Future History, Part 1 of 3: The 21st Century

THE 21^ST CENTURY:

The 21^st Century found the Earth in a conflict between capitalistic globalism, reactionary traditionalism, and an increasingly ineffectual liberal minority. The elections of populist conservatives throughout the Western world brought about an economic boom that translated into higher profits for corporations, but little relief for workers and average citizens.

In 2024, a joint effort between NASA, the ESA, and Russia established Gagarin-Shepard Station in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), a replacement for the aging International Space Station. In addition to an expanded research capacity, Gagarin-Shepard was designed as a staging base for planned expeditions to Luna and Mars in the near future. This was followed in 2027 by the establishment of Tiangong, China’s first permanent station in LEO.

In India, huge advances are made in computer engineering and biotechnology. Rudimentary Artificial Intelligence is created, albeit with considerable oversight and almost paranoid monitoring. In addition, the first custom organs are genetically engineered using DNA from the recipient. The Indian Space Research Organization parlays these new technologies to push forward an aggressive orbital presence. The rapid development culminates in 2029 with the establishment of Aditi Station in LEO. It is both larger and more advanced than Gagarin-Shepard or Tiangong and becomes an important hub for many independent, non-Western space missions and research.

Tensions in the Middle East come to a head in 2030 when Iran and Saudi Arabia declare war on each other. Iraq and Syria again become the battleground between the two nations as Shi’a and Sunni Arabs fight each other openly alongside the Iranian and Saudi militaries, respectively. The United States, weary of its two-plus decades of adventurism in the region at the start of the century, steps back from their Saudi allies. The war is bloody and brutal, as the two sides show no mercy to each other.

The Middle Eastern War causes considerable disruption to the world economy due to the interruption of oil production. The resulting crash in the mid-2030s is ended only as the global infrastructure shifts over to Indian designed fusion plants. Powered by fusion power, over a dozen new orbital stations are placed in Earth orbit.

Luna becomes an active space location in 2036 when permanent outposts in lunar orbit are established by United States (Armstrong), the ESA (Aurora), China (Changxi), and a joint effort between Russia and India (Chandrayaan). History is made in 2037 with the establishment of the first permanent Lunar colony, Korolev, by the Russians and Indians. It is followed in 2038 with the establishment of Kennedy, the first permanent American colony. China and the ESA establish Chang’e and Selene in 2042 and 2043, respectively.

While large parts of humanity and the mass media is fascinated by the nascent colonization of the moon, a growing number of populist causes in both the major powers of the world and the other nations whose resources are being exploited by transnational corporate interests begin to become more organized and militant. Central Asian and African revolutions start initially as proxy wars between the great powers but slowly escalate as the great powers follow the slippery slope from advising to full spectrum combat operations.

In the midst of all of this conflict, Brazil serves as a voice of neutrality and sponsors many of the (ultimately failed) peace talks throughout the decade. They found the Ataegina colony in LEO, the first large-scale permanent orbital habitation in 2044. As many of the other orbital powers become belligerents in the upcoming world conflict, Ataegina becomes the haven for apolitical and independent space interests.

Up until 2049, forces of the great powers meticulously avoided direct conflict between each other, hoping to avoid sparking a fight that presented a more existential threat. In 2049, U.S. and Russian special operations forces engaged each other in a protracted firefight in a Central Asian proxy war. This led to a gradual escalation of airstrikes and reinforcement culminating in large force on force engagements in multiple continents and oceans. Alliances were tapped and by the end of the year, all of the world’s great powers were locked into World War III. The wars quickly settled into a conventional stalemate and became a war of attrition. In orbit, Orbital Kill Vehicles wreaked havoc on outposts in LEO and Lunar orbit. Only Brazil’s rigid neutrality kept Ataegina from being damaged.Global total war led to large-scale economic disruptions all over the world, and by 2053, all belligerents signed the Ataegina Treaty, brokered by Brazil, which solidified miniscule gains by each party. Overall, no one is declared a winner of World War III, but all of the great powers are greatly reduced in stature.

As the parties involved to World War III collapse into exhaustion, internal tensions rise within all parties involved. In Europe, the EU collapses as the remaining members of the Union and NATO go their separate ways. While most nations revert to nationalistic independence, the Scandinavian nations form the Scandinavian Union, which begins as a common market and limited political union similar to the EU. As time progresses, the Scandinavian Union found utility in closer ties. Selene, the Lunar holding of the now-defunct ESA, suffers as the individual nations fund only the areas that benefit their citizens. In the United States, the tension between the different regions is far more dramatic and results in a slowly expanding civil war. By the end of 2055, five nations, Cascadia (the west coast), the American Union (The Northeastern and northern Midwest regions), the United Republic of America (The Appalachian and southeastern region), the Republic of Texas and the High Plains Republic (The northern Rocky Mountains and plains west of the Mississippi). Mexico annexes huge portions of southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Texas and Mexico have an immediate and violent rivalry. The Kennedy colony on Luna, with it’s relatively small population, declares its neutrality during the American Civil Wars and eventually signs treaties with all of the remnant factions. Kennedy becomes a fiercely independent and inclusive colony and serves as the Lunar equivalent of a Free City with the attendant diplomatic and espionage activity.

Isolated from the events of the war, Brazil emerges as the most significant world power. Its enhanced military and technological advances lead it to lead the efforts in both space exploration and rebuilding after WWIII. In particular, the Nuclear Thermal Rocket (NTR) makes Lunar travel much faster and allows more minor expeditions to the other planets within the system. Led by Brazil, nations who managed to avoid involvement in the conflict (particularly Indonesia and Mexico) surge forward into gaps filled by the fading powers.

The 2060s, known as “The Brazilian Decade” are generally a boom for multinational industries. Many of the early Earth LEO outposts that survived World War III are quietly retired and their operations moved to Ataegina. Similarly, the invention of the NTR renders the need for the Lunar orbital outposts obsolete, with Chang’e becoming a primary hub for activity. Brazil establishes Abaangui on Luna in 2067 and Mexico establishes Estrella in 2068 at the Earth-Sun L₄ point on Asteroid 2010TK₇.

Mexican scientists based out of a Los Angeles-based research consortium develop advanced materials technology that allows for stronger spaceship construction as well as the exploration and colonization of the ocean floor. Underwater colonies begin to quickly pop up off the coast of Latin America.

The American Union asserts itself in the latter part of the 21^st century, with the establishment of Tycho, the first permanent Martian colony, in 2081. Many other nations start to follow suit, but the economic downturn during the last 15 years of the century cause many of those projects to either be abandoned or reduced in size to temporary outposts.

Mongoose Traveller: Hard Times on the Solomani Rim: Session 4

Cast of Characters:

• Baron Khoiayahelu (Aslan noble (Imperial rank is much greater than his Aslan standing) whose family's mismanagement of the family holdings has sent him travelling; keeps the rest of the party from becoming total murderhobos)
• "Chrome" (Droyne Sport pilot who has been separated from his kin and finds new families among various merchant ships he works on; moonlights as the baliset-playing "Red Devil")
• Alex Cross, M.D. (Rough around the edges former technician who became a medical doctor; his lechery is only kept in check by the fact that he has no game)
• Mihai Greenman (Perennial underdog. Former Marine, Arms Dealer, Broker, and Vagabond; always delighted when other people's bad luck matches his own)
• German Carrick (Incredibly popular baliset player who has been laying low the last couple of years after an alleged sex scandal)
• Stanislas Kubik (Very old administrative assistant and steward)

The Story So Far:
While at Bailey, the crew of the Princess Diana were able to help out a soiled dove in distress, fighting off an overzealous fan of her fan dance act. They moved on to the Mercy system, where they encountered the tail end of a Solomani raid on the system. Afterward, they ended up helping out one of their passengers deal with a creepy neighbor. In addition to passenger work, they have become quite the experts at space salvage. In the Uterobi system, Chrome managed to help a local musician drum up some business by donning a bright red wrestling singlet (with his Safety Orange Hawaiian shirt tucked into it) and a luchador mask (meant for a human, so it didn't quite fit the Droyne right) and playing some dueling balisets.

