So what are the Solomani up to in 1248?

[Golan2072]

My idea (long ago when I was reading through Traveller stuff but didn't build MTU yet) for the Solomani after the fall of the Imperium was that of what I called back then "the Daughters of Gaia". When the entire socio-economical fabric of the Imperium and the Confederation fell due to the prolonged Final War and the deep economic recession that accompanied it (I downplayed the role of the Virus and thought of removing it), several revolutions against the remanants of both polities took place. The masses, long opressed by Solomany Party fascism and Imperial occupation, rose up, and, joined with some of the remnants of the former Imperial and Confederate fighting forces, overthrew the stinking, maggot-eaten corpse when was the former government.

Among the leaders of these movement was the Solidariti party (an illegal anti-SolParty/anti-Imperial semi-revolutionary organization inspired by a post in this forum about the evolution of Ine Givar, I don't remember the details) and the Gaianist movement (a quasi-religious group that saw Gaia - their name for Terra chosen to show their difference from the SolParty - as the mother of Humanity and of much of the life in the universe; they worshipped "Viriditas", or Life-Force, and saw interstellar colonization and terraformation as their divine mission; they saw all life as equal and Gaia as the suitable focal point for it).

The result were several small polities and one large (almost sector-wide one) called the Gaian Matriarchate, a strange blend between a new-age "soft" theocracy, a decentralized democracy and a constitutional monarchy. The head of state was the Matriarch, a sort of a spiritual leader with (limited) presidental powers, ruling alongside a Council of Gaia over a hirarchy of semi-autonomous subsector and planetary councils, all elected (atleast in theory

). My ideas were quite preliminary and incoherent, but the feel was of a radical, revolutionary pragmatism and reserved optimism combined (and sometimes crushed by) a government that works on the moto of "the end justifies the means" on its road for (again, in theory, and, to a more limited degree, in practice) what it consideres as better life for the avarage citizen.

The whole theme was of what happend to high ideals when the clash with the harsh reality of the post-Collapse life. "The road to hell is full of good intentions" (or how does it go in English? I know only the Hebrew version of this proverb). Human tradegy, human horror, human heroism of fighting to remain loyal to your ideals dispite all odds.

Eventually I built my own TU, but MTU's Matriarchate and Alliance were influenced by some of these preliminary, even immature, ideas.

 

[TKalbfus]

Solomani goes good with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonase on rye bread.

I wonder why the Earth keeps screwing up in the Traveller Universe, is there a theme as to why this should be? It seems the place is inhabited by bigots, fanatics, nuts, and people who believe they are racially superior to all others as they careen from dictatorship to dictatorship.

 

[flykiller]

I wonder why the Earth keeps screwing up in the Traveller Universe, is there a theme as to why this should be?

of course. it's the theme of "somewhere out there is an alien culture that is superior to us humans and that will show us the right way", that is, "I'm better than the people around me and somewhere there's a society that will appear and give me my proper place above these losers." it's a frequent theme. one sees it in harry potter ("you're a wizard harry") and star trek ("in the future we seek to better ourselves").

edit: "in the future"

 

[TKalbfus]

flykiller said,

of course. it's the theme of "somewhere out there is an alien culture that is superior to us humans and that will show us the right way", that is, "I'm better than the people around me and somewhere there's a society that will appear and give me my proper place above these losers." it's a frequent theme. one sees it in harry potter ("you're a wizard harry") and star trek ("we seek to better ourselves").

Yeah, I know. Its just that the law of averages has to be applied sometime and it seems the terrans screw up more than most. On occasion they should get it right sometimes not not always be totally incapable of governing themselves or getting along with their neighbors. There are plenty of other villians, why not give the Terrans a break and let someone else play the bad guys?

 

[flykiller]

well, rpg's aren't about the law of averages or who the villian is. they're about the players. the player characters are the ones who are enlightened, or free, or skilled, or famous, or otherwise special. I don't think a game centered on the imperium could have a good (however estimated) terra. it would be a glitch.

 

[MJD]

Interesting concept.

ONe point about 1248 is that it's possible to see the viewpoint of most powers, and most would consider the others to be 'notso good'.

4th Imperium: Honourable visionaries bringing civlisation back to the stars/grubby back-room politicos and Imperialist throwbacks.

