Ganidirsii O'Flynn
SOC-12
So, we know what setting we play in, but what would we like to see developed?
Rank them in order, first being best, please.
Rank them in order, first being best, please.
What OTU setting would you like to see more development on?
- Thread starter Ganidirsii O'Flynn
- Start date
RandyT0001
SOC-13
There's a big difference between the Rule of Man and the Long Night. One has a large interstellar polity and the other only has pocket empires. I think you should split them.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I agree with Randy. The RoM actually more closely fits with the Interstellar Wars period, but really should be separate.
Especially if you want to explore the forbidden technology of the Second Imperium...
Especially if you want to explore the forbidden technology of the Second Imperium...
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
Who the what now? </font>[/QUOTE]You really don't want to go there.Originally posted by stofsk:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Especially if you want to explore the forbidden technology of the Second Imperium...
Who the what now?</font>[/QUOTE]You really don't want to go there.</font>[/QUOTE]yes he does.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001457#000000
talk about a topic that could be developed ....
Andrew Boulton
The Adminator
Just don't mention the TL15+ RoM gear...
Border Reiver
SOC-14 1K
or AI robots.....
Border Reiver
SOC-14 1K
.....and absolutely no cyberzombies.
Ganidirsii O'Flynn
SOC-12
I considered separating the Rule of Man and the Long Night, but I thought that the whole "Fall of Rome" theme with the RoM had already been covered, rules-mechanics-wise, in "Hard Times". Certainly, there were big differences between RoM-Twilight-Long Night and the Rebellion-Hard Times-4th Imperium (I think of it as "The Short Nap"), but I think that the mechanics of doomed worlds, technology slides, and societal breakdown have a common enough thread through them as to be applicable in a Twilight campaign.
And to be honest, I'm not sure how much of a real polity the RoM was. It wasn't called the Ramshackle Empire for nothing, as temporary solutions became policy and policy became tradition. Certainly you had Terrans spreading out from the Commonwealth worlds, but frankly, the Terrans were simply too thin on the ground for most of the period. Remember the whole 'ensigns governing worlds, commanders governing subsectors' thing. The entire RoM experiment only lasted, what, 400 years or so, and they brought down a government that had kept the trains running on time for 10,000 years. And they brought upon themselves an age of darkness that lasted almost 2000 years. So, no. I don't see the ROM/Long Night as all that different.
That was my reasoning anyway.
And to be honest, I'm not sure how much of a real polity the RoM was. It wasn't called the Ramshackle Empire for nothing, as temporary solutions became policy and policy became tradition. Certainly you had Terrans spreading out from the Commonwealth worlds, but frankly, the Terrans were simply too thin on the ground for most of the period. Remember the whole 'ensigns governing worlds, commanders governing subsectors' thing. The entire RoM experiment only lasted, what, 400 years or so, and they brought down a government that had kept the trains running on time for 10,000 years. And they brought upon themselves an age of darkness that lasted almost 2000 years. So, no. I don't see the ROM/Long Night as all that different.
That was my reasoning anyway.
Yes, the mechanics will be similar, especially if you'll be playing in the "twilight" period which precedes the Long Night rather than in the Long Night itself. The Long Night is far worse than the New Era setting, as most worlds have regressed to pre-industrial technology, mostly thanks to the over-centralized Vilani economy which had encouraged over specialization and, once the Vilani system fell, most worlds were totally incapable of maintaining a high-tech society over a long period.
IMHO, the Solomani victory was not the cause of the fall of the Ziru Sirka, but rather a symptom of itsterminal illness and death; the Solomani gave it a little push and the entire sun-bleached skeleton of the Vilani Imperium crumbeled to dust, but the skeleton was lying there long before the Solomani had even had their Industrial Revolution. If, for example, the Solomani would've risen to the interstellar scene a millenium or three earlier, and would've challenged the Ziru Sirka, they would've been crushed with haste. My point is that the only reason that the mighty Ziru Sirka could fall to the attacks of a miniscule pocket-empire was that the Ziru Sirka was ver, very dead; earlier encounters with such threats resulted in the Vilani stepping on them wih a jackboot in short order.
However, once the Solomani liberators have revealed the final death of the Ziru Sirka, they were more or less powerless to help - they were far too few, far too late. The RoM was an heroic struggle against the inevitable - no one could hope to ressurect a dead empire of thousands of worlds with the resources and power of what ammounted to a pocket-empire.
Still, this tragic heroism could be a great background for a Traveller campaign. Sure, the Ziru Sirka can't be saved but pockets of civiliation could be - thanks to the efforts of PC heroes struggling to keep the Night at bay.
I like the Rebellion era most of all. It always struck me that the MegaTraveller story had much more to tell once you put the Rebellion in the background rather the wargamers did by putting it in forefront. Signal GK shows how this can be done perfectly, a sort of darkish, noir setting that would resemble Casablanca rather than then most war films made today.
