Amber Zones

[Whipsnade]

Evil Dr Ganymede wrote:

"The only world I can find that looks like 'Herguz' in the Spinward Marches is 'Heguz' ..."


Dr. Thomas,

That's it. Slip of the keyboard on my part. It's 0306 Heguz E66A224 - C, up in the Aramis Subsector as part of the 'Scatters'.

"Maybe it's just got some really nasty lifeforms on it??"

That have escaped detection for ~500 years? I like it! Any candidates in mind?


Sincerely,
Larsen

 

[Whipsnade]

Paraquat Johnson wrote:

"That's one thing I like about not having a known, canonical reasons for all of the amber/red zones. You can use them as adventure hooks, and make up your own reason."


Mr. Johnson,

Yup, 'wiggle room' for the GM is always a good idea. That's one reason why BtC's 'blurb per world' idea wasn't followed in RoF or the upcoming Aldeberan Sector book.

As one poster at JTAS put it, there was just enough information in the blurbs to invalidate everyone else's work and not enough information to even begin to replace that work.


Sincerely,
Larsen

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Originally posted by Larsen E. Whipsnade:
That have escaped detection for ~500 years? I like it! Any candidates in mind?

Even Traveller tech probably can't map out the entire volume of water on an ocean world in that time. Maybe there are huge - possibly intelligent - Kraken-like things lurking in the seas that tear up the colonies or something and disappear into the depths...?

 

[kaladorn]

Sorry, one thing I may not have been clear on:

I don't so much want a canonical reason for every amber zone to exist (in that, I agree with Paraquat and others). What I want is a catalog of the ones for which a canonical reason DOES exist. That's a different thing - I want to know if someone already has pinned down (even vaguely) why there is such a classification.

OTOH:

I mean, realistically, since TAS isn't a 'security organization', they have no reason to keep this data secret from the players. If a player says "I want a list of the amber and red zones for the sector along with information as to why they are posted', the TAS really should be able to supply a basic list, even if it is 'dangerous wildlife' or 'government classification' as reasons.

 

[Elliot]

Here's an idea for an adventure: System X is low pop one horse world visited by some jumped up prurient moral majority scout who had a bad deal at the local hookah bar (System X has very tight rules on the use of narcotics but allows them for locals and their guests). So he goes to the Scout administrator (he once had an affair with her and now has a degree of emotional control over her) and files a report: IISS makes System X interim amber and forgets (read: file is altered) to do a full investigation.

Trouble is Scout X is not so moral after all (they never are right!). System X, despite its strange views on narcotics, relies on Interstellar trade big time: it makes widgets or cheeses or whatever that are highly desirable. A megacorporation wants to monopolise that trade and considers moderate interdiction to be a good way of killing passing trade (and of bringing in undesirables).

Trade Minister Smith of System X government approaches the players in a bar (its amazing how often this happens in the TI) and asks them to help investigate and overturn the Amber Classification that is destroying the independence of his world. Payment will be proportionate.

The PC's have to find the trail of evidence unravelling the false amber zone classification. Heads at Megacorp and IISS must roll...