RC/Freedom league: Heroic rebuilders/rapacious pirates

Commonwealth of Terra: Liberal moderates/second-rate Solomani without the guts to do it properly...

and so on.

 

[flykiller]

deliberately designed flexibility?

are the viewpoints presented neutrally, allowing players naturally to follow their own biases in selecting a base loyalty? or is that how 1248 works?

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by Larsen E. Whipsnade:

Here's hoping the Terran Federation of M:1248 is a pluralisic and secular society interested in good government, representative politics, and basic respect for all sophonts. I've enough of Earth-As-A-Bad-Example throughout Traveller canonical history. Shouldn't we be able to get something right after 38 centuries?


Sincerely,
Larsen

BRAVO!!! And I agree with this sentiment completely. For once... just for once, I would love to see a united Terran-based government (in canon TU) that presents an image of "decent reasonable human beings".

I'm sick of this persistent portrayal of the Solomani and anyone nostalgic of 'Mother Earth' as portrayed in Traveller as whackjob Nazi Fascist pigs. That theme has gotten so old. What's the French word for it? Cliche.

 

[flykiller]

Here's hoping the Terran Federation of M:1248 is a pluralisic and secular society interested in good government, representative politics, and basic respect for all sophonts.

but ... but who would wear the cool uniforms? the k'kree?

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by flykiller:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Here's hoping the Terran Federation of M:1248 is a pluralisic and secular society interested in good government, representative politics, and basic respect for all sophonts.

but ... but who would wear the cool uniforms? the k'kree? </font>[/QUOTE]Hell yeah! Give the K'Kree some nice fascist uniforms. Then stylize spikey flared Kaiser helmets. Then have them associated with huge symbolic nationalistic banners anywhere and everywhere, inclduing painted on all their ships. And have them wear steel-toed boots underneath those hooves. Voila!! You have your new EVIL EMPIRE to pick on!

 

[Border Reiver]

I like the paranoid, oppressive, reactionary, bigoted Solomani. it seems ample warning of what could easily happen. The independant loving Solomani are willing to give up their freedom to maintain their liberties, or is it give up their liberty to save their freedom.

It all sounds so familiar. MWM and co, you were prophets.

Anyway, the Solomani get cool uniforms, natty looking ships and all the best reasons for conflict, they just don't like anyone.

 

[Golan2072]

Originally posted by MJD:

4th Imperium: Honourable visionaries bringing civlisation back to the stars/grubby back-room politicos and Imperialist throwbacks.

RC/Freedom league: Heroic rebuilders/rapacious pirates

Commonwealth of Terra: Liberal moderates/second-rate Solomani without the guts to do it properly...

My variant on 1200 (NOT TNE:1248):

Regency: A bunch of conservatives sitting on the greatest potential economic base in known space yet dwelling on the Golden Past instead of rebuilding the future. Stuck in massive socio-economical problems that prevent it from dominating the former Imperium. Think Babylon 5's Centauri.

4th Imperium: Also called Black Imperium. Kafka47's ideas about the Lucan-Virus synthesis. Strange and inhuman. Opressive. About 20 subsectors centered on Capital. Busy mostly with its' own development, but examines possibility of expansion. Think Lucan's 3rd Imperium, but far worse and far stranger. When it'll spill out it'll be a HUGE threat; it doesn't seem interested in imidiate expansion for whatever reason, but who knows about the future

.

Ilelish (sp?) Empire: The failed Ilelish Revolution after Dulinor's death gave way to an Emperor on Ilelish, the renewed sector capital. A constitutional monarchy with certain populist tendancies, moderately expansionist. Not a bad place, not a good one either. Think Proto-Traveller's version of the Third Imperium, but only about 14 subsectors in size.

Unity of Gaia : Radical (but inconsistent) democracy centered on Gaia (originally Terra) established in 1127 by a Revolution against the opressive measures employed Solomani Confederation at the time. Originally intended to be a decentralized pan-sophonist league of worlds with a democracized economy, the horrible conditions of the Hard Times and the years that followed them made the central Unity government far more powerful than intended. A democracy nevertheless, the Unity population are very pragmatic (that is, they think that the End justifies the Means; that improvisation is good; that hard work and cooperation overcomes every obstacle over time) and "modernistic" (believe in progress; see technology as a tool rather than either an enemy or a religion). Neither good nor evil, just living it rough in the Black War-beaten Solomani Rim (renamed Gaia) sector.

