More Traveller
Jan. 28th, 2006 06:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stevekensonIt's been a long time since I spent all afternoon on a weekend tinkering with some RPG thing that wasn't in any way work-related, but today my percolating Traveller ideas would not be denied. The stack of reference materials I've been digging out of storage continues to grow: books from all the various incarnations of Traveller, prinout sector maps, PDFs, and scrawled notes. Things are taking shape. It's fun!
I've decided to go with a Milieu 0 setting: sometime in the first few decades of the founding of the Third Imperium. I'm also strongly considering building a coherent map of the borders of the Imperium at that time, sketching in a few details outside of it and placing "here there be dragons" elsewhere and considering all bets off in terms of Traveller canon. So, I might include the K'kree or the Zhodani, for example (two races I happen to like), but who's to say the Zhodani Consulate has to be near the Spinward Marches, or that there even needs to be a Spinward Marches? I can also include aliens and other fun bits from other scifi settings and materials I like (Star Frontiers, Star*Drive, etc.).
One thing spacefaring settings and campaigns say to me is exploring the unknown (boldly going, and all that) and it's hard to do that in the "modern" Third Imperium. Everything is mapped out, and Imperial space is hemmed-in by surrounding stellar powers. There's very little in the way of a "froniter". Starting at the beginning of a Third Imperium opens up that frontier, while still retaining the feel of a long-settled universe. I like the idea of re-discovering worlds isolated by the Long Night and carrying the light of civilization back out to the stars and all that.
That probably means a scout/survey game rather than the classic Traveller "free trader" model (AKA "shadowrunners among the stars," or "doin' crime" in Firefly parlance). Probably just as well, since I'm not all that interested in motivating the characters with profit, dealing with cargos, passengers, and so forth. It cuts off some plot options, but the PCs can still function as couriers from time to time, assigned by their Imperial bosses to lug some needed supplies or top-secret whatsis across a few parsecs.
Hunting for some good printable sub-sector map forms before dinner... oh, never mind, found 'em.
I've decided to go with a Milieu 0 setting: sometime in the first few decades of the founding of the Third Imperium. I'm also strongly considering building a coherent map of the borders of the Imperium at that time, sketching in a few details outside of it and placing "here there be dragons" elsewhere and considering all bets off in terms of Traveller canon. So, I might include the K'kree or the Zhodani, for example (two races I happen to like), but who's to say the Zhodani Consulate has to be near the Spinward Marches, or that there even needs to be a Spinward Marches? I can also include aliens and other fun bits from other scifi settings and materials I like (Star Frontiers, Star*Drive, etc.).
One thing spacefaring settings and campaigns say to me is exploring the unknown (boldly going, and all that) and it's hard to do that in the "modern" Third Imperium. Everything is mapped out, and Imperial space is hemmed-in by surrounding stellar powers. There's very little in the way of a "froniter". Starting at the beginning of a Third Imperium opens up that frontier, while still retaining the feel of a long-settled universe. I like the idea of re-discovering worlds isolated by the Long Night and carrying the light of civilization back out to the stars and all that.
That probably means a scout/survey game rather than the classic Traveller "free trader" model (AKA "shadowrunners among the stars," or "doin' crime" in Firefly parlance). Probably just as well, since I'm not all that interested in motivating the characters with profit, dealing with cargos, passengers, and so forth. It cuts off some plot options, but the PCs can still function as couriers from time to time, assigned by their Imperial bosses to lug some needed supplies or top-secret whatsis across a few parsecs.
Hunting for some good printable sub-sector map forms before dinner... oh, never mind, found 'em.
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no subject
Date: 2006-01-29 02:42 am (UTC)Ya know, I'm thinking it might be good for most game designers (and therefore the industry/hobby) if they took a week or two and just worked on fun stuff for personal use. No playtesting...no research...no trying to make the next Kewl Rulez...no trying to make a buck. Just for funsies. It would be like doing your mental laundry.
As for sci fi setting design, I always liked the scout/explorer mode. They go boldly where no one has gone before either cos it's their job or they are looking for fortune and glory. Or all of the above. The big thing is that they are going into the unknown, not some part of the Federation/Empire/Whatever.
Let us know more about what you come up with. and maybe you could run a session at DunDraCon:)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-29 09:22 am (UTC)Although I don't play GURPS, I've the sourcebooks they've put out for Traveller to be high quality and comprehensive. FYI.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-30 03:46 pm (UTC)Two possible suggestions, and I apologize if this is in error because it's been many years since I've pored over the map:
First, there is a region of space between the core sectors and the Spinward Marches that's just a big black void on the map. It's a huge area (I forget the name), and is supposedly crossable at only one point. I think there is an Xboat route there, but again, memory fails me. Point being, what if there are star systems in that region, either lost during the Long Night, or simply undiscovered? Surveying the area would be really risky, as you'd be basically jumping into an area with no guarantee you'd ever find enough fuel to jump out again. So the characters could be assigned to a special squadron in the Scout Service, equipped with special long-range survey craft and an ancient Vilani holo-map that hints at the existence of some cool and mysterious systems hidden in this void.
Second, even if the borders of the Imperium are pretty well set, there are plenty of systems scattered about with little or no info on them. Lots of potential to put ruins or lost civilizations on them that haven't been catalogued yet.
Grr. Now I really want to play Traveller.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-30 04:10 pm (UTC)The first game is this week and I'm looking forward to it!