels. Other than cutting edge stuff produced by the Andirian Neutral Systems (they're kind of like the Swiss and trade to everybody) and the very rare Ancient Tech (which no common persons are aware of - it's been hushed up), there is essentially a standard level of technology and older antique pieces of tech still working and being patched at the edges and frontiers.

Secrets and the ongoing effects of history (especially wars and social movements like SSFI - The Society for Sophont Freedom and Independence) are a big part of the setting and the PCs are just starting to become aware of that. One of the advantages of freeing myself from the Traveller history at large is I can alter a few things I never liked - like the darn 8 x 10 subsector grid - I use 10 x 10 myself and it's so much easier to calculate with (see a test example of this at http://www.tiltedworld.com/games/traveller/traveller_map.html).

Lastly, though I've borrowed a lot of stats and mechanics (especially ship design) from Gurps Traveller and CT, I'm using a homebrew system with FUDGE dice (note, the system itself is not FUDGE based). It keeps things like combat resolution a little simpler than CT (no tables to roll on) and a lot simplier than GURPS so my players like it.

Anyway I greatly enjoy reading about all the Traveller canon but since I never played within the setting before it doesn't have the same level of "realness" to me. Something I have created and can improvise on is so much more accessible than the volume of information available in the Library Data Files (one could almost do a dissertation on Traveller canon and history).

 

[tim_manley]

The best traveller game I ran was a merging of Classic and MT. I based the game in one solar system that had not yet developed jump drives. They used fuel for their maneuver drives and I had some nice rules on mass to fuel use based on G acceleration. In that game the only limit on accelleration was the mass of the ship, the amount of fuel, and the END rating of people in the ship. I had END divided by 10 as the number of hours before fatigue set in. If fatigue was in then there was a lenght of time before pass-out, also based on END divided by G, in minutes.

anyway, the solar system was fully populated and highly balkanizded. I, too, had a player that was a scientist and thanks to him they took the tech path to an entirely new tree; which was quite interesting. The game ended when they developed FTL travel (the jump drive) and I was planning on continuing the game on as they explored the wide giant galaxy but we all moved on after college.

damn....I did a lot of work in that game. I should see if my stuff is in storage. I had a simplified specific impulse chart that the players would read to determine how long to run their engine burns for......probably a bit more complicated than most players want.

 

[PadawanJack]

In MTU I use the Classic Traveller rules, along with the BITS Task system. Mercenary, High Guard, Scouts and Merchant Prince character generation is preferred and all non-advanced careers - Citizens of the Imperium - are run as 4 one-year sessions per term, generating a comparable number of skills. College and the Naval Academy are options available to everyone as well. All ships, and some grav-armor and other vehicles, are designed using the Book 5 - High Guard rules (though I intend to adopt T20's vehicle rules once they're available. Perhaps the starships rules as well, depending on their suitability). Robots, where available, are ubiquitous. I use a simplified Book 8 system - including separating the 'bot's apparent UPP numbers from the hardware/software ratings. The Aslan and the Vargr are the most frequently encountered PC alien races.

As far as the campaign setting I have a definite tendency to avoid the 3I. My longest running campaign is set in the Corellian League - A Solomani dominated state located in the Beyond and Vanguard Reaches sectors. It resembles the Terran Federation of the 'Starship Troopers' movie somewhat, though one term of military duty is manditory, not elective. College attendance delays the manditory military service for the term (4 years) and adds a second term to required duration of service. After serving the compulsery number of terms characters are free to move on to the career of their choice, unless one of the frequent wars against the Federation of Garrone, a neighboring Solmani state, results in a manditory re-inlistment. Anyone mustered out of military service by a failed survival roll may, if so inclined, enlist in a civilian career. Otherwise they begin their adventuring as normal.

Tech level is A on average, reaching as high as C for the cutting edge. Government of Corellian League worlds are generally uniform, being type 4 representing a Representitive Democracy, although newer colony worlds are usually type 2, Participating Democracy.

Local color includes the tik'klik'kluk'tk, a species of 1.2 m tall, eight-limbed insectoids (inspired by the Thranx of Alan Dean Foster's Humanx Commonwealth novels). Their primary sense is smell (via their antennas) and their language is composed of clicking and poping their mandibles and whistling through their spiricles (breathing holes in their thorax chitin).

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

Someone mentioned Vorkosiga as a planet in reference to works by Lois McMaster Bujold
as a big Bujold fan I have to say: the planet is Barrayar, the family name of the hero is Vorkosigan.

that aside: hmmm It's funny the further I go back the LESS conformist MTU was with Canon.

IMTU 20 years ago. Psionics had elborate homebrew rules to make them resemble the psionics of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels. A couple of planets got reworked to more resemble places from The works of H.Beam Piper. And I was pretty liberal with my players using their wealth (once they had some) to invent various items that appealed to them. One went to a great deal of effort to come up with a plausible 'light saber' (if I recall correctly it was actually a 'hairpin' loop of plasma controlled by magnetic feilds)

When I played MT, rarely, (MT arrived in my life during an RP drought and general downer and lonely period in my prior history) I pretty much used it as is.

My most recent games have been set in the CTU (spinward marches circa 1100) with T4 rules mildly patched for eratta and missing cool gear (ie snub pistols), In the past year i've run two campaigns with different player sets. They've been quite fun.

