Roma People in Traveller
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princelian
SOC-12
IMTU, the Rom spread out from Sol during the days of the First and Second Imperium, but eventually lost their cultural cohesion in most regions of known space.
Exceptions exist on low-tech worlds where there was/is little contact with the outside Imperium.
The other notable exception is the set of clans that moved through the region of the Great Rift and into the region Behind the Claw. Fleeing the cultural poisoning of the majority of their peoples, they moved into the Spinward Marches and surrounding sectors, especially the Beyond.
Called the Dark Runners by most people in the region, the Rom operate family-run ships, typically 400 dton subsidized merchies or bigger. They will occasionally sign on non-family (gadje, or "no-bloods," when they have a need for a particular position (e.g., engineer) but these are short-term contracts only unless the gadje marry into the family. (This is a practice, along with inter-ship marriage, that the Rom use to keep their bloodlines from degenerating from inbreeding. They are a strange, clannish people, but they're well-educated and well aware of genetics.)
There are a few larger clans that operate big merchanter ships in the 2000-5000 dton range, but most are in the 400-800 dton range.
Exceptions exist on low-tech worlds where there was/is little contact with the outside Imperium.
The other notable exception is the set of clans that moved through the region of the Great Rift and into the region Behind the Claw. Fleeing the cultural poisoning of the majority of their peoples, they moved into the Spinward Marches and surrounding sectors, especially the Beyond.
Called the Dark Runners by most people in the region, the Rom operate family-run ships, typically 400 dton subsidized merchies or bigger. They will occasionally sign on non-family (gadje, or "no-bloods," when they have a need for a particular position (e.g., engineer) but these are short-term contracts only unless the gadje marry into the family. (This is a practice, along with inter-ship marriage, that the Rom use to keep their bloodlines from degenerating from inbreeding. They are a strange, clannish people, but they're well-educated and well aware of genetics.)
There are a few larger clans that operate big merchanter ships in the 2000-5000 dton range, but most are in the 400-800 dton range.
princelian
SOC-12
Marime - the taboo/corrupted state that the Rom use for things that are unclean - can be undone, depending on the nature of it.
For example, using your hands to wash your lower body makes them temporarily marime, but you can wash (or ritually wash for strict Rom interpretation) them to restore them to wuzho, or purity.
For the Rom, the emergence into the 21st Century (some clans 22nd Century) on Terra forced them to face genetics and the consequences of inbreeding. This forced the kris (high councils) of the more successful clans (the ones, in the end, that survived fairly intact on the path of the wuzho) to adapt to reality. They created rituals for bringing gadje into a transitional state (which could last for years depending on the edicts of the kris) which was "questionable purity," and tons better than marime.
For women, the transitional state was shorter because even Rom women moved into and out of a state of marime during menstruation and childbirth, and so they could be moved out of permanent (non-Rom-bloodline) marime-hood more quickly (typically through the marriage ceremony itself).
For men, who are brought into the clan MUCH more rarely, the transitional state lasts a lot longer, even decades in some cases. (Usually when an elder doesn't like the young man or if he fails to adapt to clan rules.)
The Dark Runners are one of the more adaptable Rom clans, hence their survival and even flourishment in the region Behind the Claw. They also keep good relations with the Darrian Confederation, which IMTU has kept more of its technology, and actively trade with the Mal'G'nar and Comsentient Alliance (non-canon star nations in the Beyond as published by Paranoia Press's "The Beyond"). The Rom trade between the Beyond and the Darrian Confederation has kept the Darrians stronger and the Rom richer and more successful.
For example, using your hands to wash your lower body makes them temporarily marime, but you can wash (or ritually wash for strict Rom interpretation) them to restore them to wuzho, or purity.
For the Rom, the emergence into the 21st Century (some clans 22nd Century) on Terra forced them to face genetics and the consequences of inbreeding. This forced the kris (high councils) of the more successful clans (the ones, in the end, that survived fairly intact on the path of the wuzho) to adapt to reality. They created rituals for bringing gadje into a transitional state (which could last for years depending on the edicts of the kris) which was "questionable purity," and tons better than marime.
