Knighthood

[Khan Trav]

I have a question about Knighthood. If I wanted to knight a player in my campaign for exceptional service to humanity or the like. How would this process happen?

I mean specifically how, does he get a form letter that says congrats you are now sir edward of milktoast? Does he have to serve an observation period as a squire?

Please help.

 

[shield]

The old traveller digest had 3 adventurers knighted for foiling a zho plot against the Xboat service. Their heroics were suitably described by the loyal scouts plus the following investigation.

I will have to check how they were granted the knighhood. I remember that they travelled to the Capital to formally recieve their knighthoods, but had been granted the knighthood by some local - who also provided them with the travel voucher to get to capital. I will check tonight for the extra details.

The Gurps Traveller Nobles book might say something about this.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Aquinas]

If it is anything like the UK then the character will get a communication from the Imperial Government informing them that it has pleased the Emperor to create them a knight of the (insert order name) on Holiday next for services to (whatever) and they're not allowed to tell anyone.

The honours list will be published and the knight is then to present themselves on Capital or (given the size of the Imperium) another suitable venue where the "Emperor" probably represented by someone else will give them the insignia of the order.

 

[LeperColony]

Given the population of the Imperium, even if people are knighted at roughly the same percentage as the in the UK, it would probably be prohibitive for the emperor to personally recognize them all.

 

[Dragoner]

Library data, nobles has some discussion of knighthoods.

 

[Khan Trav]

To me, a subsector capital would be sufficient but then, I am not the person being considered for knighthood am I?

That said, what would the voucher's worth be? A trip from Regina to Capital at High Passage would be kinda exepensive wouldnt it?

 

[MCEvans]

The old traveller digest had 3 adventurers knighted for foiling a zho plot against the Xboat service. Their heroics were suitably described by the loyal scouts plus the following investigation.

Cheers
Richard

Actually it was 4 adventurers. (one was a robot)

[FONT=arial,helvetica]To me, a subsector capital would be sufficient but then, I am not the person being considered for knighthood am I? [/FONT]

They were Knighted by the Duke of Deneb (Subsector Duke)

[FONT=arial,helvetica]That said, what would the voucher's worth be? A trip from Regina to Capital at High Passage would be kinda expensive wouldn't it? [/FONT]

The voucher was/is good for a one way trip to Capital (see TD #9)

 

[AndreaV]

GT Nobles has an example of a ceremony of initiation into the Order of Sol. It implies that the details are all worked out beforehand and the formal initiation is a scheduled event with "spectators." Also notes that its a particular honour to receive the knighthood from the Archduke himself.

Reading between the lines you can assume that the new knight is notified well beforehand, I'm guessing they are notified unofficially first, probably by an actually person rather than a letter (also presumably after a detailed background check to make sure there are no skeletons lurking). They'll then get a formal notification, probably in the form of a letter, possibly handwritten on actual paper.

The actual induction seem usually to be done by a "lesser" noble (my guess subsector duke) but for particularly notable awards by somebody higher up (sector duke or archduke). Only the most important inductions would be done by the Emperor himself.

 

[Hyphen]

All of which goes to say: Do what You Will. Hey if you want to send them to Capital, go ahead!

 

[Icosahedron]

None of this is canon, but:

I can't see The Emperor personally handling knighthoods, and the distances are probably prohibitive anyway.

Transport will be two-way, despite the ill-thought-out canon example of a one-off adventure hook. There's no way that citizens who have just been honoured and rewarded are going to be marooned light-years from home by the government.

Transport will most likely be some form of commandeering of spare capacity (unused staterooms) aboard merchant vessels, or possibly VIP transport aboard military/scout vessels already going that way.

There is unlikely to be a 'voucher' in the form of a document to be waved at a ship captain. More likely the candidate will be required to present himself at the offices of each local bigwig (arranged in advance - he will be expected) and the ship charters will be made through official channels.

 

[BruceEdwinMorrow]

For a real reward, have a yacht and batman show up to deliver the news that he/she is to receive a knighthood... and PS, keep the yacht and batman too...

Sincerely - Marquis So and So, your Sponsor into the Nobility (and guy you know owe some big favors too...)

Now we know why yachts are so essential to the nobility. Otherwise the streets of Capital must be inundated with Knights and Barons shinning shoes and selling newspapers to earn their way back home! lol

 

[Bob Weaver]

Or your soon-to-be knighted character can receive notification that they have been granted a fief, and would they come asap to view it and take ownership - but it's several planets away, where the subsector duke wants the character to move. Maybe because it's a hot spot, or the area wants development. Just like with anything else, the reward should also be a lead-in to new adventures. Be sure to introduce the new Knight to others in his Order, they can be patrons, or rumor sources, or competitors for that Barony that's going to be vacant when the current Baron dies . . .


Cheers,

Bob W.

 

[Khan Trav]

So the potential for an adventure thread is basically endless. Very cool...

 

[Hyphen]

Exactly! Even the "space-required vouchers" are not so much a reward as a MacGuffin! They are a way of getting players to go "off on a quest" - in this case, travel to Capital via all sorts of adventures within the vast Imperium.

DGP even used them to introduce the players to all manner of Traveller aliens, especially the Major Races (all flavours of Humaniti, too!)

 

[Selandia]

After all, been knighted or raised to a higher title is probably done to individuals with substantial achievement, not merely an average Joe that wonder how often he will be able to go to the McDown this month if he is to make the payments on is mid-range Galactic Motor sedan. They are already members of the Traveller Aid society, have substantial assets (think Lord Black -the media moghul- or Sir Paul as example), or are military brass that will travel on their Flagship (do you think that Gen Swartzkoff paid a plane ticket from his pocket when he was Knited after Desert storm?). How you get to your ceremony is not a problem, just an opportunity.

The adventures linked to the recent grant of a title may also be linked to past endeavors, adding to the endless source of adventures.

Selandia