I'm looking forward to T20. if it works I'll probably crib it over to 1100 and start another new campaign... or... maybe not.

Garf

 

[Simon Jester]

I originally posted this in one of the other threads on this form, but I thought I'd add it here, too. For game systems I mainly use MegaTraveller, but with bits and pieces added on from just about every game system I've every read. Everything has some facet that I can use, and it makes my games that much easier for me to make entertaining for my players.

Anyway, here's the previous post:

The way I've shaken things up a bit is to follow a modified version of MegaTraveller's Rebellion, as so:
Dulinor performed the Assassination and run for home just as GDW presented, with Lucan being the little bastard he is and working his way into the Iridium Throne over his brother's body. The primary difference comes with Strephon NOT heading for Gushemege, but instead continuing on to Capital, and Lucan's ability to control the rumors surrounding his brother's death.

Lucan does the smartest thing he can do and immediately steps down for Strephon, saying only that he took the throne in the belief that Strephon had actually been assassinated. With the rumors surrounding Varian having no evidence to reinforce them, Strephon decides not to disrupt things even more and retains Lucan as Heir Apparent and Crown Prince, but details a close watch on his every move and word.

The Solomani arrange their invasion forces as before, but news of Strehpon's survival doesn't reach them in time to countermand the orders except in the border areas closest to Terra. After the initial successes of the invading forces, the Solomani leadership decides to continue with the invasion, but not before the Imperial forces around Terra are forewarned and reinforced. The Solomani still make significant advances, but not nearly as overwhelming as in MT.

The news of Strephon's survival keeps Vland and Dukes Brzk, Warinir and Margaret from secedeing and setting up their own Imperia, but Brzk does declare his neutrality to prevent the Julian Protectorate from attepmting anything in the chaos. Strephon tasks Margaret and Warinir with at least delaying the Solomani advances until he can put paid to Dulinor.

The Vargr do still take advantage of the instability news of the Assassination causes, as Lucan's orders to move the Corridor Fleet are not countermanded in time to prevent them from cutting off the Spinward Marches, but the Vargr assaults on Lishun sector are stopped cold.

The Aslan ihatei start their expansion drives, both 'behind the claw' and in Reaver's Deep sector, attacking both Imperial and Solomani worlds. They meet with most of their success in the Spinward Marches but not as great as in MT.

In the Spinward Marches, only news of the Assassination had made it through Corridor before it was cut, and Norris promoted himself to Archduke. Once some communication had been restored to the rest of the Imperium at great effort, Strephon confirmed the appointment and tasked Norris with maintaining the Spinward Marches as much as possible and restoring Imperial control of Corridor sector. The Zhodani show restraint and do nothing other than provide support for the Sword Worlds' attacks against the Darrians.However, the Swordies get a little out of hand and initiate attacks agains the Imperium, believing both that the remnant of the Spinward Marches cut off from the remainder of the Imperium is too weak to resist them and that the ZC will actively support them once their attacks show the Imperial weaknesses. The Swordies are wrong on both counts, and their attacks degenerate into a prolonged series of raids.

The Vland Fleet, with the majority of Corridor Fleet, begin to retake sections of Corridor back from the Vargr, but Vargr resistance proves that it's going to take a good while to return to the old borders.

Meanwhile, Strephon and Dulinor go at it hammer and tongs, but cleanly. Dulinor cannot just give up without proving that his actions were wrong from their foundation, but he realises that anything other than civilized behavior, even during war, will do the same thing. Meanwhile, Strephon simply cannot allow Dulinor to go unpunished, but he strives to maintain the Imperium at its best. In any case, neither side resorts to the allout barbarity that made up the original Black War in MT.

So, four years into MTU Rebellion, we have the Imperium largely as one piece, but with big areas of uncertainties (The Marches, Antares, and Capital [very political maneuverings around Strephon in case he should chose another wife/consort, and a lot of pro- and anti-Lucan activity]), four war zones (Ilelish, Corridor, the Spinward Marches and the Solomani Rim) and absolutely no stasis anywhere.

So. What do you think?

Simon Jester

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

Sounds cool. I like it better than the 'Shattered Imperium' but that's um... opinion, taste, intangibles.

Hmmm Are you sure Norris would so easily be forgiven. He's a sharp operator and loyalties aside he had to have his eye on a crown of his own when he pulled that stunt with his Archducal Apointment.

on the other hand, canning him would deny the Emperor a loyal and shrewd operator in a troubled region so.. maybe.

at first blush I find it plausible. I'll leave other nitpickers to tell you why it won't work (assuming that's what you want and that's what they will say.)

Garf.

 

[Simon Jester]

Originally posted by Garf:
Sounds cool. I like it better than the 'Shattered Imperium' but that's um... opinion, taste, intangibles.

Hmmm Are you sure Norris would so easily be forgiven. He's a sharp operator and loyalties aside he had to have his eye on a crown of his own when he pulled that stunt with his Archducal Apointment.

on the other hand, canning him would deny the Emperor a loyal and shrewd operator in a troubled region so.. maybe.

