Starting a new campaign

[mike wightman]

I thought it was just part of his character description

 

[Maladominus]

Originally posted by Jak Nazrith:
So my idea was that the Biggest, baldest Aslan has promised all of his followers a piece of the pie, or at least this moon.

"Fear me! For I am an Aslan second son! Big! Bald! Mean! Vengeful! Ready to kill!"
(hehe just teasin ya, mate)

 

[jhulse]

Now that's about the funniest thing I've seen on these boards...

 

[Whipsnade]

Jak,

Intriguing campaign, but your Aslan don't seem to be behaving like Aslan. They're behaving more like Vargr! Look at their actions; sneak attacks, kidnapping, smacking around civilians, all that stuff. The only thing they seem to be doing like Aslan is trying to grab some land.

The Samurai Pizza Cats have a finely graded scale they apply to war. Things only escalate when both parties agree to an escalation and 'honor' pervades throughout. They can settle things through assassins, they have refereed battles, hell the Imperium enjoys a 800 year old peace treaty with them just because it won a game of capture the flag!

What the Aslan don't do is jump right away into total war. They have been known do to so, mostly when an opponent isn't playing by the rules, but they don't start things off there. They have to go through a lot of rounds of escalation first.

For whatever reason, the Aslan in you campaign are starting off at the upper end of their 'war scale' and that gives you a couple of hooks as the GM.

Why is your second son, from the viewpoint of the Aslan, behaving so badly? Did the company or someone else on the planet fail to follow the rules somehow? Does he have an Aslan reason for the actions of he and his troops? Your PCs could ferret out that reason, find way to correct it, and win the war.

Or could he just be a 'naughty' Aslan instead? Perhaps his ko, sick of his un-Aslan like behavior, sent him on this mission with the hopes he'd shape up or be killed. The attack here is not meant to succeed, it's meant to deal with an internal clan problem.

How about having the second son's aides and troops slowly becoming aware of his 'borderline honor'. Again, this could provide you PCs with a wedge. They could make known the second son's more questionable actions, force the Aslan to deal with it, and 'win' the war again. When you consider the fact that most of the Aslan are mercs from another clan, this twist is almost certain to work.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[jhulse]

I had never really FULLY understood canon culture of the Aslan. I only knew them as very territorial. All property is handed down to the first son. All sons that come after, even it they are 4th, 5th, or what ever, are always known as "Second Son's". And these second sons are very aggressive when trying to claim property as their own. Basically the big cat instinct of ancient Terra on claiming territory and females. My understanding of differences between Vargrs and Aslans, is that Vargrs are simple raiders, hit and run, like Vikings taking what ever they can carry, and returnig to their lair. Where as the Aslans take and keep territory to developed it for their own wealth and most of all, prestige. This is the first time I've heard of a samurai type culture. Is the entire race like that? Did the ancients developed them like this or did their vast empire evolve and retain these values over the millennia?
I think the further away from the heart of the Aslan Empire, the less "civilized" some Alsan clans may become. Since this adventure is happening a little rimward from the Sword Worlds, I could role play via the Captain of the Leviathan or the VIP's on board, their uneasiness that this particular clan is being more hostile than the average Alsan clan... It would be really great if a PC decided to run an Alsan as well. That would be a great chance to roll play an honorable Aslan against a less than honorable upstart.

Thanks for the input! It really helps.

 

[alanb]

Originally posted by Jak Nazrith:
My understanding of differences between Vargrs and Aslans, is that Vargrs are simple raiders, hit and run, like Vikings taking what ever they can carry, and returnig to their lair.
...
Did the ancients developed them like this or did their vast empire evolve and retain these values over the millennia?
...
I think the further away from the heart of the Aslan Empire,

1. Vargr do not behave in a single consistent manner. They raid, they invade, they peacefully migrate, and they are probably the largest non-human minority inside the Imperium. You can't generalise about them. On the other hand, most Aslan share a common culture, which means you can often generalise about them.

2. The Ancients had nothing to do with the Aslan in the OTU. They were not uplifted in the way the Vargr were.

3. There is no "Aslan Empire". Each Aslan clan is effectively an independent government. There is a council of the largest clans that often acts as a mediator, but there is no real Aslan Government.

All of these points are only true of the OTU, of course. Your universe may, and should, vary according to what you would prefer.

PS: the word is "role play", not "roll play". "Rollplayer" is another word for "Munchkin".

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Jak Nazrith:
I had never really FULLY understood canon culture of the Aslan. I only knew them as very territorial. All property is handed down to the first son. All sons that come after, even it they are 4th, 5th, or what ever, are always known as "Second Son's". And these second sons are very aggressive when trying to claim property as their own.

Jak,

Well, it sort of works like that in the OTU but in can always work like that in the only Traveller universe that matters here - Your Traveller Universe.

Yes, in theory the ko (the clan chief) owns everything. But that really isn't practicle on one world let alone a hundred, so responsibility and control is parceled out among hordes of followers, relatives, and what-not via vassalage. After inheriting, the ko most likely confirms most of the grants Pappy handed out, shuffles around a few, and gives away a few to his boon companions. In theory, he still owns it all. In practice, its another matter entirely.

Things change. People fail, people fall in and out of favor, people die, all the usual stuff so the grants keep changing too. Vassalage is a continuing process, you don't gain lands form the ko and then sit around doing nothing unitl he dies and you need to butter up his son. You earn the right to your grant every day.

