Spinward Marches Sector is now complete.

[maksimsmelchak]

Spinward Marches Sector is now complete.
* All 439 out of 439 T5SS world entries have been made.
* 16 out of 16 subsectors.
* There is 1 non-canon or semi-canon world in the 439 count at [http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Ayoreldold_(world)) ].
* All entries now have binary and trinary solar system data noted.
* All entries now have updated and expanded trade codes with color text.
* All subsectors now have subsector world data (UWPs plus other world info) and economic trade data.

Please check it out here: [http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Spinward_Marches_Sector ]

Here's how you can help:
* Any encouragement is always welcome. It always nice to hear that this kind of resource will be useful to you as a player, referee, or otherwise. Please feel free to make positive comments on this thread.

* Updating entire sectors on the Traveller Wiki is a major accomplishment and asset for the community thanks to the Traveller Wiki team. Please feel free to join the Traveller Wiki team by contacting Thomas Jones-Low, Maksim-Smelchak, or other members of the team. All help, no matter how great or small is always welcome! Proofreading, data entry, creative writing, cataloguing, programming, code editing... it's all welcome!

* Take a look at your favorite worlds and through the rest of the Spinward Marches Sector looking for errors, typos, omissions, etc. Please feel free to comment at the Wiki or here on this thread.

* Many of the worlds have incomplete lists of reference sources as of yet. If you know which canon or non-canon sources are behind any T5SS world, please share at the Wiki or here on this thread.

* If you have any ideas to make the entries better, please share. The goal of the Wiki is to provide the Traveller community with a top notch resource.

* Please also be aware that Traveller Wiki is not considered a canon source and that the Traveller Wiki is in accordance with FFE usage guidelines. If anyone finds any material out of accordance with FFE usage guidelines, please let one of the users know so that it can be immediately corrected.

* I'd like to publicly thank all of the other Wiki contributors, past and present. I really appreciate the community's hard work. And, of course, the Traveller Wiki is built upon the contributions of the community. Nearly every entry is built upon the hard work of people who came before...

Thank you!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

 

[Hyphen]

Great work! I remember Dave Nilsen's comments about updating the UWPs for TNE; it's a pretty intense, yet thankless task. So, thanks again!

Just a query regarding the wiki: will non-canonical sources ever be allowed to be linked to, from within the wiki? (Tavonni, for example.) Maybe they could be hidden from main sight, just like the "metadata" (discussion) around the ghost planet in Trin's Veil is hidden but still accessible if desired?

Anyway, just a thought. ;-)

 

[Daddicus]

Thank you for your tool and all your work building it! Just a week or two ago, I used your tool to find an ideal world on which to place and adventure I am writing. I couldn't have done it without your tools.

Thanks!

 

[Septic]

T5SS Spinward Marches Done

Thanx so much for this invaluable resource. So much effort and attention done on this is greatly appreciated by myself and players who wholly enjoy Travelling in the OTU.

I have been inspired and motivated to share what I have available in such a small part to the great work that has gone on before me.

 

[tjoneslo]

Great work! I remember Dave Nilsen's comments about updating the UWPs for TNE; it's a pretty intense, yet thankless task. So, thanks again!

Just a query regarding the wiki: will non-canonical sources ever be allowed to be linked to, from within the wiki? (Tavonni, for example.) Maybe they could be hidden from main sight, just like the "metadata" (discussion) around the ghost planet in Trin's Veil is hidden but still accessible if desired?

Short answer is yes, we always are looking for more content, even if non-canon. We can and will link to external non-canon material. Or better yet, include in it the articles directly.

There is an ongoing discussion of how to include both canon and non-canon material within the same article. My opinion is to just include both and use the <Cite> tags to separate the elements.

Others feel that having the canon and non-canon material in the same article is acceptable, but needs to be in separate sections.

Your thought is the third level, where we can use either a Hidden template or a linked sub-page to hold the non-canon information. I think this is slight overkill, but may needed if the information is contradictory, and there isn't a good way to reconcile the contradictions.

A similar discussion has taken place about information from different era's (CT vs MT vs TNE Era information). Should we assume the Wiki is set in (e.g. 1115), and future events should be hidden away. Or leave it all in the open and assume the readers can filter as needed.

The metadata page is for background information specifically for referee's (or interested players) to reference as needed. This isn't consistently followed, but that's the idea.

Opinions, requests, and recommendations cheerfully accepted.

 

[whulorigan]

There is an ongoing discussion of how to include both canon and non-canon material within the same article. My opinion is to just include both and use the <Cite> tags to separate the elements.

Others feel that having the canon and non-canon material in the same article is acceptable, but needs to be in separate sections.

Your thought is the third level, where we can use either a Hidden template or a linked sub-page to hold the non-canon information. I think this is slight overkill, but may needed if the information is contradictory, and there isn't a good way to reconcile the contradictions.

I would suggest putting "non-canon" material in a section surrounded by something like the <spoiler> tags on CotI. Leave the canon in the open, and those who wish to access the non-canon material are then free to do so by clicking on the spoiler button if they so desire, and clearly know what they are doing and reading when they do so.