What Strephon may or may not do about Norris' presumptive action would almost undoubtedly be left until a good bit after the Marches were reattached to the rest of the Imperium. Probably by 'promoting' Norris from ArchDuke and having him assume some incredibly prestigious and totally unimportant post at Capital. This would be mainly to slap his hand for writing too many memos on Imperial Stationery. Then again, in Survival Margin, some of the background filler messages between Norris and the Strephon in Gushemege indicate that Strephon did forgive him, primarily because Norris did what he did not just from personal ambition, but because he was trying to protect the citizens of the domain. I haven't decided how I shall deal with that eventuality just yet.

at first blush I find it plausible. I'll leave other nitpickers to tell you why it won't work (assuming that's what you want and that's what they will say.)

Garf.

They will or they won't no matter what I may wish, but their comments may provide some kernal of an idea that I can use later on. That's one of the main reasons I frequent these boards.

Simon Jester

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

I hear you there.
That... and it's the only place I can talk traveller without talking to myself.

Garf

 

[Simon Jester]

Originally posted by Garf:
I hear you there.
That... and it's the only place I can talk traveller without talking to myself.

Garf

Have you tried the Traveller Mailing List? It's a whole scad of malcontents and degenerates who have little better to do than to write incredibly detailed and interesting (or not) posts on anything and everything Traveller-esque, much like the people here.

If you join, ready to receive a LOT of email (>50 posts daily, often much more), although you can receive all the postings in digest form. Just don't mention the following: Near-C rocks, pirates, Aslan females in comfortable shoes, or jump torpedoes. DO ask about the following: the Landgrab, boater hats, the winter shoot up in Oregon, and Ditzie. Much fun is to be had if you can read fast enough.

Here's the link to subscribe, and for access to the archives IIRC: Traveller Mailing List (TML)

Enjoy,

Simon Jester

 

[PapaGolfWhiskey]

Thanks I may just do that. Though I don't make promises.

Garf.

 

[cgriffen]

I've been playing this game off and on for 23 years and have used the CT, MT, and TNE mechanics. I was only about 11 or 12 when I started CT, so it follows that most of my initial adventures weren't much to speak of. The best campaign I ran was based around the activities of a modified far trader starship titled the Sparrowhawk (sort of a Millenium Falcon ripoff) that travelled within the boundaries of the Spinward Marches. They didn't do much real merchant work, but they sure got into a lot of gunfights!

In the early 90s, using MT, I ran both the Knightfall and Hard Times campaign books and we had a blast. If you're not familiar with these campaign books, I highly recommend them. They're very well done and provided us with two solid years of Traveller fun. After Hard Times the campaign sort of disintegrated, but it never diminished the fun we had with those characters.

My magnum opus campaign was my TNE Regency mercenary campaign. The players played the parts of the commanders of a fledgling mercenary company taking jobs in Deneb Sector, by far my favorite place to run adventures. I put them through somewhere between six to eight mercenary tickets. They had started to become quite wealthy. Unfortunately, I developed a chain of events that didn't really sit well with many of the players. That and various internecine conflicts between the players resulted in a campaign disintegration after running solid for over three years.

We had a lot of fun and I learned a lot about what players will and will not accept!

Once T20 comes out, I'm planning on starting another campaign most likely in Deneb sector. Not sure if I plan to create my own 4th Imperium setting, a year 1000 setting or some other era. My favorite world is Vincennes, the meteorologically tumultuous TL16 world detailed in MegaTraveller Journal #3. Vincennes and the surrounding interstellar region are a great place to conduct adventures.

Other possible sectors for the "next big campaign" are Antares, Gateway, or Dark Nebula.

 

[Clay r bush]

I missed this year's GenCon, but I will be back next year. I am still running my events there in Antares during the Rule of Man.
I have found that convention events should be considered one-shots. You do not get group continuity or see foreshadowing work, even if both events run the same day of a convention. Too many people HAVE to go to another adventure or game in the next time slot.
If you run one-shots, they have little effect on the timeline. With high turnover, you can leave the timeline unchanged or even toss it and most players will not notice.

I have converted to GURPS TRAVELLER from TNE.
Denver's large RPGA community is heavily into the D20 system, however. Most non-RPGA events were non-LIVING events that used some variant setting for D20 (for example, Pulp Fiction: adventuring in the 20's). I would have to take a hard look at a Traveller D20 rule book.

 

[trader jim]

is the only difference between ou traveller universes is TIME??? is there time travel in traveller???

 

[alanb]

Originally posted by trader jim:
is the only difference between ou traveller universes is TIME??? is there time travel in traveller???

 

[alanb]

Originally posted by trader jim:
is the only difference between ou traveller universes is TIME??? is there time travel in traveller???

Trying that again...

Of course there is time travel in Traveller: forwards at one second per second!

More seriously, though, I assume that a certain amount of time travel has happened. In particular, Yaskodray's pocket universe is separated from the spacetime of the "normal" universe, so strange things can happen when you travel between them.

I have also theorised that the differences between the Rebellion and Gurps Traveller timelines is a result of timetravel. Essentially, Avery (Strephon's post-"Assassination" kid) travelled back in time and prevented the assassination. As a result, he was never born, and thus never travelled back in time to prevent the assassination. As a result, he was born, and was able to travel back in time to prevent the assassination. As a result...