For women, the transitional state was shorter because even Rom women moved into and out of a state of marime during menstruation and childbirth, and so they could be moved out of permanent (non-Rom-bloodline) marime-hood more quickly (typically through the marriage ceremony itself).
For men, who are brought into the clan MUCH more rarely, the transitional state lasts a lot longer, even decades in some cases. (Usually when an elder doesn't like the young man or if he fails to adapt to clan rules.)
The Dark Runners are one of the more adaptable Rom clans, hence their survival and even flourishment in the region Behind the Claw. They also keep good relations with the Darrian Confederation, which IMTU has kept more of its technology, and actively trade with the Mal'G'nar and Comsentient Alliance (non-canon star nations in the Beyond as published by Paranoia Press's "The Beyond"). The Rom trade between the Beyond and the Darrian Confederation has kept the Darrians stronger and the Rom richer and more successful.
IMTU, my Vargr are tightly patterned after the Roma (with a little bit of finely diced Klingon for flavor) and live by these rules.
Princelian's version closely parallels my own, but I also have most clans having several 1-2KTd "Stations" in the deep black... these J1 fission PP ships are "hubs" of operation and family genetic "swap-meets", as well as the home of the clan's extensive breeding records.
Every few years, a deep space inflatable 20 KTd station is inflated, warmed up, and used as a major gathering hall. The party lasts for a few months. Since clan heads are often invited to other clan's gatherings, this prevents them from co-occurring, and tipping off the gadje.
Every few years, a deep space inflatable 20 KTd station is inflated, warmed up, and used as a major gathering hall. The party lasts for a few months. Since clan heads are often invited to other clan's gatherings, this prevents them from co-occurring, and tipping off the gadje.
Maladominus
SOC-14 1K
In Traveller, you have the Geonee also. Nomadic race, and very technophilic and mercantophilic.
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
I would disagree that the Geonee (as depicted by DGP, anyway) are particularly "nomadic", though they do seem to lack the typical provinciality seen in most races, and can be found all over the region of space scattered with Ancients traces. This may be due to their belief that they are the Ancients, so its ALL home territory...
If the Third Imperium doesn't have space-going Rom inherited from old Terra, then the setting is likely to evolve a new equivalent in that ecological niche, running old family-held trade routes among the fringe systems and outer worlds in more populous systems, coming in out of the Black to Imperial-licensed ports (or whatever for their current location) only in dire need, prefering supply depots in the Kuiper realms or the deep Black.
If the Third Imperium doesn't have space-going Rom inherited from old Terra, then the setting is likely to evolve a new equivalent in that ecological niche, running old family-held trade routes among the fringe systems and outer worlds in more populous systems, coming in out of the Black to Imperial-licensed ports (or whatever for their current location) only in dire need, prefering supply depots in the Kuiper realms or the deep Black.
The Geonee are the Dwarves in Space and as such their wanderings are more to claim fortune to build assets at home. Whereas, I think the poster is getting at the idea of a Roma people. Certainly, there would be pressures for a Roma culture to created but also the centralizing forces might preclude it from developing on an Imperium-wide basis until the Fall. Therefore, I could see many Family run traders on a subsector or Sector basis but never venturing out to control larger tracts.
Free Traders, IMTU, are always a combination tramp captain, gypsy, NYC cabbie.
Free Traders, IMTU, are always a combination tramp captain, gypsy, NYC cabbie.
princelian
SOC-12
For good fiction with a family-doing-merchanter-trade feel, check out Merchanter's Luck by C. J. Cherryh. This is set in the same universe as Downbelow Station, and the two of them are on my required Sci-Fi reading list.
But the former is the one that deals with the merchant ships more than the latter.
But the former is the one that deals with the merchant ships more than the latter.
FreeTrav
SOC-14 1K
Alvin Plummer, several years ago, wrote up a nomadic culture (The Iper'mar Nomads) for Traveller that, while not obviously based on the Roma/Romany, nevertheless had some familiar characteristics. The article is still available on Freelance Traveller; check it out at http://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/culture/societies/ipermar.html.
