Imperial Campaign

[kafka47]

Here is a question...what for you is the Imperial Campaign. Most of us, use the Imperium and its associated parts. But, how would you define the Universe. For me, I take the canon established in the Imperial Encyclopedia along with assorted DGP products and create the default present from all the other supplements/products before and after. Gateway to Destiny also forms a core amount of canon.

For players, I allow them simply to explore the Universe, dotting the "i"s and crossing the "t"s as they come across it.

But, what do you use from the Imperial Campaign? Is there anymore such a thing as the Imperial Campaign...other than a vague Imperium that everyone personalizes?

 

[savage]

Vague Imperium

But, what do you use from the Imperial Campaign? Is there anymore such a thing as the Imperial Campaign...other than a vague Imperium that everyone personalizes?

I use the latter a vague imperium that does not confine me as a ref.

 

[aramis]

For me, there is a fairly clear image of the Imperium. It's not like the GTU... Loren's Imperium is not what I extracted from the CT and MT sources.

The Imperium isn't terribly vague, as much as it is not fully vertical. The Imperium doesn't rule the worlds. Heck, the Nobles are not even PART of the worlds, in most cases. The Example of Aramis... (which, for reference has NOTHING to do with my handle, which is a 3 musketeers reference...) He resides on world, and the locals celebrate him. But he's not the government. He represents the world to the Imperium, and the Imperium to the world. The Subsector Duke controls the sector Navy, and the Sector Duke the Sector Navy, via their respective grand admirals.

The Setting is only the "upper part" of the setting, but it isn't vague.

The individual worlds are not the setting. The setting is the Imperium, and the member worlds are immaterial to that, other than they must exist, and they are the level of the campaign.

 

[Renaissance Man]

The Imperium isn't terribly vague, as much as it is not fully vertical. The Imperium doesn't rule the worlds. Heck, the Nobles are not even PART of the worlds, in most cases.

They are... and correct me if I'm wrong... in charge of securing and administering tax revenue from member worlds, and levying military service. That would mean a certain amount of "government," if not sovereignty in the true sense. They would also be the go-to people for imperial legal matters, standing on the invisible border between local and imperial spheres of control.

I get the feeling they are somewhere between ambassadors/diplomats, lawyers and legislators, military liasons, and "bean counters." Important people. On less developed or independent worlds I could see them positioning themselves into roles of terrestrial power on behalf of the Imperial government, much the way World Bank candidates run for elections in Haiti.

But to avoid thread hijacking here, for me I'm fascinated with the opening years of the Imperium, so an Imperial campaign for me is Milieu 0. The formation of the imperial territory, the conquest and establishment of trade links, the rebellion of restive colonies and pocket empires, the ferocious clash of history -- the faded memory of Imperiums past -- colliding with the growing Sylean sphere. Such a fertile field for interesting characters, veterans of ugly wars both great and small, once and future rebels and criminals, merchants and explorers lured by vast profits -- and vast risks.

 

[aramis]

Not of need, RM. On worlds with Rule of Law, he might just be an ambassador, one who can call the IM's if the treaty isn't lived up to...

On worlds without rule of law, he might be part of the government, or a government apart, or even the "underworld"...

I can easily Psaydi's Baron 'kidnapping' dissident youth, and shipping them off-world to do their hitch in the service. Entirely as a "you want off this crazy rock? Bring me 100 Talents, and I'll get you out of here..." kind of mobster like guy. Worse, one the locals know they can't exactly assault, as his huscarles are TL13+, and consider the local government a bunch of isolationist loonies.

What it absolutely does NOT mean is sovereignty. Only the Dukes of Subsectors and Sectors have clear sovereign authority. Local barons don't have, nor need, sovereign authority...

All they need is the leverage to compel the local government.