In other words, we have a temporal paradox here, which permits the stable existence of both universes. Notionally, it might even be possible to travel between them...

Alan Bradley

 

[RainOfSteel]

MTU?

There are changes, of various sorts, up and down the timeline.

On the broad level, the campaign I theoretically plan to run resembles CT. The assassination never occured. Dulinor was done away with as suggested in GT (and was, IMTU, Strephon acting expressly to dispose of a traitor; and put his daughter's best friend into power in the Ilelish Domain).

Strephon began re-empowering the archdukes in 1110, but Norris was not named Archduke. The domain capital was on Deneb, and the steward of the unassigned domain Title was apppointed archduke. Norris, after his success in the FFW was named Imperial Champion (an Imperial Special Title).

Originally, the archdukes suffered a dismantling of their powers (and were virtually powerless from 715 to 1110). I embody this in the following two edicts (which follow the yyyy-nnnn year-number format).
Edict 635-0002: Removal of all but arbitration power between Sector Admirals from Domain Naval Offices and the Flag Admiral over it.. Centuries later, it is widely viewed as the first step in the dismantling of Archducal powers.
Edict 715-0005: Termination of taxation rights for Domains, save for a small stipend for the Archduke generated from each Sector of that Domain (.2% of each Sector Collection). Centuries later, it is widely viewed as the final step in the dismantling of Archducal powers.

Archdukes are over domains, dukes over sectors, counts over subsectors, margraves over mainworlds, and barons are over non-mainworlds. Sector duke vs. subsector duke does not appear. "Groups" of worlds (to be found nowhere in canon) ruled over by counts do not appear. Viscounts (just retconned via GT:Nobles) do not exist (for the same reason that counts are over subsectors instead of "groups" of worlds; that there are no such divisions or groupings to be found).

The nobility is divided into four classes. Ruling, Service, Rank, and Courtesy. The Ruling Nobility are the most important. They are the primary rulers at-a-distance of the Imperium for the Emperor. As my library data entry for them says: "A Ruling Noble is a sophont that a Ruling Title is Installed upon. They are in direct command of an Imperial Government District and the components of the Imperial Government found within that district."

I have a large variety of additional details on the nobility, most of which are particular to MTU only.

I subscribe to Don McKinney's "Iridium Throne" general vision of Cleon Zhunastu and how he came to be Emperor.

The nobility are, about, 75% honorable and loyal to the Emperor, 20% so-so loyal, and 5% actively disloyal.
About 30% are lined up directly behind the Emperor (the Old Guard).
About 10% are against any form of radical expansion (the Peace Party).
About 15% are for changing the way the Imperium works for various reasons, usually related to human rights or economic inequality (the Reform Party).
About 20% are against the Emperor and wish for radical conservative changes, including a severe restriction of new access to the nobility, an increase in noble privileges, and an ever-increasing extension of Imperial Authority (and therefore noble authority) onto Member Worlds (the Blue Party; aka Blue Bloods).
About 25% are remaining smaller factions, all desiring slightly different things, and allying with the larger groups and helping them in return for help on their own agendas.

I've organized the particulars of the Emperor's Palace and Capital with additional detail. Cleon City is probably quite a bit different, from the grounds of the Imperial Palace, the Palace Parkway, the Avenue of the Champions, the Concourse of Monuments, the Imperial Services Plaza, the Imperial Ministries Plaza. The world has a single multi-facility starport, Trannax; the Porfiria Annex is the main military/diplomatic transit point to the Imperial Palace (although tourist access to the Palace Grounds is had through Darasus Airport at the north end of the Palace Parkway).

Core is the wealthiest and most populous sector (by alteration of its UWPs to reflect 1100 years at the center of power, communications, and enterprise development in the Imperium), not the Solomani Rim (which is largely the same, it's just not the wealthiest and most populous anymore).

I allow various alternate rules for HG2 (like my own "Hardening", the anti-meson gun defense; double the weight and cost of standard armor); though I've begun using T20, and haven't created anything in it yet incorporating any of my alternate rules.

I allow vessels of up to 120 dTons to be designed under the Small Ship rules (a ship is designated small or large at design time).

I allow jump tanks, but not dropping them them right before jump to gain full advantage of a fuel load that isn't there anymore (i.e. I don't have the whole fuel load being used prior to jump). IMTU, the fuel is used up during the period of the jump, and dropping the tanks before the jump would prevent that.

I have a variety of differing accomodations beyond simple staterooms.

I provide that 10% of the HG2/T20 Bridge Allocation is the default Ship's Locker. In large ships this may be distributed in several locations. I have an Imperial regulation that states that cargo cannot be carried in it (safety issues). Customs inspectors can, if they chose, levy fines for finding anything they deem as cargo in the Ship's Locker, with fees of Cr250, Cr500, Cr1000, and finally Cr5000 per subsequent offense. Most starship captains don't bother to use it for anything other than stowage of gear (survival/tool/suit etc.).

I subscribe to Malenfant's Jump Masking Based on Gravity system.

I add two IN ranks, Flag Admirals (above the Sector Admirals), and Armada Admirals, a speciality rank in between Fleet and Sector Admirals.