Session 4: Jackson
The trip from Uterobi to Jackson was uneventful. Upon arrival at Jackson, Mihai immediately attempted to find passengers, using German and his baliset skills to help drum up business. Unfortunately, it reminded the conservative citizens of this hot world too much of the ancient Freecreditreport.com jingles and no passengers seemed to want to go to Grant. However, the following morning, a businessman named Denton Angelo contracted a stateroom in the ship while it is berthed at Jackson Station while he furnished pink slips to General Products employees on Jackson.

That night, the gang hit the local hotspots in force, attempting to find information about the potentially lucrative Shulusish - Hayt - Diomedes corridor (noted by Chrome as 3 B-class starports in a 2-parsec separated line). While lots of money was spent on drinks and lots of fun was had, not really any information was found. The conspicuous spending of credits didn't go unnoticed, however. Famous talent scout Edward Noting recognized German Carrick and tapped him to find the next big music thing.

The crew decided that a liberty to Entertainment City in the hinterlands of Jackson was in order. At an all-access and, more importantly, open bar party, the party got to see all of the hot up and coming bands  that Jackson had to offer. Flaccid Bagel, a powertry band, managed to get signed that night by Noting, netting German some extra cash. (I describe powertry as Motorhead meets Aesop Rock).

After a hungover trainride back to Jackson Station, the party returned to the ship. German was happy to receive a royalty check from his publisher and Doc and Chrome went off to check the station's scrap pile. And found scrap. The next day, the party was approached my a besuited man known only as Mister Johnson, who contracted the crew to deliver an attache case to an associate in Grant.

Mihai, after a week and a half of wrangling buyers, was able to sell the fuel system they found in Mercy. They were finally able to find some passengers for Grant. The day before they were to disembark, they were approached by a panicked PFC from the Imperial Army. PFC Babcock missed his flight to the transport which was leaving system shortly. The Princess Di  managed to make orbit in enough time to save Babcock's skin. However, there was a brief moment of panic when the good doctor almost got arrested for assaulting military personnel. Thankfully, the Baron was there to smooth things over.

The following day, the low berth passengers boarded the Princess Di and the ship left for Grant.

What We Learned:

• You can fit a lot into a little over three hours. Four patron encounters and a little bit of trade.
• As Mihai's player mentioned as we closed, we are "getting our sea legs" and can probably now start kicking the game up a notch. I've been adding in layers as I learn about them. For example, this was the first session where the party had to start paying docking and berthing fees. Granted, the whole time they were on Grant it was like Cr150, but still.
• The players keep either lucking our or missing out on some nasty random encounters. One day, I'll get you. :)
• Some nice seeds for future adventures were planted.

Mongoose Traveller: Hard Times on the Solomani Rim: Session 03

Cast of Characters:
Baron Khoiayahelu (Aslan noble (Imperial rank is much greater than his Aslan standing) whose family's mismanagement of the family holdings has sent him travelling)
"Chrome" (Droyne Sport pilot who has been separated from his kin and finds new families among various merchant ships he works on)
Alex Cross, M.D. (Rough around the edges former technician who became a medical doctor)
Mihai Greenman (Perennial underdog. Former Marine, Arms Dealer, Broker, and Vagabond)
German Carrick (Incredibly popular baliset player who has been laying low the last couple of years)
Stanislas Kubik (Very old administrative assistant and steward)

The Story So Far:
While at Bailey, the crew of the Princess Diana were able to help out a soiled dove in distress, fighting off an overzealous fan of her fan dance act. They moved on to the Mercy system, where they encountered the tail end of a Solomani raid on the system. Afterward, they ended up helping out one of their passengers deal with a creepy neighbor.

The Session:
The session kicked off with an expedition into a debris field, where Dr. Cross and Chrome were able to secure some salvage--an old fuel system for a capital ship. The crew of the ship then made the jump to Uterobi. Upon arrival, they were immediately hailed by Port Authority and ordered to stand down at Heskott Station for a full inspection--ripping up floorboards, looking in panels, and leaving everything but the airframe touched. Meanwhile, Mihai attempted to find a buyer for the fuel system, to no avail. He was able to fill the Far Trader with lucrative high-passage tickets, however.

After turning down a job offer from a corporate psion, the crew took on a much more entertaining, albeit nowhere near as profitable, gig--drumming up business for a street musician. In order to announce the arrival of Terront Pace to the startown, they had him duel with the devil for the right to be the best musician around.

Just, in this case, "the devil" was Chrome in a wrestling singlet and luchador mask, attempting to play the baliset from the example shown by German on the last few jumps. Not much money was made, but plenty of talk was heard about the crazy new busker in the startown.

Another quick jaunt into the salvage arena allowed the crew to come into possession of some components, to include some couplings for capital ship batteries. The passengers were loaded on the Princess Di and off for Jackson they went.

What We Learned:
In some ways a less productive session, but all of us are starting to get the hang of the Mongoose Traveller economics subrules. We didn't have the Baron for this game, and German's player had to take off for a hockey game, so the players left weren't always the most conducive for some of the operations presented.

There were some events planned that didn't get triggered that could have been a big deal. The crew doesn't realize how lucky they are sometimes. ;)

Mongoose Traveller: Hard Times On The Solomani Rim, Session 2

Cast of Characters:
Baron Khoiayahelu (Aslan noble (Imperial rank is much greater than his Aslan standing) whose family's mismanagement of the family holdings has sent him travelling)
"Chrome" (Droyne Sport pilot who has been separated from his kin and finds new families among various merchant ships he works on)
Alex Cross, M.D. (Rough around the edges former technician who became a medical doctor)
Mihai Greenman (Perennial underdog. Former Marine, Arms Dealer, Broker, and Vagabond)

German Carrick (Incredibly popular baliset player who has been laying low the last couple of years)

Stanislas Kubik (Very old administrative assistant and steward)

The Story So Far:

While at Bailey, the crew of the Princess Diana were able to help out a soiled dove in distress, fighting off an overzealous fan of her fan dance act.

The Session:

After the brawl at the Sinner's Feast, the crew did a little bit of shopping with their newfound reward. The good Baron wrote some Aslan poetry (which you can read here) for Tania, a treat she absolutely adored from her burly old noble cat-protector. The rest of the crew did some shopping and got the ship ready for some passengers. The five poor souls who flew low passage were tucked into the stasis tubes and the first three passengers showed up no problem. The last passenger showed up in a decked out luxury grav car and negotiated with the crew to arrange passage for the grav car in return for his steward duties. Thus, Stanislas Kubik became the first employee of the Princess Di. He wowed passengers and crew members alike with his cooking skills as German regaled everyone with his Baliset skills.

