PC Nobles.

[BetterThanLife]

Having played a PC with a Soc of 15 years ago, our GM created a whole new campaign and adventure style to deal with it, (Eventually the Character was relegated to the role of NPC Patron but occasionally dusted off.) I was curious how other GMs handle Noble PCs in their campaign. Something about a Count or a Duke running about on a Tramp Freighter getting into typical Traveller adventure (My Lord, wouldst thou please pass me thine frag grenade?) just seems wrong. How much does a Duke get paid for running a subsector? (A Cr a head per year based on TCS economics seems more than reasonable until you actually calculate the population of the subsector.

) What income does a planet or cluster offer a Baron or a Count? But with the responsibility wouldn't the rewards come as well? You don't expect the President to be a pauper and he isn't even Nobility. Granted for fiefless Knights it isn't an issue, but once you get to the typical Peers of the Realm, there would be power, money and responsibility. How is that handled in YTU and what do you do with PCs who happen to be Peers of the Realm?

 

[Spiderfish]

Make them the second son of a Duke or whatever so they still have SOC 15 but might hold the title Baron or Count.

Perhaps one fallen out of favour making them impoverished and all that.

 

[savage]

Mutiple posibilities
- a duke/count may have turned over their govt to one of their capable children.
- Duke/ count may be disgraced or seeking redemption
- Duke/ count might be an adventurer seeking something (aka quest). Always asking questions at locations the ship stops at.


Savage

 

[BetterThanLife]

Even the second son, with the title of Count or something is going to have serious resources. (And I was under the impression that you only had the actual Social number based on your title. Not the family title so if your only title is Count then you would be a 14 not a 15 no matter who your relatives might be. (T20 numbers being of course higher.

)

Originally posted by Spiderfish:
Make them the second son of a Duke or whatever so they still have SOC 15 but might hold the title Baron or Count.

Perhaps one fallen out of favour making them impoverished and all that.

 

[flykiller]

You could consider implementing a chain of command and make a distinction between status and authority. Given the longevity and dispersal of the nobility one might expect to find quite a few people who claim noble blood but have no holdings, authority, or significant standing with the ruling nobility.

I currently have a player running a character who is a nephew of an ArchDuke. The character is largely unknown to the public so he does undercover investigations for his uncle. While he has access to significant (assigned) resources he can't always use them and maintain his mission cover, and while he has status he doesn't necessarily have authority, i.e. he can demand a hearing with an admiral but he can't give the admiral an order. The player is very much up to the role so it's going quite well.

 

[Glen Allen Mcinnes]

Dont forget all those 70+ year old retirtd grand adrmaials who keep showing up mabe the SOC is not in the form of noble titles but the risudals of high rank and war hero status. let's see 15 theatear service medeles 22 perple harts 6 presedenchal citasions a CMH with clusters and a so many other decrasions he retains a full staff just to where them for him, I'm sorry but the old boy just dosen't have the social status to join the ⌧ry club. NOT

 

[Straybow]

Originally posted by flykiller:
I currently have a player running a character who is a nephew of an ArchDuke. The character is largely unknown to the public so he does undercover investigations for his uncle. While he has access to significant (assigned) resources he can't always use them and maintain his mission cover, and while he has status he doesn't necessarily have authority, i.e. he can demand a hearing with an admiral but he can't give the admiral an order. The player is very much up to the role so it's going quite well.

Vorkosigan Saga, anyone?

The breathing room afforded by the T20 scale is better, but I'm leaning to the idea that SOC and titles of nobility are not firmly linked. If you have the title that will be your (minimum) SOC, but high SOCs without titles should be more common than titled nobility.

 

[Elliot]

In my view baron is the highest title that a PC should have unless you are playing a specialist noble campaign (which looks like a real possibility with LKW's forthcoming book) or a campaign designed around the noble character (e.g. s/he is a diplomat/colonial governor etc and has to move around incognito in a free trader) - above that and your'e moving into the realm of NPC power and that tends to limit good RPGing.

Of course, you might be able

 

[Wayne]

I have had only one high ranking noble in my games. The player wanted to have the title only. For the background story he made for the character, the Sector Duke had wrongful taken away his fief when he was away on Navy service, leaving him with a title but no income or land from that title. His background became the back-story of the campaign to regain his rightful fief from the Sector Duke. This included a trip to Capital to see the Emperor.
It made for a fun campaign, and having a back-story gave the group a sense of direction to start the campaign.

 

[Jame]

I'd say something around the level of "Knight" or so - soc 11 and 12 in CT - would be the most playable nobility in most Traveller games. I did generate a character of soc 14 once, but decided that she had to be some sort of problem solver for her fellow nobles to be workable.

 

[flykiller]

Vorkosigan Saga, anyone?

never heard of it. I'm a bit out of touch on some things.

It made for a fun campaign, and having a back-story gave the group a sense of direction to start the campaign.

that really is a great campaign ideal. thanks.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Vorkosigan Saga, anyone?

never heard of it. I'm a bit out of touch on some things.</font>[/QUOTE][boggle]

Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookshop. Look under "Bujold". Buy everything (well, okay, you can skip the fantasy ones). Don't argue - trust me, you'll thank me later.