I have the regular IN under the duke's command via the IN Admiralty. The Subsector Navy is raised via a subsector's share of Imperial taxes, and is commanded via the SN Admiralty under the auspices of the count. Planetary Navies are raised by whatever funds a Member World wishes to devote to it (the world's noble may contribute, under whatever deal can be worked out), and is commanded via the PN Admiralty (under the auspices of the Member World's government, and possibly with influence from the world's noble).

The domain level begins to gradually insert itself into these functions following 1110.

As for "storyline" in the progress of the "big picture"? Sorry, I always liked the metastasis of the Golden Age of the Imperium. It will likely continue for a while yet.

 

[Golan2072]

MTU is a non-official universe, though I use some cannon material, after modifying it (Ael Yael, for example). MTU takes place in the early 2400's, in a sector-sized known area of space occupied by several rival polities, most of them Human and quite recently established.

There is no single "Ancients" race IMTU and no Dryone; Humans were confined to Earth until the mid-early 21st century. The discovery of bacterial life on Mars, with several potential biotech uses, spurred a space race between corporations. The first Mars colony was complete in 2015, but was destroyed in a terrorist raid in 2017; it was re-established soon after. The discovery of fusion power in 2029 and (somewhat) relayable cryogenic hybernation in 2031 paved the way to massive colonization of the solar system, led by several megacorps as well as (to a lesser degree) nations, centering on Luna, Mars and the Jovian moons.

Earth, however, was dying; the ecological system was extensively damaged, and planetside resources were ever dwindling. Various interest groups, ranging from nations to megacorps to private organizations, built large colony ships, starting in 2053, and sent them, filled with hybernating colonists, to the nearby stars at a sublight velocity. Around a dosen colony ships were sent between 2053 and 2094. In 2096, however, following a radical change for the worse in Earth's ecology, the political situation became an all-out, chaotic war. While a complete nuclear meltdown was narrowly averted, the damaged caused by several smaller nuclear exchanges, biochemical weapons and massive conventional weapons was extensive. Earth and the few surviving Solar System colonies entered an era of total chaos and deep recession, later known as the Stagnation.

The construction crew working on the last pair of colony ships, seeing the war errupt around them, used their partially complete ships, coupled by various habitats and mobile astroid bases, to depart the sol system en-masse; these workers, long-term 'spacers', later became the foundation of the Post-Planetary Matriarchate (PPM).

In the early 2210's, however, several groups were able to regain control of the chaos that was the Sol system. Megacorporation on Calipso and Mars and warlords and generals on Earth finally managed to put their respective worlds under their iron fist, creating, for the first time in more than 110 years, some semblance of order and a fragile, relative 'peace'. In 2222 (catchy year, isn't it

), Earth, Mars and Calipso were united under the banner of the solar Triumvirate, a union of Earth's military-beurocratic institutions with the Martian and Jovian megacorporates.

The colony ships arrived at their destinations unaware of the situation back on Earth, and began constructing their own islands of civilization. One such colony ship, Leviathan, funded by Hydra Incorporated, landed on an Earthlike world, almost completely covered by ocean, orbiting Lambda Serpentis. This world, ironically enough, was called Lerna (after the ancient Greek city terrorised by the mythical Hydra). The colonists, most of them adapted to amphibian life, were soon put under the corporation's iron heel, exploited as before for the gains of the few execs. Lerna was a world rich in mineral and biological resources; from these resources, and from the sweat and blood of its employees, Hydracorp soon built its own techno-empire. The pristine oceans were polluted and filled with ugly metallic mining rigs; the native life, once breathtaking in its diversity, suffered from over-fishing and extensive pollution. By 2251, the general Lernan population had had enough - they were on the brink of an open revolt against their Megacorp exploiters. An illegal workers' union, allied with various ecological and anarchist groups, took over some of the mining facilities and began a revolutionary struggle for its freedom. Hydracorp would have been doomed, if not for the Solar Triumvirate's discovery of the Jump Drive.

The Triumvirate has discovered the Jump Drive in 2238, and began re-contacting the interstellar colonies. Some resisted, and were swiftly opressed; some recognized the Solar Triumvirate as a legal government; and some, like Hydracorp (re-contacted in 2251), warmly welcomed the arrival of help from Earth. With the Triumvirate's military power and interstellar jump capability, the First Lernan Rebellion was put down, and Hydracopr, now a proud member of the Triumvirate, was given a mandate to explore and colonize the nearby systems, in an exchange for a fat cut of its profits.

But in 2308, the Triumvirate came upon a foe it could not easily subjegate - the Post Planetary Matriarchate, a quasi-tribal group of belters and spacers to the coreward and counter-spinward direction from Earth. The Matriarchate refused to recognize the Triumvirate's authority, and a war errupted. The Matriarchate War was the first major interstellar conflict IMTU, resulting in radical changes in the Triumvirate and its fleets. The Matriarchate was not defeated; an uneasy cease-fire was reached in 2330.

Following the Matriarchate War, the Solar Triumvirate began expanding spinward and rimward, establishing contact with a few sophont races, most of them technologically primitive. One such race was the Ael Yael, sentient aviants living on a low-gravity world corward from Lerna. Their home-world was extensively rich in minerals, including rare ones; Hydracorp laid claim to this world (though it was heavily taxed by the SolTrim government), and in its usual, brutally efficient business practice, soon began to exploit the native population (as well as Human workers brought from Lerna) as cheap labor. Hydracorp stocks skyrocketed as precious minerals were shipped back to Earth, but unrest was brewing in the crouded miner's barracks and shanty-towns of the Ael Yael world.

