Adventure Types/Campaigns
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GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
yup. I actually heard about it a bit before DGP published that bit in MTJ#4, and I didn't like it either time. Among other reasons was the strong perception that it would, once again, be a big spectator event for the Traveller-buying public, something I was already sick of with the Rebellion.
Had the "Baddies from the Core" gone on to become the official timeline I would probably have dropped Traveller. The Virus/New Era timeline is highly preferable, IMHO.
Had the "Baddies from the Core" gone on to become the official timeline I would probably have dropped Traveller. The Virus/New Era timeline is highly preferable, IMHO.
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Elliot:
Was the baddies from the core the Primordials of Knightfall (the super hi tech race that got so bored they died) or was it the Empress Wave of TNE Keepers of the Flame? (Or was it another set of baddies from the core???)? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The Primordials. DGP had been seeding them in bits and pieces throughout their material. The TAS News entries regarding mysterious Zhodani activity, the site that is the climax of Knightfall, and the angry crocodiles of Deyis II (from the MT Ref's screen)...
Basically the plot would have ripped the Zhodani a new one before showing that they had been wrong to enter conflict with the Primordials in the first place ("stupid zhos!"), finally ending with reconciliation and the Primordials leaving Charted Space again.
This was DGP trying to grab a few more years of timeline and product potential before the Rebellion petered out completely (which it was doing). They showed all signs of abandoning more interesting "wartime" or "stable Imperium" projects to pursue this and the non-Traveller game they were developing. "Black Duke" had been developed, advertised and touted for well over a year before being unceremoniously canceled; same with "Onnesium Quest" (if I have the name right).
As it was, GDW "woke up" right about then and noticed that the Rebellion had run its course. The process of retaking the reins of the Traveller timeline had the side effect of causing DGP to leave Traveller completely. The precise reasons behind that are probably only to be found inside Joe Fugate's head, anymore.
Was the baddies from the core the Primordials of Knightfall (the super hi tech race that got so bored they died) or was it the Empress Wave of TNE Keepers of the Flame? (Or was it another set of baddies from the core???)? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The Primordials. DGP had been seeding them in bits and pieces throughout their material. The TAS News entries regarding mysterious Zhodani activity, the site that is the climax of Knightfall, and the angry crocodiles of Deyis II (from the MT Ref's screen)...
Basically the plot would have ripped the Zhodani a new one before showing that they had been wrong to enter conflict with the Primordials in the first place ("stupid zhos!"), finally ending with reconciliation and the Primordials leaving Charted Space again.
This was DGP trying to grab a few more years of timeline and product potential before the Rebellion petered out completely (which it was doing). They showed all signs of abandoning more interesting "wartime" or "stable Imperium" projects to pursue this and the non-Traveller game they were developing. "Black Duke" had been developed, advertised and touted for well over a year before being unceremoniously canceled; same with "Onnesium Quest" (if I have the name right).
As it was, GDW "woke up" right about then and noticed that the Rebellion had run its course. The process of retaking the reins of the Traveller timeline had the side effect of causing DGP to leave Traveller completely. The precise reasons behind that are probably only to be found inside Joe Fugate's head, anymore.
Well I agree that the Baddies from the Core (sounds too much like Bug eyed monster) were not a great idea...
But TNE isn't exactly my cup of tea either, although I don't have real opinion on how I would've put an end to the Rebellion and all that.
In the end I like to much the Third Imperium (and love the idea of having the Solomani as Villains!)
But TNE isn't exactly my cup of tea either, although I don't have real opinion on how I would've put an end to the Rebellion and all that.
In the end I like to much the Third Imperium (and love the idea of having the Solomani as Villains!)
GypsyComet
SOC-14 1K
I probably still have my copy of an early "End of the Rebellion" map of Charted Space. The problem is that you would still need to kill off at least Dulinor and Lucan to have any kind of cooling off occur. With either one still alive and in control the war goes on.
One option I've thought about is to scale the Virus back by a magnitude or so. Basically reduce it's adaptability to the point where it wiped Dulinor's territory (the folks it was programmed to attack) and Lucan's (another focused strain got loose) but left the rest of the Imperium untouched due to wartime transponder changes. Now you've a "War Rift" bridging between the two stellar rifts, with Virus having taken its full course leading to Vampires etc making the zone dangerous to cross. On one side of the Rift you have Margaret and Craig being forced to unite in the face of the Solomani, and on the other you have the Ziru Sirkaa flanked by more reasonable groups (Deneb and what's left of Antares and Strephon) and the continuous Vargr incursions.
Lots of political possibilities, hot and cold running diplomats, border "incidents" aplenty, and (more importantly) a stable map for long periods of time. You get the benefits of true AI among robots from the Zone, as well.
I may have to work up a few maps...
One option I've thought about is to scale the Virus back by a magnitude or so. Basically reduce it's adaptability to the point where it wiped Dulinor's territory (the folks it was programmed to attack) and Lucan's (another focused strain got loose) but left the rest of the Imperium untouched due to wartime transponder changes. Now you've a "War Rift" bridging between the two stellar rifts, with Virus having taken its full course leading to Vampires etc making the zone dangerous to cross. On one side of the Rift you have Margaret and Craig being forced to unite in the face of the Solomani, and on the other you have the Ziru Sirkaa flanked by more reasonable groups (Deneb and what's left of Antares and Strephon) and the continuous Vargr incursions.
Lots of political possibilities, hot and cold running diplomats, border "incidents" aplenty, and (more importantly) a stable map for long periods of time. You get the benefits of true AI among robots from the Zone, as well.
I may have to work up a few maps...