After a week in jumpspace, the crew arrived in Mercy. Just as it was being raided by the Solomani. Chrome's deft piloting allowed the Princess Diana to quickly avoid the crossfire as Imperial Missile Fighters pursued the fleeing Solomani Raid Cruisers. Zipping away from the conflict, the Solomani were eventually driven out of the system, with one Raid Cruiser being boarded by marines from the Imperial Fleet Carrier Donovan Trent. The fighters from that carrier took notice of the Princess Di and sent over a squad of marines to make sure that the Far Trader was legitimate. After a routine inspection, the Princess Diana was cleared to land on Mercy.

As the passengers disembarked, three things of note happened. First, one of the low passengers was unable to be revived by the good Dr. Cross. One out of five, while higher than average, is still okay. Second, Stanislas was offered a full time job as ship steward and grav car driver. Third, a passenger named Rhonda Willet approached German with a proposition (just not the kind he got when he was on tour back in the day).

It seemed that a neighbor had been creeping Rhonda out. When the Princess Di jumped into system, she received a message from her landlord noting that this neighbor had been very interested in her return. The fact that he is a convicted sex offender only heightened her anxiety. All she wanted was the crew to check out her apartment ahead of time and make sure he wasn't sitting in the closed with a knife or anything.

Never one to shirk away from chivalry, the Baron accepted the task and the whole party went to investigate. German noticed someone spying on them from nearby--likely the sex offender. Upon inspection, it turned out that someone had been in the house while she was gone. Some ideas of vigilante justice were floated, but cooler head prevailed. The police were called and an investigation was underway.

With a little more money in their pockets, Chrome took the Princess Di to a nearby gas giant to refuel as Mihai negotiated some cargo (a few tons of Magnetite Ore and Prepackaged Ramen Bowls) and passengers (a few low-berth souls desperate to get away from the warzone). At that point we called it a night.

What I learned:

• Players can have fun without a single combat.
• The subsystems in the game are both numerous very complex and I need to get smarter about them, particularly the trade rules governing everything from freight, passengers, speculative cargo, and now salvage and mining operations.
• Prestaging a lot of the trade information, just waiting for the dice rolls was useful. I didn't include all of the information I needed, though, so it was a good learning experience.
• We're getting more comfortable with the Mongoose rules. I like them.

More Thoughts On My Cyberpunk Game

Max Headroom is continuing to blow my mind.

I watched "The Blanks" today and if you're not familiar, the new "Elected Representative" starts rounding up "Blanks," people who literally live off the grid--they don't exist in the government/network computers and they own televisions WITH OFF SWITCHES! In response, the Blanks hack the city's computers, causing a shutdown of television broadcasts, telephones, and even household utilities. Basically, Anonymous--the 1987 sci-fi style.

I watched this show religiously when I was a kid (I was in 6th grade when "The Blanks" aired) and watched the hell out of the original TV-movie. The show predicted many things that I find rather distasteful about modern society. Prescient is the best way I can describe this show.

Since watching Max Headroom is what got me on this Cyberpunk game kick, it's only right that what I watch works its way into my game. Both shortymonster and Phil mentioned Transmetropolitan in the last blog's comments. I, too, am a fan of Warren Ellis's gonzo sci-fi masterpiece. I think it's arguably the best written comic of that turn of the century period. The 90s were a transition time, from the heady optimism of the end of the Cold War to the reality check that was 9/11. Not too many people knew where we were heading, but if you read Transmetropolitan, you see Warren Ellis was one of them.

Max Headroom and Transmetropolitan. Two amazing glances into the future that show where we're heading if we don't start taking some control over our lives from elected officials and corporations.

So what does all of this mean for my game?

It means I have a LOT of work to do.

rainswept mentioned in his comment that Traveller and Max Headroom are chocolate and peanut butter. Yes, they are. While I've been looking at how I can add in cyberpunk elements to my Hard Times on the Solomani Rim game, the Third Imperium isn't a terribly cyberpunk future. That said, I really dig the Mongoose Traveller system. They have a pretty restrictive OGL, but I might be able to work the system. As it stands, I'd need special permission to use the equipment and cybernetics I am gathering from Supplement 4: Central Supply Catalogue and Supplement 8: Cybernetics, unless I'd want to rewrite the whole thing from scratch. I'm not that creative. However, necessity is forcing me into basically creating all of the careers from whole cloth. Here are some other things I've been kicking around:

• Reducing the term length from 4 years to 2. Cyberpunk is largely about youth. My current Traveller game has characters with 20-24 years experience. 10-12 is probably where I'd cap it for cyberpunk characters. Let adversaries, contacts, and mentors be appropriate.
• I've thought about adding in a Twilight: 2000-esque roll at the end of the term that determines if it's time to stop character generation. I'm thinking of using a mechanism similar to the aging mechanic--after three terms, roll a d6 and subtract the terms you have completed. If you hit zero exactly, you get ONE more term. If you are in negative numbers, you're done. Muster out, bucko.
• I've debated adding an event table to roll when you are done with everything, kind of the "what just happened that might have steered you to the freelance world" of the game. Make one for each career, and it'll be more social, giving Allies and Enemies more than skills.
• Neuromancer-style netrunning is out. I have never found a way to properly integrate Gibsonian hacking into a game. The attempts made in Cyberpunk and Shadowrun get an A for effort, but are just too clunky to be bolted onto a game that will mostly have non-hackers. Bryce never needed to jack in, so neither will you.
• There will be considerable matrices to govern social interaction. Suits and hobo gloves aren't meant to mix. What you wear, how you look, and what you look like you can spend will all have effects.
• Transmetropolitan had some gonzo shit in it. My game will too.
• My social and political beliefs will have a huge effect on the game world. More than any other game I've run, this will be a reflection of ME. I won't rant or beat you over the head with stuff, since player fun is ultimately the goal of any referee worth a damn, but it will be there.

I have a lot of work to do.

The Cube: Far from done, but...

I am far from done with The Cube, but I'm at the point where I kind of want to start playing with it and see if I'm even barking up the right tree.

Is anyone interested in a G+ sandboxy campaign set within The Cube?  If so, answer what system you'd prefer on the poll to the right and I'll get back to you guys.

The Cube: Corporate Scumbags of Atlantis

So, I'm working on the Atlantis system for The Cube.  What started out as a rather nice tropical ocean world has turned into a pretty crappy system to live in.

First, the Atlantis planet itself is nice enough weather-wise, but lacks a lot of resources.  It's got a fairly high control rating (8) and a pretty low per-capita income (one of the more interesting things that GURPS Space generates that Traveller doesn't) thanks to a relatively low tech level.  Atlantis is, to this point, the only TL 9 planet in The Cube (I'm only halfway through the generation, mind you).  Some of the outlying colonies in the system have TL 8!!!  This relative economic depression and high control coming from a corporate state with little resources at its immediate disposal makes me think that the corporation controlling Atlantis are a bunch of folks who force their employees to live in relative squalor, refusing to upgrade necessary technologies and the like.  Small wonder Atlantis has a sizable terrorist base on it.

Atlantis (332-I) A88A618-9 (Ri Wa)

The Cube: 25% Solution

Alright folks, allow me to introduce you to the first few systems in the Imperial Remnant section of The Cube.  There will be two more IR sections, then a final Independent Worlds section.