In 2365, a miner's strike in another system under Hydracorp's control soon evolved into an all-out Insurrection on Lerna and on the Ael Yael world; Human and Ael Yael workers shook off the chains of Megacorporate opression, and were soon joined by parts of the SolTrim intervention fleets. The Serpentis Quadrant Alliance was born out of the early stages of the Insurrection, a broad coalition of anti-corporate fighters, ranging from anarcho-capitalists to democratic worker unions; the Insurrection lasted until 2370, when a cease-fire agreement was reached between the Triumvirate and the Alliance.

Out of the Insurrecion, however, two more polities were born: the Coreward Autonomous Zone (CAZ), composed of systems that broke away from the Triumvirate but did not join the Alliance for various reasons, and the Consortium, composed of corporations that regected the treaty between the Alliance and the Triumvirate, breaking away from the latter.

<<It's late, I'll continue it soon>>.

 

[signless]

Here's a sneak peek at some of the background text for the MTU website I've just started to create. This pretty much sums up the flavor of the TU my friends and I gas around in...

Traveller: The Dark Wheel
Imagine a place perched on the spinward and coreward edge of the Great Rift. Distant from the Imperium, and the fanatic repression of the Solomani sphere. It is isolated from all but the most land-hungry Ihaeti, and just beyond the reach of the Zhodani Consulate.
Now, imagine that same place as a home for ragged bands of colonial travellers, each seeking the isolation such a location provides. Some desire nothing but escape from repression, some hunger for the opportunity to explore the unknown, and some come because they simply have nowhere else to turn.
For more than a millenium, the Theron sector has remained a backwater in the eyes of the Third Imperium. With tensions mounting in the Spinward Marches, constant friction in the Solomani Rim, and a sense of unease coming from the direction of The Two Thousand Worlds, the Imperium has had enough on its agenda without adding to its already-vast territory.
But stories have been trickling into Imperial space from worlds far beyond the veil of the Great Rift...stories of renegade Solomani working side-by-side with Vargr, Aslan and Zhodani...of worlds covered in water, but inhabited by Terran dolphins...and others rich beyond imagination with technology and mineral wealth. There have also come the stories of nightmarish planets populated with the offspring of biological experiments gone horribly wrong, and cursed with the fallout from weapons as old as the Long Night.
So far these tales have been dismissed as the ravings of drunken scouts, and yarns told by merchant explorers with too much imagination. However as carnivals and circuses continue to ply their way through the frontier regions of the Imperium, the same tales continue to be told.
“Somewhere, out there,” they all begin. “Is a place where the boojums dwell...and if you’re not careful, one day they’ll find you.”
Every once in a great while, someone wonders, what happens when you find them instead?
What exists as just another set of badlands beyond the border of settled space has been seen by some as the perfect place to conduct a grand experiment. A subtle...manipulation...if you will. An exploration into the possibility of peaceful coexistence.
This is the setting for a new type of civilization, a new way of life, a new destination for Travellers.
Welcome to The Dark Wheel...


This campaign setting was developed following a rousing half-year spent running The Traveller Adventure. That initial game flowed along nicely with the following exceptions upon its resolution:

1. The March Harrier was destroyed on the ground by Tukera agents as her crew discovered the truth behind the plot to provide high-powered weaponry to the Vargr.

2. The Captain (a female Vilani NPC) was driven to a complete mental breakdown over the loss of her ship, and the actions of her lovable, but completely scandalous, crew. Their constant smuggling, bribing, and general rakishness pushed her to the breaking point. Watching her ship explode before her very eyes simply tipped her completely over the edge and into catatonia. She also suffered severe facial trauma, and the loss of one of her eyes during the attack.

3. Based on their performance while in his service, Marc Hault Oberlindes “adopted” the now-leaderless and shipless crew. Accepting an offer of lifetime employment with the company, the crew were trained and outfitted to be a roving band of “troubleshooters”. At the end of a year-long skill-enhancing boot-camp, they were introduced to their new commanding officer - much to their surprise. Their former Captain had been well-cared-for by the Oberlindes family. She was taken to a private clinic and given the rest and rehabilitation she needed to recover from her mental breakdown. Unknown to the players, the clinic was actually a front for a covert Psionics Institute funded under-the-table by the Oberlindes clan. The captain, now rakishly attired in a sexy black eyepatch, was an entirely new person - one who not only fit in with her lovably troublemaking crew, but one who came with the attitude and talent to lead it.

4. The players and their captain were given a spanking new TL15 ship, and were turned loose to wreak merry hell amongst the hapless Tukera presence in the Marches. What followed was a two-year long undeclared tradewar which virtually eliminated Tukera’s presence in the sector, and completely upset the economic balance of power along the frontier.