Some folks may think I'm off, but even within the borders of the Imperium there are places to explore. I don't believe that every rock ball and gas giant moon, let alone every mainworld, has been analyzed to the Nth degree. Exploring "your own backyard" could still be an option.
And why would you have left? Granted it was stupid, but I think the whole Rebellion/Virus thing was just mindless. If they wanted change, then perhaps they should have had a war start with the K'Kree, or the Julians, or perhaps even the Vargr. I like the idea of instead of the Rebellion, a war starts because of a Julian strike against a target that just happens to kill Strephon as he is visiting the region.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GypsyComet:
yup. I actually heard about it a bit before DGP published that bit in MTJ#4, and I didn't like it either time. Among other reasons was the strong perception that it would, once again, be a big spectator event for the Traveller-buying public, something I was already sick of with the Rebellion.
Had the "Baddies from the Core" gone on to become the official timeline I would probably have dropped Traveller. The Virus/New Era timeline is highly preferable, IMHO.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GypsyComet:
yup. I actually heard about it a bit before DGP published that bit in MTJ#4, and I didn't like it either time. Among other reasons was the strong perception that it would, once again, be a big spectator event for the Traveller-buying public, something I was already sick of with the Rebellion.
Had the "Baddies from the Core" gone on to become the official timeline I would probably have dropped Traveller. The Virus/New Era timeline is highly preferable, IMHO.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Artikid:
Well I agree that the Baddies from the Core (sounds too much like Bug eyed monster) were not a great idea...
But TNE isn't exactly my cup of tea either, although I don't have real opinion on how I would've put an end to the Rebellion and all that.
In the end I like to much the Third Imperium (and love the idea of having the Solomani as Villains!)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
They are usually the heroes of my games (but I stack the deck by setting the game at a time where they are the more in the "right")...
TNE timeline was a necessary extension Hard Time. There was another posting that said it better, but Virus was done to give the TNE era hope, in the I will make the universe right with my own hands vein.
Well I agree that the Baddies from the Core (sounds too much like Bug eyed monster) were not a great idea...
But TNE isn't exactly my cup of tea either, although I don't have real opinion on how I would've put an end to the Rebellion and all that.
In the end I like to much the Third Imperium (and love the idea of having the Solomani as Villains!)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
They are usually the heroes of my games (but I stack the deck by setting the game at a time where they are the more in the "right")...
TNE timeline was a necessary extension Hard Time. There was another posting that said it better, but Virus was done to give the TNE era hope, in the I will make the universe right with my own hands vein.
All these look great but what about a Campaign based upon unspeakable horror? A sort of Hard Times Milieu that went insane without the virus. Has anyone done this?
As the worlds turn inward they revert to barbarism. A hard times milieu supplemented by the reminents of the 3I fighting across the expanse of space.
As the worlds turn inward they revert to barbarism. A hard times milieu supplemented by the reminents of the 3I fighting across the expanse of space.
Liam Devlin
SOC-14 5K
I like frontier regions. Contrasting Imperial worlds vis a vis client states, smaller polities, etc and interaction between them. Whether TNE, or Imperium era.
As for fun...adventures all have a measure of risk involved. Not everything is deadly serious..all the time. And sometimes, "bad things happen" to good people. Just as in RL. Whether the PCs rise to to the top, or sink to the lowest level is up to them.
I prefer a high amount of intrigue, and plot convolution, as well as character interaction in my games. Some adbventures never end truly, as they spark another thread to be followed...whether humorous, serious, or somewhere in between.
As for fun...adventures all have a measure of risk involved. Not everything is deadly serious..all the time. And sometimes, "bad things happen" to good people. Just as in RL. Whether the PCs rise to to the top, or sink to the lowest level is up to them.
I prefer a high amount of intrigue, and plot convolution, as well as character interaction in my games. Some adbventures never end truly, as they spark another thread to be followed...whether humorous, serious, or somewhere in between.
I HIGHLY recommend the works of Mike Resnick to anyone interested in adding a cool frontier type of vibe to their Traveller game.
He populates his SF with characters such as "Man-Mountain Bates", "Backbreaker McGinty", along with bounty hunters such as "The Widowmaker", "Father Christmas", and rebels such as the enigmatic "Santiago".
His protagonists can be big-game hunters, reporters, or rebels, and his universe is filled with as much folklore as America's wild west or the back woods of Kentucky.
He's the ultimate SF storyteller - the kind who spins yarns about starships and blaster fights around campfires built on distant worlds.
Check him out...you won't be disappointed.
He populates his SF with characters such as "Man-Mountain Bates", "Backbreaker McGinty", along with bounty hunters such as "The Widowmaker", "Father Christmas", and rebels such as the enigmatic "Santiago".
His protagonists can be big-game hunters, reporters, or rebels, and his universe is filled with as much folklore as America's wild west or the back woods of Kentucky.
He's the ultimate SF storyteller - the kind who spins yarns about starships and blaster fights around campfires built on distant worlds.
Check him out...you won't be disappointed.
You can exercise control over player actions and resolve the law issue in a relatively simple way. Inspired by a JTAS article I read several years ago, and being a fan of FASA's Star Trek RPG, I keep my PCs in service.
IMTU the PCs are junior officers in the IN. They started out as the crew of a Gazelle class CE, but now they are in the Irregular Operations department (AKA the Odd Job squad) of an Imperial fleet (during the 5FW). I confine their actions (probably a better word than 'control') by assigning them missions and limiting equipment they are authorised to have. Missions can range from search & rescue, courier duty, covert recon, etc.
Even so I have to admit they are still fairly chaotic when it comes to prepared adventures.
Regards PLST