Though this may seem heretical whatI believe (of course I may be the only one in the Universe who does) is that Traveller actually needs a completely new setting. It needs refreshing. The Imperium setting and its variants does not match what is now known. The technologies are widely off and if you want to attract new players it needs that wow factor back while agreeing with what they potential players know.
Barring that I will stick with the New Era since that is the period by Banners Sector campaign is in.
Barring that I will stick with the New Era since that is the period by Banners Sector campaign is in.
I don't think Traveller needs to have the setting rebooted. I think Traveller is an honest attempt at putting the Age of Sail in space.
I wish there was actually more marketing for it. More exposure. You can have the greatest setting in the world and it won't matter if nobody knows of it.
I wish there was actually more marketing for it. More exposure. You can have the greatest setting in the world and it won't matter if nobody knows of it.
Traveller is being rebooted all the time and it evolves as literature evolves. I recently picked up The space opera renaissance edited by David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer. And the book makes the very good point that yesterdays so called Hard SF becomes more pulpish as technology progresses. Similarly, I am not sure that either Hard SF, Space Opera or Age of Sail in Space really are good labels. Traveller is simply the journey into Science Fiction, this way it is a heuristic to explain that journey.
Now, I would certainly say the rise of the 3I, resembles the Age of Sail but it also resembles the rise of Rome. The OTU is large enough to encompass all traditions. For me, Traveller ought be influenced more by cyberpunk (literary tradition not game...although) but others would disagree.
The secret is develop the billions of worlds however you want. If you really want something fantastic, go back to the Age of Ancients. If you want Star Wars, try the age of the Rebellion Era. You want clash of the ironclads, try the Imperial Civil War. Want to do a proto-Ancient Egyptian Campaign set it in the First Imperium. The possibilities are endless. That is what the Traveller story is all about.
Now, I would certainly say the rise of the 3I, resembles the Age of Sail but it also resembles the rise of Rome. The OTU is large enough to encompass all traditions. For me, Traveller ought be influenced more by cyberpunk (literary tradition not game...although) but others would disagree.
The secret is develop the billions of worlds however you want. If you really want something fantastic, go back to the Age of Ancients. If you want Star Wars, try the age of the Rebellion Era. You want clash of the ironclads, try the Imperial Civil War. Want to do a proto-Ancient Egyptian Campaign set it in the First Imperium. The possibilities are endless. That is what the Traveller story is all about.
mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
What I would like to see is MWM declaring a timeline/history until 1105 to be "valid" i.e take the GT or MT timeline until ten seconds before the 5th FW and declare that as canon. Same for a noble system and a stance on ship/naval sizes.
Would help in OTU discussions.
Would help in OTU discussions.
Ganidirsii O'Flynn
SOC-12
Sorry, Mike. I gotta disagree.
The canon OTU goes up to 1116. Quik-Link and Comstar-Games publish 'approved for use with Traveller' (to use an oldgeek term) dealing with both the Solomani Rim War and the New Era up to 1248. The only 'unofficial' or 'alternate' Traveller being published is Loren Weisman's work with SJG (GURPS: Traveller). This diverges with the OTU in that the Assassination and Rebellion didn't happen and projects the future of a mature Imperium.
Insofar as the naval systems go, QLI's Grand Fleet is the definitive work, as well as the boardgames "Fifth Frontier War" and "Azhanti High Lightning". The noble system is covered quite well in "G:T Nobles". I'm willing to give Weisman the benefit of the doubt on that one..
The canon OTU goes up to 1116. Quik-Link and Comstar-Games publish 'approved for use with Traveller' (to use an oldgeek term) dealing with both the Solomani Rim War and the New Era up to 1248. The only 'unofficial' or 'alternate' Traveller being published is Loren Weisman's work with SJG (GURPS: Traveller). This diverges with the OTU in that the Assassination and Rebellion didn't happen and projects the future of a mature Imperium.
Insofar as the naval systems go, QLI's Grand Fleet is the definitive work, as well as the boardgames "Fifth Frontier War" and "Azhanti High Lightning". The noble system is covered quite well in "G:T Nobles". I'm willing to give Weisman the benefit of the doubt on that one..
I'd like to see what's going out spinward in The Beyond and Vanguard Reaches during the Rebellion and beyond into the TNE:1248 era. I'd like to think the Comsentient Alliance managed to make it through the late unpleasantness somewhat unscathed, but I'd love to see some "official" material published about this region.
An interesting and surprising point which arises from this poll is that the Solomani rim War is the setting which the largest amount of forum members will want to see developed... I can easily see the reasons for this - alot of opportunities for heavy military action (far more than in the short and limited Fifth Frontier War), alot of politics and moral issues, alot of espionage; and yet, with relatively "modern" Traveller technology and enough similarity to the Classical era OTU to satisfy most fans of CT.