5. Along the way, the players uncovered evidence which pointed at a plot to undermine Imperial authority in the Marches. Vemene agents had carefully crafted a trap for the leader of the Oberlindes clan, which the players were unable to thwart. This unfortunately led to the arrest and imprisonment of their beloved patron, Marc Hault Oberlindes, and a brutal crackdown on his company’s operations. Appeals to Sector authorities fell on deaf ears, and it became clear that if the players wanted to see their friend alive again - they would have to break him out of an Imperial prison barge.

In the course of much adventuring, the players managed to recruit a rather motley assortment of cut-throat mercenaries, spring Oberlindes, and assist Sergei Oberlindes in a massive clan exodus from the Marches. Running behind the main caravan, the players acted as a rearguard and learned of the assassination of the Emperor. Crossing The Beyond brought news of the continued spiraling collapse of reason in the Imperium, and as the players made preparations to enter the Touchstone sector, they looked back on what seemed to be the end of the universe as they knew it. By the time the caravan reached the spinward border of the Iphegenia Sector, it became clear practically all of Charted Space had gone completely mad. Even the stalwart Aslan were growing alarmed by the disintegration of the Imperium. As the clan stood poised to make the jump which would carry them into the unknown the Virus was beginning to burn. Marc Hault Oberlindes gave his final command on the border of the Theron sector. He died of natural causes while his craft was in jumpspace.
That was how, at the close of the year 1129, the clan Oberlindes vanished from Charted Space.

What they encountered in the Theron sector is the stuff of legend...

Since our group routinely travels back and forth along their family timelines (all the way back to the Twilight War on Terra...), I whipped this up to help give them a bit of mileu flavor...

Classic Traveller
The soft light of the council chamber spilled dimly upon the shoulders of those seated below. The great stone table at which the councilors had gathered squatted upon the smooth, polished marble floor. This was the Discus, where master craftsmen honed the business and politics of an entire sector to a razor-sharp edge.
“All will come to order,” intoned Ziallna’thorlian. The Chief Councilor held one hand palm-out, the other pressed to the cool, rough surface of the table. He sat, and nodded to the sophont seated to his right.
“We are gathered here today to discuss matters of foreign policy,” growled the Vargr, Gherriigh. “Developments beyond Theron, Daragard and Candelabra are forcing us to once again consider our interaction with the polities beyond our territories. The Imperium continues to expand, albeit more slowly than in the past, while to coreward, the Consulate continues to press its explorations rimward. The Ihatei which manage passage across the Great Rift are on the constant hunt for new lands, and there are even hints of new Solomani expansion into the trailing reaches of the sector.”
There was a slight rustling of robes, and the Vargr nodded toward the human which had raised a hand. Jeffery Van Halloran rose to address his peers.
“The Solomani arrivals seem a mix between factions,” he said. “While there are many who seem to be in flight from the repressive regime established in our Old Home, there are also those who seek to spread the influence of the Solomani Cause.”
He paused to sigh, and stare at the gentle slopes and valleys of the Discus. “We hope to of course bring all into the fold, but it should be known there is the possibility of...conflict in this area.”
“And how do the Sons of Man feel about this development?” Gherriigh asked.
Van Halloran smiled slightly. There was steel in his voice. “We stand ever vigilant, my lord. The decision of the Council is our decision as well.”
Gherriigh nodded toward the Aslan female who stood as Van Halloran took his seat.
“The Ihatei expansion in the trailing reaches has always been problematic,” purred Khaarech’ia. “It has become even moreso since current landholds are growing scarce in the Enclave and Candelabra subsectors. However, with the continued assistance of the Sons of Man we plan colonization missions into the Abyss within the next Olympiad. We fully expect this matter to occupy the attention of the Ihatei for at least the next century.”
“Which brings us to the rimward expansion of the Consulate,” growled Gherriigh.
Ziallna’thorlian stood and flipped a map of the coreward boundary of the sector into being above the Discus. The hologram rotated slowly in the dim light of the chamber.
“The current Zhodani expansion is being driven by some degree of frustration encountered by the Consulate in the Spinward Marches,” Ziallna’thorlian smiled. “However, my people continue their Coreward explorations apace. All those arriving within our borders are given encouragement toward citizenship. However, the shock upon witnessing the cultural synthesis we have developed is disturbing to many of our nobility. It has become unfortunate that many are unable to adapt to our way of life, and are either turned away or sent Spin-Rimward. I have grave concerns about the Consulate mounting a military expedition within the next few Olympiads, which may require an increase in our military presence coreward.”
Gherriigh nodded to his superior as the map dissolved. He stood and glanced at the smallest of those gathered in the council chamber and cocked his head to the side. Praskray the Droyne gripped his staff with one clawed hand and stood on his seat.