The format for the mini-gazetteer of the planets generated is as follows:

System Name (Location) (Stars) (# Gas Giants)
Planet Name (Orbit) UWP (Trade Codes)

A quick note about locations: The format for the locations is ZYX.  So the first system, Ajacan, is located at X=4, Y=3, Z=3.

Gazetteer
Ajacan (334) (G6V/G6V) (0 GG)
Ajacan (334-I) A675937-A (Ga Hi In)
Forlorn (234) (K0V/M5V) (0 GG)
Forlorn (234-I) C300419-A (Ni Va)
Monte Cristo (244) (M4V) (5 GG)
Inner Monte Cristo (244-IV) C000500-A (As Ni Va)
Monte Cristo Naval Base (244-VIIIa) D300200-B (Lo Va)
Outer Monte Cristo (244-X) B000600-A (As Na Va)
Nyerere (342) (G2V) (0 GG)
Nyerere (342-V) A467939-A (Hi)
Songhai (342-IX) C100468-A (Ni Va)
Nok (342-X) C600368-B (Lo Va)
Ostia (242) (G1V/M1V) (0 GG)
Ostia (242-I) C420217-A (De Lo Po)
Paradise (241) (K8III/M2V) (0 GG)
Severin (241-IV) CA00461-C (Ht Ni Va)
Zaschka (241-V) BA00662-B (Na Ni Va)
Hotrock (241-VI) C500462-B (Ni Va)
Paradise (241-VII) B857744-B (Ag Ga)
Redmayne (241-VIII) B000661-A (As Na Ni Va)
Stakhanov (134) (M0V/M0V) (3 GG)
 Stakhanov Naval Base (134-VId) C2A43B8-A (Fl Lo)
Tashkent (134-VIe) C425468-B (Ni)
Benedict (134-VIIe) D000468-A (As Ni Va)
Stakhanov (134-VIIIa) B400619-A (Na Va)
Virginia Dale (341) (K6V/M2V) (0 GG)
Virginia Dale (341-I) C400484-B (Ni Va)

Selected World Descriptions
Ajacan:
As Ajacan is the birthplace and spiritual center of the Machine Faith, there is little wonder why it is one of the few truly industrialized planets in The Cube.  Technical ability dictates where within the social culture a citizen of Ajacan lies.  The most technically astute ascend to the ruling party of the planet, the Machine Priests of Ajacan.  Conspiracy theorists suspect that the Machine Priests have either a cache of pre-Cutoff technology or the means to produce high-tech materials, but are withholding them to keep the people of Ajacan under their control.  Proof has not been forthcoming.
Nyerere:
Although it is too small to be considered a true garden world, Nyerere is a beautiful world which is very accommodating to humans who dress warmly.  While popular with the tourists who are required to stay strictly within the confines of the resort they are staying in, life among the Nyererians is less than ideal.  The ruling party controls the planet with an iron fist, which has spawned several smuggling operations and even a small insurgent population.  The party ruthlessly suppresses them, taking pains to ensure that the tourists do not see the draconian measures.
Outer Monte Cristo:
Monte Cristo's asteroid belts are a chaotic mass of competing miners without anything resembling a government holding them together.  While the need for profit keeps the bloodshed to a manageable level, the same need for profit will also drive parties to violence.  As long as the money is there, the Imperial Remnant and other systems don't seem to mind.  In the middle of all of this is a surprising number of research facilities, many of them taking advantage of the lax circumstances to engage in some questionable research practices.
Paradise:
Warm, peaceful, and free--the words best used to describe the garden world which dominates the Paradise system.  Of course, that freedom has its drawbacks.  Criminals, terrorists, and even pirates take advantage of the civil liberties granted to Paradisians to operate discreetly.  The commitment to individual freedom, even with the security risks involved, lies deep in the heart of the citizens of Paradise.
Redmayne:
A collection of Paradisian mining interests, the asteroid belt of Redmayne is the home of the Paradise Development Corporation, one of the more powerful megacorporations in The Cube.  While an important economic player in the belt, the free-wheeling frontier spirit of Redmayne still manages to dominate everyday life there.  Even more so than on Paradise, individual freedom and responsibility are paramount. 
Severin:
A large ball of boiling rock, Severin is home to the most cutting edge technological research in The Cube.  A joint effort between the government of Paradise, the Scout Corps, and private industry are working to develop a Jump-3 drive which will allow expansion beyond The Cube.
Stakhanov:
Nestled in one of the more remote systems of The Cube, the system as a whole is where a large amount of research interests test and finalize experimental designs.  While much of the theoretical work is done in more central locations, the practical nature of the research in Stakhanov has made it a home for espionage, both corporate and government.  While the Stakhanov Corporation controls many of the planets in the system, they are not the ones usually conducting the research.
Zaschka:
Another of the Paradise system's hot rock planets, Zaschka is a vibrant colony known for it's abnormally large population of Imperial Vargr.  Many of them end up joining the Zaschka Free Army, a mercenary brigade, which opens the door for the ZFA's "Dogs of War" moniker.


A few things I've learned so far:

There is certainly a greater homogeneity to systems generated with GURPS Space.  With 8 systems generated, we've got a ton of non-industrial or vacuum worlds and only two planets which are habitable by humans without any extra gear.  That last one might be pretty realistic, but it means that there is an awful lot of pale skin and indoor action in my Traveller Universe.  I haven't started to get a feel for The Cube as a whole, to see where its tensions and metaplots lurk.  There are an awful lot of totalitarian governments out there (with the notable exceptions of the Wild West that's Monte Cristo and the democratic Paradise system), which means that there will likely be a lot of paranoia when people leave the Starports.

Anyway, that's what I've got for now.  I look forward to any comments or advice.

The Cube: First System

So, I have System 134 pretty much done, maybe a few outposts, but that's it.  Anyway, I ended up with one substantial colony world in the system, in the form of a tiny sulfur moon orbiting a gas giant at the edge of the system.

134-VIIIa        Tiny (Sulfur)
No Atmosphere/Hydrosphere
Surface Temperature 47K (Frozen)
Density .6
Diameter .5
Surface Gravity .30
Mass .08
Heavy Volcanic Activity
No Tectonic Activity
Resources +2 (Very Abundant)
Habitability -1
Affinity +1

COLONY
Tech Level 10
Carrying Capacity 10m
Population 1.5m (PR 6)
Corporate Meritocracy (CR 6)
Per Capita Income 53,600 (Average)
Economic Volume $80B
Class B Star Port
Corporate Headquarters (PR 3)
Criminal Base (PR 1)
Espionage Facilities (1 Civilian (PR 1), 2 Enemy (PR 3, PR 1)
Private Research Centers (2) (PR 2, PR 1)
Rebel/Terrorist Base (PR 1)
Scout Base (PR 3)

For the most part, it seemed to start out as a simple mining colony on a resource-rich, but dangerous, moon.  When I did the random rolls for installations on the planet, that's when things got interesting.

It's a Corporate Headquarters for a seemingly huge company (the headquarters has a population in the thousands, after all) with a decent research base and a sizable Scout Service presence.  The criminal, espionage, and terrorist bases are the ones that raised my eyebrow.  An enemy government literally has THOUSANDS of agents on the system.

One of the technological themes I was debating was the lack of Jump-2 in the hands of the civilian sector.  While this is a TL10 world (giving them a mere Jump-1), what if this is the main locus of FTL research in the imperial portion of The Cube?  That would explain quite a bit of why so many people are interested in it.  One of the reasons the authority of the Imperial Remnant can be maintained is the monopoly they hold on Jump-2 starships.  Terrorists or criminals with Jump-2 would be game-changers.