 

[BetterThanLife]

As far as Fiction goes there is one shining example of a Noble being out in the space lanes. But she is far from a typical Traveller Adventurer. Admiral Dame, (Duchess) Steadholder Harrington. And even HER Naval career had to take a back seat to the Nobility Career on several occasions. But it deosn't make for a typical traveller Campaign. Makes me wonder about the Harrington Game. (Which is why I asked the question in the first place.) Matter of fact she was wealthy before she became Nobility.

 

[Wayne]

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> It made for a fun campaign, and having a back-story gave the group a sense of direction to start the campaign.

that really is a great campaign ideal. thanks. </font>[/QUOTE]That is why I still love the Trav char gen. It gave me, with a little thought, a pc with a background and a reason to be out there doing what he is doing. Unlike D&D with the 18yr newbie with no history at all.

 

[aramis]

IMTU, and in cannon according to CT, a great many nobles are, in fact, reward nobles, not serving/landed imperial nobles. They get a voice inn the moot, social deference, et al, but they are NOT blessed wiht feifs nor resources galore.

More than one landed noble IMTU has no actul feif, but instead a large-ish set of corporate shares, usually domain and sector wide corps. Most "Planetary Nobles" arerunning the Starport as their fief... But some of the lesser titles bear with them serious perks. For Ex, IMTU, Regina hosts one, and sometimes (timewise) two duchies: The Subsector Duke (AKA the Duke of Regina), some times the sector duke (Duke of the Marches), and then it also holds the Marrquis of Regina, who provides system defense to the cluster, and the Count of Regina, who is the world's noble. The baron Wypoc, and the other minor worlds surrounding Regina all look to the Marquis, who provides some services, and also to the subsector Duke.

Now, in addition to those 3-5 nobles, there are a dozen functionaries who hold titles. The DoR's senschale is a count, the marquis' is a viscount, and the Count's is a Baron, likewise each of them has a castellan of same rnk as their senschale. Lesser great offices are one step down chain, and include exchequer, Master of Arms, and Master of Data, Master of Science, Master of Arts. Not all of these will carry permament title, but most will carry a reward title, and tthe serving individual is not paid, but recieves a non-land feif for their tenure... These are all filled by career nobles.

Now, the reward nobles get seats in relation to thier ranks... but not at high table unless invited.


If they didn't take the Noble career, and didn't roll a barony or higher at initital CG, they are NOT heirs to, nor holders of, a landed/enfeoffed title... just an honor title. (Also, IMTU, honor titles degrade... only he recipient holds the title; his children are honor-barons, and their children are knights. Knighthoods also have wierdnesses... some are order members, others are simply honorary titles.

 

[flykiller]

Originally posted by Andrew Boulton:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Vorkosigan Saga, anyone?

never heard of it. I'm a bit out of touch on some things.</font>[/QUOTE][boggle]

Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookshop. Look under "Bujold". Buy everything (well, okay, you can skip the fantasy ones). Don't argue - trust me, you'll thank me later. </font>[/QUOTE](smile) thanks, I'll check it out when I can.

 

[clementk]

Heard about this series before and have been meaning to check it out sometime. Looks like Baen has one of the books in that series for free.

Baen's listing for the Saga is a little unclear with the omnibus books. Is there a particular order either by order published or internal timeline? In other words I'd like to know a good book / omnibus to start the series with.

Casey

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Ignore the publishing order - they were written out of sequence.

A good place to start is the "Cordelia's Honor" omnibus (or with the individual novels "Shards of Honor" and "Barayar"). This is kind of a prologue to the main series, dealing with how Miles Vorkosigan's parents met, and what happened after.

(I started with "The Warrior's Apprentice" (the first book in the "Young Miles" omnibus, and the start of the main series). One of my Players gave it to me, saying, "You'll enjoy this. It's just like your Traveller campaign!")

 

[SanDragon]

I wish I could remember what I did with my first Traveller character. He was a Baron, naturally rolled, so to speak. Too bad that was such a short campaign.

 

[Straybow]

Several were published in Analog magazine, which is how I got introduced to Bujold's work maybe 15 years ago.

Once you get one book they have a timeline in the back showing Miles' adventures and which books cover which. I ain't gonna type the whole thing in, but they really don't need to be read in strict time or publishing order (the way it should be with a well written series).

As for OTU, the ranks are too sparse for a solid noble structure. I can't see anything less than a Duke ruling a major planet. Barons and Counts are, normally, small potatos. Also, OTU treats Prince not so much as a rank as a title assigned to immediate heirs to the Emperor. Historically there have been nations ruled by Princes (Monaco being an extant example).

That brings to mind the Vorkosigan series again, in which a competing empire (Cetaganda) has 8 Emperesses and a very elaborate noble structure. I forget how big it was, maybe 50-100 worlds. Since Cetaganda isn't the focus of the story it doesn't get much attention.