MegaTraveller
“There has come disturbing news from the Imperium, milady,” breathed Jason ab Hauli. “The Emperor has been assassinated, and the territories have fallen into madness.”
Neir’shan’dallah closed her eyes and hung her head. She knew there was more to come.
“There is word of increased Ihatei activity in the trailing edge of the sector, and colonial advances into the Abyss are not projected to keep pace with the land-hunger of the new arrivals.” The Cheif Councilor’s Seneschal did an admirable job of keeping the concern from his voice. However with a trained and very sensitive psionicist as a superior, it did little good.
“Inform the Sons of Man that we need to advance the timetable for scout deployment spinward and rimward,” Neir’shan’dallah breathed, her eyes still closed. “I realize that will create some...complications, but the need is great and our haste is unavoidable.”
“There is some concern about the latest intelligence reports, as well milady,” ab Hauli continued. “The Imperium has had for some time a system of long-range observation of the core. Our agents have been able to learn only a little of its mission, but what we’ve managed to piece together so far indicates trouble brewing in the Consulate. There seems to be a concerted effort to push forward into the rimward reaches, beyond the already-established client states.”
Neir’shan’dallah furrowed her brow, and slitted her eyes. “Send dispatches coreward and trailing. Inform them they are to expect a heavy military presence within the coming Olympiad. Notify the Legion and the Councilors there will be an emergency session called in the next tenday. Inform them they will need to place their courier staff on standby.”
Ab Hault raised his eyebrows slightly. “Milady?”
“This could be far less serious than I think, Jason,” she said softly, smiling to reassure the man. “But I would rather look an overcautious fool, than an unprepared one. Now go.”
As her aide left her executive chamber, Lady Neir’shan’dallah Van Halloran allowed her shoulders to slump ever so slightly. She keyed open the storm shutters and stared into the flaring crimson sunset boiling beneath the dark clouds of a ThunderGod. It was the mean season on Dark, and the coming storm would last for weeks.
She bowed her head and prayed that simple, homicidal bad weather would be the worst her people would have to endure in the future.
She knew it was a hopeless gesture...but as she lay one hand gently against the glassteel of the window, she knew that fostering such hope could be the only way to keep those people alive.

Traveller:The New Era
The vessel was a smudge of black against a lighter darkness. It fell silently, swiftly toward the plane of the ecliptic. Behind its shuttered ports, red watch-lights threw their dull illumination on chiseled faces.
“Bogeys remain inbound, cap’n. From what I can make out they’re mostly old pieces of junk, but big sunsamuthas.” Elias Klee was careful to keep his eyes on his instruments, he and the rest of the bridge crew of the Valkyrie had fallen into a routine of subvocalization. Their throat-mics carried their almost silent reports to the ears of Captain Ani Lyn Chang. “I read one Lightning-class cruiser, and a pack of smaller Gazelle-class close escorts.”
The Captain stared into the holo-display mounted heads-up on the back of the navigator’s crash couch. She sat directly behind the Nav position, and was aware of the low growl which came from her second-in-command. They had just finished observing the three new ships in the system intercept a small free-trader that had just precipitated in from jumpspace. Coms would be picking up the all too familiar sounds of death any second now.
“The vector and delta-vee on the inbound suggests they’re headed for Ea’lau’shii Prime, Cap’n.” reported Gau’heff’lin.
Chang shook her head. The recently-settled Ihatei wouldn’t stand a chance if those ships entered orbit. If that old Lightning-class still had a functioning meson gun or particle accellerator, it would be a slaughter she did not care to witness.
“Coms, cap’n. Standard distress traffic, cutoff at ten seconds. No further contact.”
“Weaps, reclassify. Those inbound are now officially designated as bandits. Break, Coms prep a jump torpedo and fire it once you’ve uploaded the latest sweeps from Sensors.” Chang tightened the straps of her crash-couch. “Enviro, prepare to depressurize the hull. Reset the inertial dampeners and prepare the ship for combat manuevering.”
One day, she swore to herself silently, we will not be too late. One day we will stop the bastards cold in space.
“All right people, let’s button up. Time to earn our lunch-money.” Chang took a deep breath through her nostrils, focusing her rage and hatred into a cold ball of ice that settled against her spine. “Coms, signal the wing. Attack pattern Echo Romeo Foxtrot. Burst to the formation at the Hellstorm, tell them to stand-by in case we need support.”
The thrusters came on line, and six-gees worth of acceleration slewed the Valkyrie and her fourteen sister System Defense Boats into an intercept course with the intruders. The small pack of four SDB’s lurking in the upper atmosphere of the larger of the system’s pair of gas giants would be an ace-in-the-hole if things got dicey.
“Scrap, you motherless sons,” Chang breathed, staring at the flashing crimson icons creeping across the holo-display. She toggled her helmet closed, and keyed the piloting controls to switch to manual ten minutes prior to their arrival.
Elias Klee caught a glimpse of his captain’s face as she buttoned up. His daughter would remember the tears which formed in the corner of his wrinkled and weathered eyes when he recalled that savage and beautiful smile...

 

[RainOfSteel]

Employee 2-4601, signless,

I've read over both, and find them to be very interesting.


signless,

How populous and high-tech is Theron? Is your version entirely original (and maybe the other two sectors mentioned, as well)?

 

[signless]

Rain,

Theron is inhabited by roughly 65 billion sophonts, with most subsectors boasting at least one world of CTTL 15+. The average TL for the sector would probably boil down to around TL10-12.
Theron is also an entirely original sector. I took some careful pains to try and locate a region of space that was "close enough" to the Imperium to still see its shadow, but far enough away that it really wasn't much of a threat. That effort is what led me to my heretical belief that the OTU is just too damned big. Touchstone has some canon attached to it...and so does Iphegenia IIRC. Theron was no-man's land - and any "official" development by anybody will be greeted with the bloody business end of a meson gun.