Malorn Sector states

[77topaz]

In the Traveller Wiki, the pages for the states in Malorn Sector (e.g. Toh Republic) each contain a few sentences of information. The pages all have MegaTraveller Alien - Solomani & Aslan as sole listed source, and are categorised as canon. Do those sentences of information come from that book (I don't own it, so I cannot check)?

Secondly, the TravellerMap data doesn't seem to match those descriptions very well. For example, the world names of Great Terbah and Daprolix Juncture of Suns do not at all reflect that their inhabitants are meant to be of Arabian and Mongolian origin, respectively. The UWPs, too, don't entirely match up: the information about Great Terbah would suggest more religious governments, for example. Also, there seem to be a lot of low-tech worlds and lack of good starports in general. I understand that it is meant to be an outlying sector, and the low TLs/starports in Toh Republic match with its Uplifted Ape description, but in the current version of the data the lack of stellar-tech worlds and starship-construction-capable starports is so profound that it looks like a lot of these states would not actually be able to support themselves as interstellar states. Also, the fact all the non-aligned worlds are barren doesn't match up with Randy Dorman's new data for Aldebaran Sector, though it does match the adjacent Hanstone and Hadji Sectors (but wouldn't this make inter-empire trade difficult, anyway? I would suggest something similar to what I did for Amderstun Sector).

If the information on the Traveller Wiki on the interstellar states is canon, then perhaps revision of the sector data would be a good idea. What does everyone else think?

 

[RandyB]

Part of me wants a canonical sourcebook for the Malorn Sector, part of me doesn't. The latter part of me exists because I borrowed a favorite nonhuman race from elsewhere and used them as the Malorn Union. Even so, a lot of the system data for that area is... quirky.

 

[Garnfellow]

I don't believe Malorn is referenced in any CT material: it is not shown on the maps in the Aslan, Solomani, or Hiver modules. I think Solomani and Aslan is the sole canonical source, and even then it only appears on a dotmap of the Confederation circa 1120; there's no accompanying text.

The dotmap gives us the sector name, the location of systems, and the names and borders of several interstellar polities rimward of the Solomani Confederation. And that's it.

By name we can infer whether these polities are majority human or aslan, but not much more. They might be completely independent entities or, given location, client states of the Confederation, the Hierate, or the Hive Federation, or any combination thereof.

The Malorn data on Traveller Map is from Jo Grant's CORE and not attributed; it is totally unofficial.

So there's very little information that could be extrapolated to Malorn. A major question to be answered would be how developed should the sector be, and when was it settled?

• Certainly "modern" Solomani could have explored and colonized the sector as early as 600, and maybe even earlier. By 200 the interstellar trade had resumed in the Rim, exploration would have likely followed.
• Hivers or Aslan both might have ventured into the sector during the Long Night.
• Terrans during the Rule of Man could have also explored or colonized the sector starting around -2200 or so.
• Dissident Vilani could have settled even earlier, although it would be hard to reach without J-3.

So depending on your perspective, it could be a densely populated sector with strange, alien human cultures. Or it might be a largely unexplored frontier area with pockets of recently rediscovered human worlds.

 

[77topaz]

Oh, okay, the information about the states isn't from Solomani & Aslan; the Wiki articles should probably be updated to note that, then. (Looks like it was an IP who added the information, in January 2015, so it may be difficult to determine the source of that information.)

 

[RandyB]

I don't believe Malorn is referenced in any CT material: it is not shown on the maps in the Aslan, Solomani, or Hiver modules. I think Solomani and Aslan is the sole canonical source, and even then it only appears on a dotmap of the Confederation circa 1120; there's no accompanying text.

The dotmap gives us the sector name, the location of systems, and the names and borders of several interstellar polities rimward of the Solomani Confederation. And that's it.

By name we can infer whether these polities are majority human or aslan, but not much more. They might be completely independent entities or, given location, client states of the Confederation, the Hierate, or the Hive Federation, or any combination thereof.

The Malorn data on Traveller Map is from Jo Grant's CORE and not attributed; it is totally unofficial.

So there's very little information that could be extrapolated to Malorn. A major question to be answered would be how developed should the sector be, and when was it settled?

• Certainly "modern" Solomani could have explored and colonized the sector as early as 600, and maybe even earlier. By 200 the interstellar trade had resumed in the Rim, exploration would have likely followed.
• Hivers or Aslan both might have ventured into the sector during the Long Night.
• Terrans during the Rule of Man could have also explored or colonized the sector starting around -2200 or so.
• Dissident Vilani could have settled even earlier, although it would be hard to reach without J-3.

