General Who uses temporary TAS Travel Advisories in their game

[Spinward Scout]

Have you had TAS issue a temporary Travel Advisory for a World in your games?

Saw a news report today. I have to stop watching the news, I think.

But does TAS in your game keep the Travel Zones updated? And who does it? And do any Imperial Military or Scouts help?

If there's a meteor shower that needs to be avoided?
If there's a battle going on?
If there's rioting and civil unrest?
Or during the Rebellion Era, does TAS warn about certain factions in the area?
And so on...

Who puts out Warnings like this? Or do they act that quickly? Or at all?

 

[Diveguy]

Have you had TAS issue a temporary Travel Advisory for a World in your games?

Saw a news report today. I have to stop watching the news, I think.

But does TAS in your game keep the Travel Zones updated? And who does it? And do any Imperial Military or Scouts help?

If there's a meteor shower that needs to be avoided?
If there's a battle going on?
If there's rioting and civil unrest?
Or during the Rebellion Era, does TAS warn about certain factions in the area?
And so on...

Who puts out Warnings like this? Or do they act that quickly? Or at all?

I think this is a great thing to ponder, particularly given the time constraints on communication.

I could see a number of layered approaches, some or all of which might be in place for any system:

- Local "trusted agents" (who typically would not even know each other), able to feed into the local satellite network coded messages on system events. Certain criteria, or a combination of factors, then trigger a broadcast message alerting ships to the temporary status. Said signals picked up by the x-boat network (if present) or mail packets and reviewed at subsector/sector TAS locations.
- Imperium Naval vessels (and associated marine units) have a semi-official information sharing agreement. I say this given the TAS option on the CT mustering out tables... sort of a quid-pro-quo between TAS and the Imperium.
- The Scout service, being independently stubborn, but also inherently given to sharing information probably has a much more informal network of passing tidbits on. This is done less out of any expectation in return, and more of the "TAS is a great way to share system hazards, even before they hit the Atlas".
- Finally, perhaps some level of informal bounty system for free traders and the like. Nothing huge, or regular - but, a guy shared this tidbit that was useful, let's buy him a few meals in return.

 

[Diveguy]

Have you had TAS issue a temporary Travel Advisory for a World in your games?

Saw a news report today. I have to stop watching the news, I think.

But does TAS in your game keep the Travel Zones updated? And who does it? And do any Imperial Military or Scouts help?

If there's a meteor shower that needs to be avoided?
If there's a battle going on?
If there's rioting and civil unrest?
Or during the Rebellion Era, does TAS warn about certain factions in the area?
And so on...

Who puts out Warnings like this? Or do they act that quickly? Or at all?

A last thought, to match a strange mood :/

Given TAS resources and reach. Some level of "spy ware" in ship's transponders, dumping copies of any system logs when entering a system with that otherwise-innocuous station or satellite...

 

[Enoki]

My TAS is like AAA in its glory years. You pay for service. No payment, no service. Membership also has standards and a credit check...

 

[Grav_Moped]

My TAS is like AAA in its glory years. You pay for service. No payment, no service. Membership also has standards and a credit check...

It's also a deniable cut-out for the IISS to leak local-conditions information that would be inconvenient to formally acknowledge. Feri/Regina (Spin 2005) really should have a yellow zone or worse due to the ongoing civil war; but it just wouldn't do for the home of House Oberlindes' estate to be so coded. So, it's covered by interim alerts that have kept being renewed for the last decade, that amount to the same thing but aren't officially the same thing.

 

[Spinward Scout]

It's also a deniable cut-out for the IISS to leak local-conditions information that would be inconvenient to formally acknowledge. Feri/Regina (Spin 2005) really should have a yellow zone or worse due to the ongoing civil war; but it just wouldn't do for the home of House Oberlindes' estate to be so coded. So, it's covered by interim alerts that have kept being renewed for the last decade, that amount to the same thing but aren't officially the same thing.

That's a good catch. I hadn't noticed that.

My TAS is like AAA in its glory years. You pay for service. No payment, no service. Membership also has standards and a credit check...

I like that.

A last thought, to match a strange mood :/

Given TAS resources and reach. Some level of "spy ware" in ship's transponders, dumping copies of any system logs when entering a system with that otherwise-innocuous station or satellite...

Detached Scouts are already required to download their logs and sensor readings when the get to a Way Station, I believe,

 

[mike wightman]

TAS travel zones in setting are all meant to be advisory and temporary. There has been a tend for a worlds travel zone status to hang like an anvil around its neck from era to era.
JTAS TAS News bulletins had new worlds being amber or red zoned based on local conditions, but I don't reall an instance of an amber or red zone being lifted.