A lot is made of the ihatei, too much actually. The Aslan simply cannot stuff every non-inheriting son into a clapped out starship and send him over the Rift Route to look for new land. The vast majority stay home and gain their lands from the hands of their rulers as loyal vassals. It's only the inveterate troublemakers, the utter losers, the totally incompetent, the squarepegs, and the adventurers that get shipped off.

This is the first time I've heard of a samurai type culture. Is the entire race like that? Did the ancients developed them like this or did their vast empire evolve and retain these values over the millennia?

First, the 'Samurai Pizza Cat' thing is an in-game insult for the Aslan. It probably came about from seeing too many munchkins play Aslan as if they were samurai. The Toons(1) are honorable, but they're not samurai.

Second, the whole honor schtick is just that, a schtick. It isn't biologically hardwired. It's a generally agreed upon code of conduct that the Aslan developed about the same time they got jump drive. Those Aslan who didn't abide by the new code were exterminated. There are supposedly a few heretical colonies far off to spinward and rimward on the Hierate side of the Great Rift, hiding places for those Aslan whose ancestors lost the culture war and had to flee for their lives.

Third, the Ancients have nothing to do with the Aslan. Although the way CT and MT used the Ancients as all-purpose excuses for damn near everything it isn't surprising folks think there is an Aslan-Ancient link.

Fourth, the Aslan have no empire. Instead it's a welter of thousands of clans interconnected via a mindbogglingly complex web of fealty. The top 29 clans, the Tlaukhu, act as a sort of diplomatic clearinghouse that handles inter-clan difficulties. Clans can own complete worlds, portions of worlds, and smaller bits right down to city blocks. They usually divvy up the rest of a stellar system the same way. It's rare to find only one clan on any one world in the Hierate. Most worlds and systmes can be considered 'balkanized'.

Fifth, they've retained their honor system over the lat two millenia because they can gleefully butcher without censure any Aslan who doesn't follow that honor system. You get honor points killing someone who has no honor. Hell, his family will even thank you for it! It's groupthink in its purest form.

Now, this doesn't mean that there are no dishonorable Aslan. There are. They just haven't been caught yet, or they've had enough pull to avoid censure, or they're really good at covering their tracks. There are dishonorable Aslan just as there are criminal Zhodani.

That's where your 'Second Son' comes in. He's definitely walking a thin line here. Did his opponents do something that has allowed him to escalate the conflict as he has done? Or is he just claiming they did? Or is he just doing it anyway without even bothering to make up an excuse? If your players can 'solve' the 'mystery' surrounding his behavior, they stand a good chance of 'winning' the campaign.

It would be really great if a PC decided to run an Alsan as well. That would be a great chance to roll play an honorable Aslan against a less than honorable upstart.

That would be very neat. Just remember, the 'honorable' Aslan is a bloody handed murderer too, he just does it with 'honor' and 'style'!

Thanks for the input! It really helps.

Glad you could find anything useful in my blathering.

One last thing, that Imperial Navy ship just hanging around 'recording' and 'waiting for instructions'? It won't happen. The captain will either intervene or be on his way. Sending off for instructions means months of waiting for an answer and no captain with such a lack of initiative would be given an independent patrol command. He'll either sh*t or get off the pot. He won't hang around waiting to be told what to do.

Of course, the captain may be an exception, just as the 'Second Son' is. He may have been promoted to his level of incompetence. While he frets, wrings his hands, and waits for orders, your PCs may be able to convince him to do his duty...


Have fun,
Bill

1 - The Aslan are called 'Toons' because, like cartoon figures, they only have three fingers.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
The vast majority stay home and gain their lands from the hands of their rulers as loyal vassals. It's only the inveterate troublemakers, the utter losers, the totally incompetent, the squarepegs, and the adventurers that get shipped off.

In other words, Bill, Travellers!

Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
First, the 'Samurai Pizza Cat' thing is an in-game insult for the Aslan. It probably came about from seeing too many munchkins play Aslan as if they were samurai. The Toons(1) are honorable, but they're not samurai.

Well, I thought the Samurai bit was mentioned in the JTAS article that introduced them. Could be wrong, though, as I don't have my books in front of me.

Glad you could find anything useful in my blathering.

Oh stop it, Bill...

Always good stuff...

One last thing, that Imperial Navy ship just hanging around 'recording' and 'waiting for instructions'? It won't happen. The captain will either intervene or be on his way.

Unless, of course, he knows something about the situation and doesn't want to smear his record with the political fallout from this. Doesn't mean he won't get involved - he will just make sure the booger sticks to someone else. And, of course, all that goes back to the Aslan's motivation...

Can't wait to hear what happens.

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Fritz88:
In other words, Bill, Travellers!

Fritz,

Oh, you caught that! I'm glad someone did.

Unless, of course, he knows something about the situation and doesn't want to smear his record with the political fallout from this. Doesn't mean he won't get involved - he will just make sure the booger sticks to someone else. And, of course, all that goes back to the Aslan's motivation... :devil: Can't wait to hear what happens.

Oooh nasty! I like it. If Jak wants it, his adventure could have all sorts of political wrangling - Aslan vs. Aslan, IN captain vs. whomever, etc. - to add to the usual boom-boom stuff.

I hope he posts how it all turns out. It sounds like it would be a hoot!


Have fun,
Bill