That way, you can also have separate sections for mutually-contradictory "non-canon" sections by alternate authors as well.

A similar discussion has taken place about information from different era's (CT vs MT vs TNE Era information). Should we assume the Wiki is set in (e.g. 1115), and future events should be hidden away. Or leave it all in the open and assume the readers can filter as needed.

I think some type of distinction should be made. There are some articles that I read sometimes that describe a particular situation and do not necessarily note dates, and I am unsure as to whether or not I should assume that the situation as described is that way during the era I am interested in or whether it is "blending" into the setting future.

Perhaps a section description should have as part of its section heading the milieu/date of the perspective that the entry/article is written from, with multiple sections for significantly different eras, if necessary. Clear dating within the text of the article should also be employed as far as is possible.

Some Examples (perhaps we don't need this many):

Milieu0
Expansion Era/Antebellum
Civil Wars/Early Frontier Wars
Psionics Era/Psionics Suppressions
Solomani Crisis/Solomani Rim War/Third Frontier War
Golden Age/Latter Frontier Wars
Rebellion/Hard Times
Collapse/Recovery/New Dawn/New Era
Galaxiad
​

Even 1115 can be significantly different from 1105, when not properly noted/dated.

 

[tjoneslo]

I would suggest putting "non-canon" material in a section surrounded by something like the <spoiler> tags on CotI. Leave the canon in the open, and those who wish to access the non-canon material are then free to do so by clicking on the spoiler button if they so desire, and clearly know what they are doing and reading when they do so.

That way, you can also have separate sections for mutually-contradictory "non-canon" sections by alternate authors as well.

There is a template {{Hidden | <header> | <content>}} for doing exactly that. The header shows up in the article with a "show" link to click and show the content.

The distinction between canon and non-canon is a fuzzy and moves on occasion. Which is why I'm not an advocate of this method.

I think some type of distinction should be made. There are some articles that I read sometimes that describe a particular situation and do not necessarily note dates, and I am unsure as to whether or not I should assume that the situation as described is that way during the era I am interested in or whether it is "blending" into the setting future.

Perhaps a section description should have as part of its section heading the milieu/date of the perspective that the entry/article is written from, with multiple sections for significantly different eras, if necessary. Clear dating within the text of the article should also be employed as far as is possible.

Some Examples (perhaps we don't need this many):

Milieu0
Expansion Era/Antebellum
Civil Wars/Early Frontier Wars
Psionics Era/Psionics Suppressions
Solomani Crisis/Solomani Rim War/Third Frontier War
Golden Age/Latter Frontier Wars
Rebellion/Hard Times
Collapse/Recovery/New Dawn/New Era
Galaxiad
​

Even 1115 can be significantly different from 1105, when not properly noted/dated.

We do have a set of "Milieus" which cover the broad swaths of time associated with the various edition publications, and the Style Guide notes (or should) if you are going to include information from different milieus, to include that as a header in the article. The list we have is:

• Interstellar Wars
• Rule of Man
• Long Night
• Milieu 0
• Milieu 990
• Milieu 1116
• Milieu 1120 - GT Timeline
• Rebellion - MT timeline
• New Era
• Fourth Imperium
• Galaxiad

Adding more is a very simple process if we have any significant number of articles written for another (unlisted) era.

 

[Hyphen]

You could put information from different mileaux under different headings, or on separate pages. I've had a go at doing that in my Library Data pages; see Norris for an example (and yes, it looks like I'll have to fix some links & styles). Note that it has an MT-shadowed background.

At least the page errors demonstrate the problems of redundancy! That is, having multiple pages means you'll have to check the formatting on each page.

 

[rancke]

A similar discussion has taken place about information from different era's (CT vs MT vs TNE Era information). Should we assume the Wiki is set in (e.g. 1115), and future events should be hidden away. Or leave it all in the open and assume the readers can filter as needed.

As I recall it, we decided on 1115 as the default because that was the latest date (more or less) where the information was the same for the OTU and the RTU (Rebellionless TU ). Information for previous eras could be put into the history sections, if necessary.

The format was supposed to emulate the familiar library data format, which is part of the reason that I dislike the format that Maksim is championing (Sorry, Maksim). (The other reason is the massive amount of reduntant verbiage involved with the new format).

One thing to remember is that at the time no-one was publishing 1105 information. With Mongoose going back to 1105, it may be a reason to reconsider the decision. But is it worth changing the default to 1105 and have to revise all those articles? Personally I don't think so.

Rebellion and later eras I still think ought to be hidden. It's can be very confusing if you read Rebellion era stuff and don't know that it doesn't apply to the Classic Era. That 'reveal' button is a very good way to alert the casual reader that there's something to be aware of here. (If it wasn't such a tedious job I'd hide the Rebellion era information in the hundreds of articles that have been entered without regards for the default date. )

The metadata page is for background information specifically for referee's (or interested players) to reference as needed. This isn't consistently followed, but that's the idea.