I'm thinking that the large espionage contingent will be from whoever the most ambitious (and hostile) system I end up generating among the remaining 21 imperial systems.  The rest of them will be taking advantage of the meritocratic system, figuring out ways to crack the tests to get their people in key positions.  I'm seeing the strict control as a very flimsy house of cards, riddled with interlopers who are undermining it for their own factions' benefit.  Things could go south here in a hurry.


Fun Times in the Cube, folks.

The Cube: Reboot

Just as I was ready to post my 10% solution (a mini-gazetteer of the first 10 systems generated for my Traveller sandbox), I leave my thumb drive in the computer at a lab at school.  When I returned an hour later (after I realized I did it), it was gone.  I checked again this morning and no one had turned it in.  *le sigh*

While I can replace all of the PDFs on it, all of the work I did on the Cube was there, and a somewhat substantial chunk of my LotFP sandbox as well.  Grrr.  I haven't been putting as much work into that as I should, but the players are having fun, and that's what's important.  I'm running a lot of prefab adventures for them, anyway.  This week, "A Stranger Storm."

So, I'm starting over on The Cube.  I'm taking the lessons learned from the original effort and using that to shape out and better have something ready to share sooner, rather than later. 

I shrunk the size of the Cube from 6pc on a side to 4pc.  What I realized that while the number of stars is comparable to two subsectors, that GURPS Space generates so many habitations for each system, I'd have waaaaaay more than I needed, so 4pc it is.  As it stands, I'll be generating 30 star systems, 22 of which are in a cluster reachable by Jump-1, the remaining 8 systems (2 two-system pairs and 4 wholly isolated systems) are reachable by Jump-2.

So, instead of posting a 10% solution every time I get 3 systems done, I'll probably break the main cluster up into two parts and then do the independent systems in a third update.

See you in a few weeks!

The Cube: What it looks like.

A highly scientific map of The Cube

So, I am skipping over the trade information while I generate the systems.  Still, I've been curious about how The Cube is "shaped."  While parked at my FLCS (Friendly Local Coffee Shop), I drew up a little map of The Cube.

I found some interesting things by doing this:

1. There is a "core" of 70 worlds that are within Jump-1 of each other.  I reckon that will be my main imperial remnant.  I'll have to explore the "arms" of it as time permits and the systems themselves get generated.
2. There are seven other distinct entities which are separated by a larger than one parsec gap.  One is an isolated world, three are pairs of systems, and two are smaller pockets of nine and eight systems, respectively.
3. The baseline tech level for the game is TL10--Jump-1--but with some TL11 systems out there.  I intend to have Jump-2 completely in the hands of the government.  This means trade and contact between the eight separate entities will be wholly through government means.
4. Jump-2 opens up the whole cube, so all of the systems I rolled are available for play.  It is probably also the most strategically important technology in the game.  I imagine a considerable chunk of the espionage in the game will be geared toward securing Jump-2 for corporate or other government agencies.  
5. What this tells me is that I should focus on the main remnant first, generating those 70 systems (6% complete-woo hoo!) before even thinking about the remaining 28.
6. The "Alien Enclave" options I roll can alternately be "Other Entity Enclaves" as well.  With the limited travel between the entities, it's likely that enclaves will need to be set up within other entities.

The more I develop, the more I enjoy about this.

The Cube: A "Realistic" Space Environment

BeRKA over at The Zhodani Base pointed me to a pretty funny comic about generating worlds using the semi-realistic tables found in GURPS Space.  It's funny because it's true.  Fours systems down and not a single habitable planet among the lot.  ALMOST got one with system 122, but the Standard-sized planet was 10 degrees too cold and became an Ice World.  Bummer.

For full context, check out Irregular Webcomic! (Linked above)

The nice part is that it is Traveller, so I don't need a Garden world to have a good time.  In those four systems, we've got civilization on over ten planets, moons, or asteroid belts.  One of them is a high-population world, some of them exceed the average tech level.

It's interesting to see how this plays out.  I could see the realistic system generation being kind of dull if the game was exploration based, but that is one aspect of the game I plan on ignoring completely.  The Scout/Survey organization won't have a whole lot of pure exploration to do.  I'll have to think of the right angle to play with them.

The rather large number of rebel/terrorist bases on the planet are kind of interesting as well.  I think the underlying theme of dissent might permeate the game.

Anyway, more to follow.

The Cube: Results and Thoughts

Using a semi-realistic world generation system like GURPS Space is an awful lot of work and math.  I will likely not be done with this sandbox until the end of the year and that's no joke.  I've been working at it a few hours each day since Thursday and I've ALMOST got my second system done.  I might be getting myself into the weeds and I'm trying to figure out the most efficient path.

Until I come up with a decent way to package the full system write-ups, I won't go into too much detail regarding the systems I am generating.  However, here are some aspects of The Cube which depart from what traditional Traveller does:

1. The Universe is three-dimensional, which is a vast departure from the 2D subsector maps.  I attempted to have the same number of systems as the two subsectors suggested by Rob Conley in his "How to Make a Traveller Sandbox" article.  That's why The Cube is 6x6.  I ended up with 100 systems to work with, compared to 80 given a 50% chance and 160 hexes in two subsectors.
2. With GURPS Space as my world-generation method, I end up creating many more viable worlds in each solar system.  I haven't thought about system names yet, but in "System 114," there are three inhabited worlds, each with their own UWP, a full colony and two outposts.  "System 115" has A very large asteroid colony, a smaller asteroid colony, and an outpost on the moon of a gas giant.  I don't know if three systems will be the mean, but if it is, there will be 300 UWPs to work with.
3. There will likely be fewer "low-tech/high-tech" worlds in The Cube.  There will be worlds with lower TLs, some with slightly higher than normal, but most worlds will be TL10.

In case you were wondering, here are the UWPs for System 114.  I'm still working on 115.

Ice World    114-1        B420676-A    De Na Ni Po
Ice Dwarf    114-2        E2D5344-A    Fl Lo
Ice Dwarf    114-5        D2D5356-A    Fl Lo

Traveller Sandbox: The Cube

Last year, when I worked on a sandbox for Traveller, I got quite a bit done and some pretty good feedback.  I wasn't happy with it and how it was too tied to the OTU for me to do anything with it.  I decided that I would attempt it again, but from a decidedly non-Traveller direction.  I just finished an Astronomy class that I really enjoyed, although I had to ignore it in the face of the three Psychology and one English classes I took in addition to Astro this semester.  Psych's my major and English is my minor, so Astro was the one that had to give.

Anyway, I thought I'd like to work on another stab at a setting for Traveller.  I don't like the RAW when it comes to sector/system/world generation at all, but I love what GURPS Space does with it.  GURPS Space is awesome, and a lot more realistic than anything I've seen in any of the editions of Traveller that I'm privy to.

The Premise
The sandbox will be a small, densely packed "cube" in space.  6pc x 6pc x 6pc, to be exact. The Cube started getting filled with explorers traveling via wormhole from a much larger Galactic Empire approximately 500 years ago.  Two hundred years ago, the wormhole suddenly collapsed, cutting off The Cube from the Empire.  A New Empire, founded on the shell of the Imperial bureaucracy of the Galactic Empire, rose in its place.