So depending on your perspective, it could be a densely populated sector with strange, alien human cultures. Or it might be a largely unexplored frontier area with pockets of recently rediscovered human worlds.

Aaaannnnddd now I have a campaign idea, starting with taking the unofficial data and applying Hans' Rule: "It also has to make sense."

 

[77topaz]

Aaaannnnddd now I have a campaign idea, starting with taking the unofficial data and applying Hans' Rule: "It also has to make sense."

I suppose what I was discussing in post #1 would fall under that as well.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

I have the book. The map covers
Reaver's Deep to Hinterworlds
down to
Banners to Storr.

The names of polities from
Ustral Quadrant to Langere
and
Banners to Storr
and their map positions as they appear on travellermap appear to match.
No polities in Malorn are described in detail however, nor are UWP for Malorn.

 

[Garnfellow]

The one other potential source for Malorn would be GURPS: Traveller Alien Races 4, in the writeup of Valkyries, a puppeteer sort of alien. Although not named, the location woud be consistent with Malorn:

The present locus of the [Valkyrie] Dominion is a couple of sectors directly rimward of the Solomani Rim, bordering a number of outlying Solomani and Aslan colonies. The exact extent of Valkyrie operations is unknown, especially to rimward. It is believed they have absorbed at least four and possibly over a dozen Solomani and Aslan colony worlds. They are also known to have exterminated one entire alien species, the chlorine-breathing Kai-Nal, who were immune to possession. At least a billion sentient beings are thought to be under the Valkyrie yoke (127).

I am not sure if this is considered canon or not. Although I personally think they are cool and work fine with MTU, some people really had heartburn over them. I think I saw Don mention some of the GURPS alien races had copyright questions.

 

[inexorabletash]

I think I saw Don mention some of the GURPS alien races had copyright questions.

The concern is around aliens by David Pulver that also appeared Iron Crown's Spacemaster: Aliens and Artifacts. I don't have a copy of that myself.

 

[aramis]

The concern is around aliens by David Pulver that also appeared Iron Crown's Spacemaster: Aliens and Artifacts. I don't have a copy of that myself.

Several have been shopped out to several different incarnations of Spacemaster.

 

[GypsyComet]

I am not sure if (the Valkyrie race) is considered canon or not. Although I personally think they are cool and work fine with MTU, some people really had heartburn over them. I think I saw Don mention some of the GURPS alien races had copyright questions.

Considering the Valkyrie are an existential threat derived from a universe-killing equivalent from Chalker's Well World books, you are welcome to them. They are the Virus of the GT timeline, with added unspeakable horror thrown in for good measure and no upside a century or two later. A quiet Zombie Apocalypse loose in a population of trillions.

Copyright issues or no, No Thanks.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

The concern is around aliens by David Pulver that also appeared Iron Crown's Spacemaster: Aliens and Artifacts. I don't have a copy of that myself.

I have the Spacemaster books. That book has the following Aliens:
Avatar
Devi Intelligence
Drakarans
Evantha
Inheritors
Inyx
Lithkind
Metamorphs
M'Sia
Shai-En-Rin
Sheol
Spyders
Tezcat
Valkyrie
Do these names in bold look familiar? :coffeesip:
While the locations names and dice rolls are different to take the OTU into account, the story particulars of the Aliens are otherwise so identical that the writing was the same. Well Dave Pulver is writing credit in both Spacemaster and GT.

 

[77topaz]

I have the Spacemaster books. That book has the following Aliens:
Avatar
Devi Intelligence
Drakarans
Evantha
Inheritors
Inyx
Lithkind
Metamorphs
M'Sia
Shai-En-Rin
Sheol
Spyders
Tezcat
Valkyrie
Do these names in bold look familiar? :coffeesip:
While the locations names and dice rolls are different to take the OTU into account, the story particulars of the Aliens are otherwise so identical that the writing was the same. Well Dave Pulver is writing credit in both Spacemaster and GT.

The Drakarans and Inheritors both appear in the current data on TravellerMap (though those areas haven't been covered by the T5SS), while the Inyx homeworld does not appear in the current TravellerMap version of Banners Sector and the Malorn Sector data does not explicitly mention the Valkyrie. So, does that mean there could be copyright conflicts involving the data for Chit Botshti, Ghoekhnael and Nooq Sectors?

 

[inexorabletash]

The Drakarans and Inheritors both appear in the current data on TravellerMap (though those areas haven't been covered by the T5SS), while the Inyx homeworld does not appear in the current TravellerMap version of Banners Sector and the Malorn Sector data does not explicitly mention the Valkyrie. So, does that mean there could be copyright conflicts involving the data for Chit Botshti, Ghoekhnael and Nooq Sectors?