Solomani Confederation: A shadow of their former glory. Three subsectors centered on Home and ruled with an iron fist by an extreme "right wing" (i.e. Solomani supremacists) of the Solomani Party. a quasi-fascist state in constant war with the Unity of Gaia for the past decade (and the Unity is slowly winning). They have "teeth" (huge military forces compared to their size as well as several pre-Fall relics) and they are more than eager to "bite"!

Reformation Coalition: Strong-armed imperialist democracy - think Great Britain in the Victorian era with more democracy - bent on expanding its sphere of influence and rescuing these savages from their primitive ways and bringing them to the light of civilization (i.e. into the ever-expanding Coalition market). Not evil, but very militarist in their approach to problems, and a colonialist mindset (again, think the Victorian-era British mindset, but less conservative).

 

[leadhead]

I read the playtest files for TNE:1248 and all I can say is WOW! This is probably the best portrayal of the Rim in any canonical product. I won't give out spoilers (that would be bad form) but what I will say is that most of those who posted here will like it.

 

[Cymew]

Originally posted by Larsen E. Whipsnade:
Sir,

As much as I enjoyed Mr. Hale's superb COE materials and stand in awe of the amount of work put into them, I hope they will be ignored in M:1248. Call me a Terran-chauvanist(sp) but I'd like to see Earth finally amount to something in Traveller's history rather than remain the backwater, radical/reactionary, laughing stock it always has been.

At the end of the IW period, Earth sees its own military mutiny and set up a aristocractic empire. During the Long Night, Earth can't even manage to maintain off-world colonies in its own star system and barely rules a small trading empire of sorts. Early in the 3I period, Earth is ignored for various reasons, only contacted and absorbed a few decades before the Civil War. Soon after that, Earth becomes the capital of a gaggle of fascistic racists who eventually manage to kick off a idiotic war that ends in Earth's recapture by the 3I. Until late in the CT period, Earth is a captive system, unable to even rule itself, and the focal point of various terrorism campaigns.

Mr. Hale's COE setting takes Earth into the Viral Era and maintains the 'Earth As Home To Wretched Wackos' motif. In his COE setting, Earth is the center of a new, goofy, pseudo-psionic religion complete with an growing empire and a burning desire to bring the 'true faith' to the 'infidels'. His materials even include a faith rating for PCs and details on how it will negatively impact their reactions to others not of their faith. Blecch...

So in COE, instead of a bunch of jackbooted, racist goons interested in the contents of your DNA, Earth now is home to a bunch of jackbooted, holier-than-thou goons interested in the contents of your 'soul'. Hell of an improvement, huh?

Here's hoping the Terran Federation of M:1248 is a pluralisic and secular society interested in good government, representative politics, and basic respect for all sophonts. I've enough of Earth-As-A-Bad-Example throughout Traveller canonical history. Shouldn't we be able to get something right after 38 centuries?


Sincerely,
Larsen

I had to resurrect this oldie. I hadn't seen it before.

This is the one thing that Traveller have been missing since 1980.

If I'd ever bother with TNE again, that's the way it would be.

 

[jfetters]

I had not read that original post before, but all I can say is, "So what?"

Traveller has always been open enough that you can do your own thing. If the OTU isn't doing what you want, so what? Go ahead and do it yourself.

There are a number of meta plot turns I don't like about 1248, but I know what I am going to keep/focus on and what I am not going to bother with. Some items are fairly major in scope, but that is my prerogative.

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by Jim Fetters:
I had not read that original post before, but all I can say is, "So what?"

Traveller has always been open enough that you can do your own thing. If the OTU isn't doing what you want, so what? Go ahead and do it yourself.

Or as an alternative, ANY Traveller player or GM has the option to umm... completely ignore the 1248 millieu altogether and simply opt to go with another version of Traveller (e.g. GURPs, CT, etc).

This is the beautiful thing about Traveller. If you don't like how a "setting" is, then just DONT play in that setting!! You have 5 other (licensed) versions of Traveller to choose from!