Where I Am At Right Now
I don't have much else, right now.  I generated one of the 100 systems.  When I decide on a format, I'll collect the notes together in some kind of format to display.  Interesting things that I came up with...

1. There are rebel/terrorist bases two of the three inhabited worlds in the system.  One of which is the more highly populated colony world, the other holding a prison.
2. When there are no Garden worlds generated, I reckon that I'll just take the planet with the highest Affinity of 0 or greater and make that a colony.  It might not be super realistic to establish a colony that will eventually grow to 5.4 million people on an icy world with half the gravity of Earth and has an average temperature of negative 200 degrees Fahrenheit, but it would be keeping with Traveller traditions.
3. There is an alien enclave on the technocratic outpost at the rim of the first system.  Also on this planet is a military espionage facility and a government research center.  It's pretty awesome when the random rolls all make sense like this.  I'm debating if I want to insert analogs for the Aslan, Vargr, or Darrians, of I want to go with 2300-esque aliens that are more alien.  I haven't decided if that is where the aliens are from (unlikely, it's a small little ball of ice, but you never know) or if they just established something there because they dig the fact that it's a worthless little ball of ice, nitrogen, and methane.

I'll keep you all posted on what I come up with.  If anyone has any potential directions to send me for easy to use formatting for the systems, I'd love that.

It's Been a While

First off, I'd like to apologize to the three people who regularly read my blog for not updating in over a month.  I'm now 100% done with the U.S. Army, Honorable Discharge in hand.  For now, I just collect unemployment and wait for college to begin.  You'd think I'd have been blogging my ass off, but there have been so many distractions.  Between streaming Netflix and a pretty robust cable TV package, I've been watching a lot of TV shows (How did I not hear about Torchwood?  Great show!) and catching up with the friends I haven't gotten to spend the proper amount of time with since I left to go to war nine years ago.


I actually HAVE been working on some gaming product over the last few months.  I was debating working on a near-future setting, approximately the same tech level and scope of 2300AD, just much less dated.  While I like the idea of a realistic near future setting, I found myself with a bit of a dilemma.  A realistic progression of technology gives you a very Transhuman Space style setting, which is much different than the nationalistic and virtually stunted technology of 2300AD.  When you break it down, 2300AD is NOT that much more advanced than we are today, with the exception of workable energy weapons and FTL capability.  Did I want to go realistic or did I want to go stylized?  I thought more about it and realized that unless I had a group to play with, it'd be hard to put anything together anyway.

So, that project is on hold for now until I can find some people who would be willing to help me develop and play in a sci-fi setting.  I'm thinking it would end up closer to a Transhuman Space vibe than 2300AD, but that's because I have seen the pace technology is going and Transhuman Space just makes more sense to me.

That said, I have a lot less time suspending my disbelief for a Space Opera game like Traveller.  When there is no connection to the world we know (Yes, Terra exists in the OTU, but if you are playing in the Spinward Marches, it exists only as a concept), there is a lot less resistance to the facts we know.

I'll likely be getting involved in a home game with some friends come the new year.  It'll be D&D 4e, which I don't mind so much, but I'm not feeling it the way I'm feeling some of the old-school rules and clones.  I've really enjoyed the quirkiness of Raggi's Lamentations of the Flame Princess (Which is having a GREAT sale on PDFs right now) and am thinking it might be good to work on something for that game.  A full-blown sandbox might be a bit more work than I want to do (particularly when I start school in a little more than a month), but it might be fun.  I picked up the Pembrooketonshire books from LotFP's sale (as well as Death Doom Frost and Hammers of the God) and might work on just figuring out how to allow them all into one sandboxish environment.

One thing is for certain.  I will figure out how to make the Arcane Magic system in LotFP more chaotic and less Vancian.  If Magic is intrinsically chaotic, it needs to reflect that.  Maybe I'll look to Warhammer and the Wild Mage rules for AD&D for inspiration.  I think I'll leave the orderliness of the clerics as is.  Maybe tweak spell lists by religion, but nothing major.

Anyway, I'm back.  I'll post more substance over the next couple weeks.

Traveller Sandbox: Using Mongoose's Merchant Prince as a basis for the Troupe

I've been back from Afghanistan for about a week now.  The requisite post-deployment bender is over and it's time to get back to work, both here and in real life.  I put enough PBR into my system over the last four days to make Lindsay Lohan nervous, but I emerged no worse for wear.

While traveling back, I started looking over some of the mini-games and additional rules in the Mongoose Traveller books, to include the fame guidelines in Dilettante and the business rules in Merchant Prince.  The business rules were the ones that caught my eye.  I had created 16 interrelated characters who would form the crux of the troupe.  Using those characters and Merchant Prince, it's easy to create a business framework to give the campaign a plausible background and different mulligans for adventures.

The first step to the creation of a commercial entity is a name and a mission statement.  In order to give the players maximum room for adventuring, I'm thinking it'll be a "troubleshooting" company, which will allow players to be hired out to examine problems and enact solutions that other people/companies cannot handle internally.  Since I'm looking to hold it in QLI's Gateway Domain, I'll set it in the Imperial Trade Cluster and call the company Far End Cluster Executive Consulting, GmbH.  The Far End Cluster name gives the company a throwback to the past and "executive consulting" is a nice, vague way of allowing leeway in company activities. Our mission statement will be "FECEC will solve whatever problems you require with maximum efficiency and discretion."  It's nice, simple, and to the point.

This is, I'm thinking, a Simple mission statement, giving a Control 7 (+0), Dependability 9 (+1), Guile 5 (-1), Management 10 (+1).

The next step is to determine the leadership of FECEC.  There were five characters with noble titles.  I'm thinking they will be the Board of Directors.  They are:

Sir Alaaru Sarudiin, C.E.G. (7 terms Nobility)
Dame Mirai Reus, C.E.G. (2 terms Mercenary, 1 term Drifter, 5 terms Agent)
Baronet Nashu Dinsha, K.C.E.G. (4 terms Nobility, 5 terms Merchant)
Dame Susanna Lien, K.S.C, K.C.E.G. (4 terms Entertainer)
Sir Wulis Vanay, K.S.C (5 terms Entertainer)

One thing I'll disagree with in Merchant Prince is the categorization of Royal Traders as Nobles, not Merchants.  It seems silly that someone like Nashu who spent 20 years brokering deals for nobles will not have access to the Brokerage skill (even though he is a Broker-4).  So, he gets five terms in the Merchants as opposed to 9 in the Nobles.  Spending the points, I decided to give them all at least one point in every skill, since you need to be able to do a little bit of everything as a troubleshooting company.  What we ended up with were the following skills:


Advocacy-5, Agency-2, Brokerage-4, Fabrication-1, Investment-6, Mischief-3, Nobility-6, Propaganda-6, Research-2, Shipping-1

The derived traits for the company end up being Loyalty 10 (employees being fanatically devoted), Reputation 10 (one of the area's most respected companies), Wealth 64 (and this is without any board or outside investment), The starting employee pool is 144.  This gives us an initial ranking of 0.  FECEC is not even close to being a major player in the economics of the region, but they are a highly respected niche agency.

There look to be two Industry Lines that our Wealth and concept can support: Workforce Management and Quality Control.  As a company which can supply labor and process analysis, FECEC's main functions are investigating and auditing companies, as well as getting them in touch with employees who can fulfill certain needs.  This will translate into game terms as investigations and testing (Quality Control) in a Red Team vein, breaking into secure locations to test security and the such, as well as the players being hired out (Work Force Management) on different missions.