Those are unofficial. I would expect that if the T5SS were to get to those the issue would need to be resolved. One of the many things Don was juggling.

The sector data isn't really at issue, but if there are no Inheritors the Nooq sphere goes away which takes out that chunk of Nooq. And if you look closely at the worlds of the Krotan Primacy, you'll still see hints of the Lithkind.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

My guess is they have not been addressed/cleaned up "officially". My reasoning is simply this:

Don McKinney always said word came down from above was "no ringworlds, no sphereworlds (Dyson spheres) in Charted Space".
When Vanguard Reaches and Beyond were made to T5SS standards, they went bye bye.

Amongst other things the Inheritors live on a sphereword at the edge of Charted Space....

 

[77topaz]

My guess is they have not been addressed/cleaned up "officially". My reasoning is simply this:

Don McKinney always said word came down from above was "no ringworlds, no sphereworlds (Dyson spheres) in Charted Space".
When Vanguard Reaches and Beyond were made to T5SS standards, they went bye bye.

Amongst other things the Inheritors live on a sphereword at the edge of Charted Space....

Hmm... the sphereworld isn't the copyright-concern part, though (I don't think the concept of a sphereworld is copyrighted), it's the presence of the Inheritors themselves, which were also featured in Spacemaster.

Also, isn't there supposed to be an Ancient ringworld in the system of Leenitakot (1432 Hinterworlds)? And, various tech level charts mention Dyson spheres.

The Tech levels of the Imperium are measured in the range 0-15 (0-F), with 0 representing extreme primitive levels (hunter/gatherers), and 15 the height of Imperial technology.

However, there is technology beyond that of the Imperium as evidenced by ancient sites (e.g. Rosette worlds are TL21 and Rigid Dyson Spheres TL27).

Traveller5 aka T5 has introduced a new theoretical maximum to the TL System of TL-33.

23 - Dyson Spheres (with many Capsules)

25 - Ability to create Ringworlds, access pocket universe

27 - Rigid Dyson Spheres

35 - Create Pocket Universe

 

[Garnfellow]

Considering the Valkyrie are an existential threat derived from a universe-killing equivalent from Chalker's Well World books, you are welcome to them. They are the Virus of the GT timeline, with added unspeakable horror thrown in for good measure and no upside a century or two later. A quiet Zombie Apocalypse loose in a population of trillions.

Thanks for the context -- I'm not familiar with Well World, and maybe if I were I would read the Valkyrie entry differently. But as it is I read the Valkyrie as a very dangerous threat, yes, but not inevitable and certainly not apocalyptic. I just don't see all that Well World baggage.

 

[GypsyComet]

isn't there supposed to be an Ancient ringworld in the system of Leenitakot (1432 Hinterworlds)?

Marc's pronouncement as I heard it some years ago was "no inhabitable megastructures in Charted Space". Northstar's ring was clearly inhabitable, but the ring at Leenitakot is unfinished, lacking at least atmosphere and possibly part of the ring floor or walls. The Inheritor sphere has an atmosphere that leaves it inhabitable only by the Inheritors. That makes it a borderline case.

If we follow the thesis in one SF author's book about a comfortably habitable Dyson sphere, or even a ringworld, they are traps if built or found too close to occupied space. I want to say this is Bob Shaw's Orbitsville, but I may be misremembering.

 

[mike wightman]

I have the Spacemaster books. That book has the following Aliens:
Avatar
Devi Intelligence
Drakarans
Evantha
Inheritors
Inyx
Lithkind
Metamorphs
M'Sia
Shai-En-Rin
Sheol
Spyders
Tezcat
Valkyrie
Do these names in bold look familiar? :coffeesip:
While the locations names and dice rolls are different to take the OTU into account, the story particulars of the Aliens are otherwise so identical that the writing was the same. Well Dave Pulver is writing credit in both Spacemaster and GT.

He transplanted them into the GT:ATU.

They are non-canon for the OTU.

 

[tjoneslo]

I have the Spacemaster books. That book has the following Aliens:

The story as posted by David Pulver on the SJGames boards was he created the aliens for his early Traveller campaigns. He then write them up and tried (and failed) to sell them to GDW. As an enterprising games writer, he later wrote them up for the Spacemaster system. Again, a number of years later, David became an editor for SJGames. Working with Loren during the publication of the GT: Alien races books, Loren asked David to include some of the "Spacemaster" alien, as they were originally for Traveller, for the Alien races books.

The whole collection was included by the request of Loren and the approval of Marc, and processed through the SJGames playtest process.

So you can not like them, and not put them in to your campaign. But they are as much canon as anything else.