First the rule:
"Travel Zones: Most worlds are assumed to be civilized, or at least amenable to travellers and visitors. Some, however, are caught in the throes of war, plagued by disease, or simply not ready for interstellar visitors. Such worlds are classified by travel zones to denote such status. In most cases, the referee should indicate travel zones based on the information available. Two such zone types exist: amber and red.
Amber travel zones indicate that travellers should exercise caution when visiting such worlds. The amber code may mean that the citizens of the world are xenophobic, that the political situation is chaotic, or that some other danger exists within the system.
Red travel zone usually indicates that a major danger exists within the system. This danger may be disease and the world is quarantined. The system may be involved in a war, and surface or space battles may be probable. Red travel zones are also used to show a government edict prohibiting entry to the system or world. This may be to protect a local civilization which is still developing and not yet ready for interstellar contacts, or to protect valuable resources until the government can mine them." LBB:3 '81

These were added to the setting first, then made a rule, they were absent in '77 edition.
S:3 had this to say:
"Travel Zone Classifications: The Traveller's Aid Society classifies worlds by their degree of danger to travellers, using a color system ranging from green, through amber, to red. Red Zones are generally class starport worlds, deliberately interdicted by the Imperium, or by other governmental units. Entry is prohibited, often with severe penalties accompanying violations. Amber Zones are specific worlds otherwise accessible, but posing some danger due to war, plague, or local governmental dispositions. The amber designation means caution."

notice the difference between rule and setting?

 

[Enoki]

Also, I see the TAS as a service for tourists, the general public, and the like. There are much better databases out there with far more details and information than the TAS has or gives out. It's just these are not open to the public. That doesn't mean that they are off limits to someone who knows about them and can gain access either formally or informally.

For example, a character who is say, a retired colonel and minor noble (knight) who goes to an Imperial Army base and "knows" some officer or officers, or uses the base officer's club, to get access to at least some of the data their intelligence service has on something. It's not stuff the TAS would have or even really think about including in their database, but it's the sort of information that's critical to what the players are doing.

It could be something as benign as the colonel talking to a major over drinks, when the major tells him some things about the location he mentions that there is no way the TAS would include in their database.

The way I see amber zones is they're potentially dangerous, so you need to know what you're doing and why you'd be going there. They're accessible but dangerous. Red zones ARE dangerous. You are likely to be shot at, imprisoned, or otherwise threatened with death or a horrible fate going there. It doesn't necessarily mean you are prohibited from going, only that going involves real, serious, danger.

I also have planets that are listed as "green" (eg., safe) that turn out more like amber zones. High and low law planets are good examples. Quirky laws and social rules can easily turn into situations where the locals and law enforcement get very negative with you for misbehaving on some high law planet. The TAS doesn't always tell you that... "Mostly harmless."

 

[Dulinor]

TAS travel zones in setting are all meant to be advisory and temporary. There has been a tend for a worlds travel zone status to hang like an anvil around its neck from era to era.
JTAS TAS News bulletins had new worlds being amber or red zoned based on local conditions, but I don't reall an instance of an amber or red zone being lifted.

Faldor's red zone was lifted in 1042 (according to the Cargonaut supplement). It was a political/economical decision, though.

 

[whartung]

Something also to consider, I imagine of the zones are requested by the system. Rather than applied externally.

"Please don't come here." vs "The TAS doesn't feel you should go there."

 

[Diveguy]

That's a good catch. I hadn't noticed that.


I like that.


Detached Scouts are already required to download their logs and sensor readings when the get to a Way Station, I believe,

Yes, but I was picturing this as a "side channel" outside of what they're doing for IISS... whether approved, ignored, or truly behind the scenes.

 

[Enoki]

Something also to consider, I imagine of the zones are requested by the system. Rather than applied externally.

"Please don't come here." vs "The TAS doesn't feel you should go there."

I've used "It is advised if you don't have business with the ruling faction, do not go." The "ruling faction" being the equivalent of a powerful criminal organization... It's just the sort of place to go, get into a major firefight, and then end up dead. Many players seem to have a death wish however and...

 

[aramis]

Have you had TAS issue a temporary Travel Advisory for a World in your games?

Yes. A few times, actually.

I've tended to run "agents of the duke" type campaigns as the second option to merchants. One group, the locals entered into a civil war, then busted out the nukes and interned IISS and IN small ships. The troubleshooters, sent by the Subsector Duke, and under an Edict 97 warrant, were sent to deal with it. Locals wouldn;t return the ships, fired nukes at imperial forces, and so the PC order the combination of an interdict, and when the locals tried again to nuke the troubleshooters' on-loan IN Gazelle, batrons for bombardment via meson gun. Total scouring. Also ordered the justification and the scouring to be spread by the TAS-News... which of course, resulted in a red zone,