At this point, we have a company ready for the mini-games, a framework for the Troupe and several leads on future adventures.

Traveller Sandbox: The Rough Patch

I can blame it on the pain in the ass it is to write while sitting on a bed in a wooden hut in a shithole country, but the simple truth of the matter is that when you find yourself making more characters for a half-formed sandbox than you do writing patron encounters or other GM material, you have hit a wall.

Wall, meet head.  Head, meet wall.

I came up with one sub-sector plotline I am pleased with:  The Subsector Governor has been creating, through conquest, an empire of his own.  A flagrant violation of Imperial Laws of War, what makes this interesting is that the Third Imperium has done NOTHING.  There has been no fallout from the Sector or Imperial administration about this.  Needless to say, the subsector has no idea what to do about this.  I've got ideas for the whys and wherefores, as well as how the players can get involved.  I'd also like them to have the choice to NOT get involved and just have the events play out in the background, with second and third order effects being the ones the character sees.

Other than that, I'm not seeing much in the way of intrasubsector plots.

I've got a whopping three patron encounters written.  I set a pretty ambitious goal of 150.  Clearly, that is excessive.  I'd like to have a good number for the systems that are actually players, tapering off as the interest in the system wanes.  I'm actually thinking of getting jiggy with 760 Patrons, 1001 Characters, and a bunch of system names in a hat.  Take a patron or a character, the system description, and apply vigorous Referee hammer blows to make it work.

This is kind of a venting post, so if some of you more experienced GMs have any advice for getting over the hump, I'm listening.

Rogue's Gallery: A Sandbox Party (MGT)

So, I wanted to see what I could come up with for a party who would chase the adventure in the Aaltonen Subsector.  I made a random birth chart, rolled the starting planets and went to town.

I didn't buy equipment yet, but here they are, otherwise completed.

Ali MustafaStr 10 (+1), Dex 9 (+1), End 7 (0), Int 6 (0), Edu 10 (+1), Soc 4 (-1)

Athletics (Strength)-2, Battle Dress 0, Computer-0, Deception-1, Explosives-1, Gun Combat (Energy Rifle)-3, Gunner (Turret)-1, Heavy Weapons (Launchers)-0, Leadership-1, Life Science (Biology)-0, Melee (Blade)-2, Persuade-2, Social Science (History)-0, Stealth-1, Streetwise-1, Survival-0, Tactics (Military)-0

Cr102,000, TAS Membership, Enemy (Head of the Ibrahim Branch of The Syndicate)

A well-educated but poor child from Ibrahim, Ali looked to the stars, enlisting in the Imperial Marines.  A fierce combatant, he was on the front lines of multiple planetary assaults, which eventually cost him his career after he was medically discharged after a particularly harrowing ordeal.  Back home, as a result of his “taint of outsiders,” he found the only place he was wanted was the underworld, and even there only grudgingly.  He never enjoyed his job, often showing mercy to those he felt did not deserve the fate they were receiving, including a down-on-his-luck former scout named McKay Mulroney.  When ordered to murder Vesna Begovic, a beautiful psion from Aaltonen, Ali decided he had had enough.  Instead, he warned Vesna and they escaped off planet.

White AgbohStr 4 (-1), Dex 9 (+1), End 4 (-1), Int 7 (0), Edu 12 (+2), Soc 7 (0)

Admin-0, Advocate-2, Animals-0, Athletics (Coordination)-1, Broker-1, Carouse-0, Comms-1, Computer-0, Deception-1, Drive (Wheeled)-0, Gun COmbat (Energy Pistol)-1, Leadership-1, Life Sciences (Biology)-1, Persuade-0, Steward-0, Streetwise-0, Trade-0, Vacc Suit-0

Cr32,000, Ship Shares (2), Contact (A Hiver Trade Representative)

Originally planning on becoming a Broken in his family’s Mwaban export business, White found that he really had no aptitude for it and family connections counted for nothing.  He left the export firm and instead became a lawyer, which he showed considerably more ability for.  One thing he did show a knack for was office gossip, and he parlayed some damaging information into some money and a promotion.  Of course, this did not endear him to management.  When times got tough for the firm, he was one of the first let go.  At 34 years of age, he was at a bit of an existential crisis.  He wandered the subsector, working odd jobs, notable with Harrison Holt, a Free Trader, and Vesna Begovic, a psion.  He also spent considerable amount of time working with an enclave of Hivers.  These experiences gave him a new philosophy on life, one grounded in cooperation and new experiences.

Cline NewbillStr 6 (0), Dex 7 (0), End 7 (0), Int 11 (+1), Edu 6 (0), Soc 6 (0)

Computers-0, Gun Combat (Energy Pistol)-2, Gunner (Turrets)-1, Mechanic-3, Medic-1, Melee (Unarmed)-1, Pilot (Spacecraft)-1, Seafarer-0, Steward-1, Vacc Suit-2, Zero-G 1

Cr56,000, Ship Shares (2), TAS Membership, Enemy (Ex-Naval Criminal), Enemy (Ex-Naval Criminal)
Retired Master Chief; Cr12,000/year

Cline hated being confined to the tunnels of Viitala.  As soon as he was old enough, he joined the Imperial Navy, where he had a distinguished career.  As a Master-at-Arms, he was the scourge of shipborne criminals, and his ships were renowned throughout the sector as some of the cleanest.  Cline served on a diplomatic mission as an Admiral’s aide, which he considers the high point of his career.  As an Able Spacehand, he attended EVA Training with Harrison Holt and much later in his career, helped McKay Mulroney in a bar fight.

Vesna BegovicStr 9 (+1), Dex 8 (0), End 7 (0), Int 5 (-1), Edu 10 (+1), Soc 8 (0), Psi 10 (+1)

Admin-0, Animals-0, Awareness-2, Broker-2, Clairvoyance-3, Comms-0, Drive (Wheeled)-0, Life Science (Psionology)-1, Medic-2, Persuade-3, Sensors-1, Stealth-1, Steward-0, Telepathy-0, Trade-0, Vacc Suit-0

Cr62,000, Ship Shares (2), Contact (Imperial Customs Office), Contact (Aaltonen Commerce Department), Contact (Mattilian Trade Bureau), Contact (Jokelainen Business Council), Ally (Psionic Mentor), TL13 Wafer Jack
Retired Psionic Acolyte; Cr 10,000/year

Vesna was prepared to spend the rest of her life as a broker with the Aaltonen Commerce Department until she was recruited by the Psionic Institute and found to have considerable psionic ability.  She then developed her psionic powers, primarily within the business world, earning a strong reputation as a fair dealer.  She had worked with White Agboh on several occasions.  Vesna’s talents were always in demand and in some cases, not appreciated.  After she cost the Ibrahim Syndicate’s leadership some money in a deal, she was marked for death.  Only with Ali Mustafa’s help was she able to escape the planet alive.