Metadatqa is out-of-setting information. Secrets is in-setting information that wouldn't be in public library data collections (Because it's not publically known, duh).


Hans

 

[maksimsmelchak]

The format was supposed to emulate the familiar library data format, which is part of the reason that I dislike the format that Maksim is championing (Sorry, Maksim). (The other reason is the massive amount of reduntant verbiage involved with the new format).

Well, the format has largely changed to reduce that verbiage, Rancke. You may have missed it, but you won the battles and the war. No big deal. I'm more concerned about contributing than worrying about the exact format.

Rebellion and later eras I still think ought to be hidden. It's can be very confusing if you read Rebellion era stuff and don't know that it doesn't apply to the Classic Era. That 'reveal' button is a very good way to alert the casual reader that there's something to be aware of here. (If it wasn't such a tedious job I'd hide the Rebellion era information in the hundreds of articles that have been entered without regards for the default date. )

The hidden / reveal buttons are the way to go.

Metadata is out-of-setting information. Secrets is in-setting information that wouldn't be in public library data collections (Because it's not publically known, duh).
Hans

Right on.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

 

[ovka]

What I have always wanted is a campaign resource of "everything OTU" that a GM could use in their gaming. The Traveller Wiki is a great start in that direction, but organization is the key to it. It would be nice if the GM could pick an area of chartered space, pick a time period, and find out all of the information available so that he or she can set a campaign there and then.

If, for example, I want to run the CT Introductory Adventure Imperial Fringe (set in Spinward Marches 1100), does that mean that I only want to see information relevant to that sector and that year? Absolutely not! I want to see that sector and the eight surrounding sectors, with details and timelines for each "object" (sector, subsector, and system) complete with links to other non-location objects (people, organizations, interstellar governments, events, etc.). In other words, I want the Traveller Wiki.

At the sector level, details and a timeline would include things that affect more than one subsector (e.g. the frontier wars). At a subsector level, details and a timeline would include things that affect more than one system (e.g. the frontier wars plus a subsector senator was kidnapped in 1102). Descriptions and timelines would have historical information, current information, and future information. Why future information? Because it helps to lay the groundwork for what is coming as the campaign progresses. Roughly translated, that means I want all of the information that is available on those nine sectors. In other words, I want the Traveller Wiki.

So the big question is how would this campaign resource that I envision best be organized. First of all, it seems to me (YMMV) that each "object" should have a timeline of events. Not that it has to be the first thing, just that it has to be there.

For example, let's say that we know the following about the xyz system:

- 1080 - population 4 million, class B starport
- 1097 - new class A starport opens
- 1102 - population 12 million
- 1105 - explosion at starport kills 3 million people
- 1107 - Zhodani invade system
- 1117 - Vargr raiders take over the system

Given this timeline, I as the GM can take this information into account when running my campaign. IMTU, if the PCs visit the xyz system in 1095, they might see that the starport is under construction and there is a lot of other building going on to handle the population growth. IMTU if the PCs visit there in 1105 before, during, or after the event, they may see some terrorist activity, have a chance to prevent the explosion, help with the survivors, or just see the devastation after the fact. IMTU, knowing that the Zhodani will be coming in 1107 gives me the opportunity to set up for that event. Perhaps some of the aid workers are Zhodani spies. IMTU, knowing that the Vargr will be taking over the system in 1117 I can lay the groundwork for that as well. What does the system have that the Vargr want? Why do the Vargr think taking this system is a good idea? What clues to these things can I leave for the characters when they visit in 1105, 1110, or 1115?

I have no problem mixing canon with non-canon, as long as things are clearly marked as such. From my perspective, non-canon isn't OTU, but it *is* an idea that I might want to make use of IMTU. In fact, it would be nice if all of the information had an explicit reference to its source. That way if a GM decides he or she doesn't like publisher/source/author x, that GM can exclude that information from their own personal TU. The same would apply to the era, so a GM would know, based on the time they set their campaign, what is past, present, and future information, and which information they want to include or exclude (Rebellion/Virus or GTU).

Remember above in a few different places I mentioned "details and a timeline." So far, I have described the timeline, but not the details. The details would include all of the write-ups that have ever been done on the "object." That would include UWPs, people, organizations, governments, events, buildings, locations, and anything else that the GM could include to add color and make the players believe that their TU is a living, breathing galaxy. Again, everything should be referenced by source and canon/non-canon designations so that the GM can include/exclude specific parts.

Oh, and I want the entire thing completed for my game tomorrow. I haven't decided the era or the location yet, so just do all of it. :rofl:

Seriously though, I do appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into the Traveller Wiki. It is a wonderful resource that I hope to be able to leave my mark on some day (in my free time ).

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[maksimsmelchak]

Seriously though, I do appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into the Traveller Wiki. It is a wonderful resource that I hope to be able to leave my mark on some day (in my free time ).

Cheers,
Baron Ovka

Baron Ovka,

You may want to re-peruse some of the newer entries at the Wiki. Some of the latest upgrades and updates include expanded UWP information that meet s many of the parameters of your requests and ideas.

Thanks for your response.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.