 

[kafka47]

Other cue that one has to take is from the chapter dealing with the Moot in the MT Imperial Encyclopedia...Nobles in the moot may come from the planetary government themselves not as elected representatives (although they may be elected) but as part of the larger peerage much as earlier parliaments operated then there is another layer...an outside oligarchy that may have a planetary base of operations but in reality exist above it. Much as the top executives of transnational corporations are forced to think of the world as composed of nestled production sites or what the world euthamistically calls: Statesmen...

The Imperium provides the framework and the military might that makes this legitimate. Therefore, the Imperium maintains a real spatial presence on member worlds through compliance legislation and the building of common institutions to further its aims.

So Aramis, I would be interested to hear what you believe is Loren's take on it...as I usually read SJG products once and get disappointed then move on to creating my own sometimes salvaging ideas.

 

[aramis]

Loren's Imperium is exemplified by that defined by him in GT (GURPS 3e).

Including every marine is a BD Troop. It appears to include a much more invasive and less draconian 3I; the materials in CT and MT point to an imperium that ignores you until you become a pain, then smashes you loudly and painfully. It's also one with more ranks of nobles, and more multi-world polities below or across the subsector level. And one where interstellar trade is a major part of local world economies.

Note that GT goes beyond Loren's imperium, too... but Loren has had a guiding hand on GT as the line developer, and later, as the SJG GURPS manager.

 

[Renaissance Man]

Milieu 0 -- pretty much the only canon source I have besides the MT encyclopedia -- suggests that the principle lever of control at the Imperium's disposal is interstellar trade. Megacorps and nobility have a great deal of overlap, so a baron may be dealing with duties of a far more economic character most of the time.

 

[kafka47]

Milieu 0 -- pretty much the only canon source I have besides the MT encyclopedia -- suggests that the principle lever of control at the Imperium's disposal is interstellar trade. Megacorps and nobility have a great deal of overlap, so a baron may be dealing with duties of a far more economic character most of the time.

Haliburton anyone? Milieu 0 also speaks of a primative interstellar polity called Pocket Empire (I love that term) which speaks to in the future, we do seek to form community from commonalities and fear of freebooting. In this case the impetus was the scourage of piracy otherwise better known as barbarianism this provided the framework for the legitimate use of force. Civilization in the wilderness of chaos, lawlessness provides a firm anchor. Weeded with a powerful idea, it can move populations.

The Imperium was formed there also different interstellar protocols (such as the Shadsumm Concord ie the one dealing with robots) or conventions of acceptable behavior. While like International Law today carry little weight curve the discourse toward common understandings.

This is perhaps implied in canon but very much part of extended universe. In university, did they get you read the writings of Cox & Gill...that is how the Imperium operates IMTU. On Thurs. talk with Ben, as he has actually run Milieu 0 Traveller.

 

[Starviking]

It's also one with more ranks of nobles, and more multi-world polities below or across the subsector level.

Is this a reference to the 'Cultural Areas' mapped in the MT corebooks? Lancian, Sylean, etc?

The only multi-world polities I recall from CT and MT are:

League of Antares (somewhere in MT)
Desthenes Technical Alliance (High Passage CT)
Vegan Polity (CT)

There also was the mention of Postal Unions in the MT Encyclopaedia.

All this IIRC, of course.

 

[aramis]

Common enough that GT creates additional ranks of noble for them. Howcommon is conjecture.

 

[rancke]

Common enough that GT creates additional ranks of noble for them. How common is conjecture.

I've no idea what question you're answering here, but as far as I know the only additional rank of noble that GT created was viscount, and that was at the express insistence of Marc Miller.


Hans

 

[Captain Midnight]

It's also one with [...] more multi-world polities below or across the subsector level.

I considered myself fairly familiar with the GT material, and I don't have any recollection of these. Could you cite a few examples, please?

And one where interstellar trade is a major part of local world economies.

That's been a pretty standard component of Traveller background all the way back to MT, where there was the first attempt to look seriously at the subject. See Hard Times for one prominent example, among others.