McKay MulroneyStr 8 (0), Dex 7 (0), End 10 (+1), Int 8 (0), Edu 12 (+2), Soc 7 (0)

Animals-0, Astrogation-0, Athletics (Endurance)-1, Comms-0, Diplomat-1, Drive (Tracked)-0, Gun Combat (Energy Pistol)-0, Jack-of-all-Trades-1, Life Science (Biology)-1, Mechanic-0, Medic-0, Melee (Unarmed)-1, Persuade-1, Pilot (Spacecraft)-1, Recon-1, Sensors-1, Stealth-1, Streetwise-1, Survival-0, Vacc Suit-1

Cr60,000, Ship Share (1), Weapon, Contact (K’Kree), Contact (Aslan), Ally (Imperial Naval Intelligence), Rival (An Up and Coming Hotshot Scout)

McKay heard his King talk about the glorious empire the Takkulans had in ancient times and wanted to see it for himself.  Denied entry into the Navy, he was drafted into the Scout Service. It turned out that McKay loved the Scouts.  He spent a lot of time on the fringe of space and became a subject matter expert on different alien races from all different edges of the Imperium. His insight was very valuable to Imperial Intelligence and his star was rising.  Eventually he had to peak.  Filled with hubris, McKay failed to follow proper protocols when contacting a new race, inadvertently starting a small flare-up of hostilities.  A younger scout came in and cooled things down, to McKay’s dismay.  He was soon asked to leave the Service.  He wandered around the subsector in a bitter haze, getting into bar fights, requiring the aid of Cline Newbill and even earned the anger of the Syndicate.  Only Ali Mustafa’s intervention spared his life.  He still harbors considerable resentment at his current status.

Harrison HoltStr 8 (0), Dex 8 (0), End (0), Int 14 (+2), Edu 11 (+1), Soc 7 (0)

Admin-0, Advocate-1, Computer-1, Drive (Tracked)-0, Engineer (Electronics)-1, Gun Combat (Energy Pistol)-1, Gunner (Turrets)-0, Jack-of-all-Trades-1, Mechanic-4, Persuade-1, Physical Science (Physics)-0, Pilot (Spacecraft)-1, Sensors-1, Stealth-1, Streetwise-0, Survival-0, Trade-1, Vacc Suit-1, Zero-G-1

Cr31,000

Harrison left the crowded confines of Kemppinen to join the Imperial Navy.  A fairly accomplished Mechanical Engineer, Harrison was able to take EVA training with CLine Newbill among his other duties and training.  A moment of inattentiveness caused a deadly accident, which drummed Harrison out of the Navy as well as giving him a guilt complex he still holds to this day.  He worked on a number of Free Traders, which helped him become one of the most accomplished mechanics in the subsector, but did nothing to assuage his guilt.  In one of the trade missions, he met White Agboh, whose zen-like attitude helped a little bit.  Still, every day Harrison thinks about the 85 engineers whose deaths he was responsible for.

Traveller Sandbox: A Patron

What follows is one of the patron encounters I've written for my sandbox.  It's the first one, so only 149 more to go!

Gul Muhammad, Tribal Guard (Kuusisto)
Players’ InformationWhile conducting some trade with one of the tribes, a guard clearly attempts to gain the intention of one of the characters.  The guard identifies himself as Gul Muhammad, aand he has a proposition for the characters.  He will reward them handsomely if they can get his sister off-world.  His family has arranged her marriage to “a savage.”  In order to spare his sister’s honor, he needs to get her off-world fast.  As it would be obvious who arranged it, he would need to come as well.
Referee’s InformationPerceptive characters will realize that Gul is being observed by many of the other guards.  Any of the players who appear to be conspiring with Gul will also be placed under scrutiny.

1. Gul is on the level.  His sister is betrothed to the head of the tribe’s sadistic brother, who has a history of abusive behavior (even by Kuusisto standards) towards his wives, many of which do not survive through their first anniversary.
2. Gul really does not approve of his sister’s marriage, even though she is in love with her betrothed, who is actually a decent, upstanding member of the tribe.  Neither Gul’s sister nor her betrothed will take kindly to the abduction.
3. The players are not rescuing Gul’s sister.  Gul has been having an illicit affair with the Tribal Chief’s favored wife.  They believe they may have been discovered and the off-worlders provide their best chance for survival.
4. As above, but it’s the Chief’s daughter, who is promised to one of the Chief’s champions.
5. As above, but the daughter does not want to go with Gul.
6. No one wants to go off-world.  This was an elaborate test by the tribe to see if the characters respect their traditions and beliefs.

I look to some of you grognards to give me some feedback!

Traveller Sandbox: A Sample of Worlds...

Work continues on the Sandbox I'm making for Traveller.  Unfortunately, thanks to FFE and Mongoose's rather strict policies governing fair use, I won't be able to distribute the finished product, even for free, as it is set in the Original Traveller Universe and NOT in the Foreven Sector.

I'm not pleased with this, because I think I'm on to some interesting storylines which others would be able to benefit from.  Still, the rules are the rules, and I'll just have a pretty awesome sandbox for players if I can convince them to play Traveller when I move back to PA in November.

If someone can provide insight that will give me a chance to share my creation with the world, please let me know.  I've debated putting it in context of MegaTraveller, which then puts it into the non-commercial Fair Use Policy of FFE, but I'm not sure if MT counts as OTU as far as Mongoose's policies go.  Of course, that means I need to buy the MT CD from FFE.  It's not like I haven't already bought a ton of the reprint CDs as it is.

Anyway, here are a few of the worlds in my sandbox.  In future TS posts, you can expect to see one of two of my subsector-wide plotlines and maybe about a dozen of my Patron Encounters.  That'll be about it, I fear.

Aaltonen (0406) A5466AB-A (Ag, Ga, Ni) - Scout Base, TAS, Imperial Consulate
Population: 6,000,000
Other Faction:  Significant Impersonal Bureaucracy

The seat of the Subsector Governor and self-styled Emperor Axus Mulon, Aaltonen is largely left to the system’s self-serving and inefficient bureaucracy while Axus focuses on expanding his empire.  As both a political and trade nexus, people from all over the subsector and beyond are present, but kept in a very small area near the starport.  Movement within Aaltonen is strictly controlled by methods of authorization and paperwork which even natives have difficulty understanding.

Ahmadi (0503) B432487-8 (Ni, Po) - Scout Base, TAS
Population: 60,000
Other Factions: Obscure Anarchists, Fringe Corporation

The company that founded Ahmadi has long since faded into obscurity, leaving behind a bureaucratic machine which is well meaning, if not always the most competent government.  This has led to two rival factions who have not gained too much traction as life is relatively comfortable--those who believe the colony should sell out to a megacorporation (Volkmarr GmbH and Koehl AG are both seeking to “invest”) and those who believe in complete anarchy and self-rule.

Bjorkberg (0405) B543564-9 (Ni Po) - TAS
Population: 600,000
Other factions: Minor Representative Democracy, Significant Self-Perpetuating Oligarchy

Bjorkberg is firmly under the thumb of the Aaltonenite Empire, and as it is not one of the wealthier possessions, its citizens are among the least-respected in the Empire.  This resentment has driven members of the population to chafe under the Aaltonenites, the majority of those dissenting returning to the ancient faiths of their people.  The leaders of the faith, long used to the rigid caste system allowing them free reign look to use the Bjorkberger sense of tradition to mobilize against Aaltonen.  A small, but growing, minority have realized that civilizations do not need castes and seek to bring democracy to Bjorkberg.

Bohui (0301) B653164-A (Lo, Po) - Naval Base
Population: 50

This miserable planet is home to three things:  A star port, an Imperial naval base and an Imperial maximum security prison.  Natives are typically the children of the employees of the prison or naval brats.  Native Bohuians are an incredibly honest and honorable people, who despise liars and criminals.