Archdukes and emperors are beyond the normal scope of play
- Thread starter Shonner
- Start date
agree, but only because you put the word "normal" in there.
snapshotbygdw
SOC-12
Agree anyone that high up the social ladder will be in the public eye too much to get away with most of the things my players would want to do. Though a highly placed court member makes a good "string puller" especially if they are so high up they are practically untouchable!
That's why I've long been of the opinion that the normal character generation system ought to stop short of generating generals, admirals, planetaty royalty, etc. And WELL short of generating Imperial nobles.
Hans
Agreed. It's perfectly possible to run a campaign involving members of high society or even very high society. But they wouldn't be running free traders or mercenary squads.
Hans
I only allow char Gen to create Nobles if it is for a specific game (although I allow an ACTUAL odds roll if a player wants but, that requires LOTS of D10's). I also don't usually run games with geriatric characters at the beginning.
Depends on what you consider normal. Based on some of the stories the players have told here, to me it seems like a lot of people want the big high-profile drama session; i.e. save the Imperium and/or galaxy kind of stuff.
E.D.Quibell
SOC-13
The problem with "that social strata" is the very limiting % population there is at that level, and the enormaty of the power base and influance that they hold.
Imperial Nobles hold the Imperial Mandate for their world/system/county/dutchy. Playing at that level would make the US President look like a town counciler.
Becomming a Knight in the Imperium is a "Big Thing" as you become part of the Imperial fabric and command the attention and the ear of the Imperial armed forces.
SOC is a very under used and appreciated attribute.
Best regards,
Ewan
Yep, most people I've played with don't realize the amount of power wielded by Imperial Nobles (members of the Moot & Imperial family). It is FAR beyond what we are used to living in Earth democratic countries as we do.
As I rule, I adopt the Fading Suns rule on Nobles - the players are the rejects, the second sons/daughters, dispossessed. Social Standing is good for getting your foot in the door. But, players should never play Emperors and Archdukes - interacting with them is fine but never does the game take on people assuming the role of a personage.
snapshotbygdw
SOC-12
The problems start when you consider how these nobels would function they are unlikely to take action on a personnal level but instead act through agents or navy/military units therefore roleplaying an archduke would require playing his agents as npc's better surely to have the noble as a supporting patron for the players character working behind the scenes pulling a few strings to ensure equipment is available or red tape dissolves!
mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
Actually Baronet could also work since it is an "empty" title between Knights and Barons.
Despite never having been one for running "Normal scope of play" games, I agree.
Most of the players I have had can barely fathom how powerful an entity a high ranking corporate exec can be, let alone comprehend the powers an Imperial Noble of any rank can bring to bear on something they deem a problem.
I tend to limit the Nobles in my game to being at best Imperial Knights of one order or another, or the heirs/second (or later) sons/daughters of an actual Imperial Noble. (ie. Dilettantes from MGT)
I would not however, be opposed to allowing a character of that scope to be played in a "Pocket Empires" style of game, as its a playing field where those sorts of individuals are the norm, and decisions and plans that effect entire groups of star systems are whats expected.
Most of the players I have had can barely fathom how powerful an entity a high ranking corporate exec can be, let alone comprehend the powers an Imperial Noble of any rank can bring to bear on something they deem a problem.
I tend to limit the Nobles in my game to being at best Imperial Knights of one order or another, or the heirs/second (or later) sons/daughters of an actual Imperial Noble. (ie. Dilettantes from MGT)
I would not however, be opposed to allowing a character of that scope to be played in a "Pocket Empires" style of game, as its a playing field where those sorts of individuals are the norm, and decisions and plans that effect entire groups of star systems are whats expected.
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In the rarified air where Emperors soar an "adventure" is to slip out to garden for a walk or even to give a jaunty salute to His Imperial Majesty's Lifeguard Corps. He doesn't as much own the empire as it owns him; and an Archduke not much better. If tried, the secret police would most likely pick them up and deliver them back to the Lord Chamberlain.
So, in a sense the best way to RP a noble is to just wargame; i.e. "I'm moving my ships here on this hexagonal map wargame from the 70s/80s" kind of thing.
I think we had a player role up a character who was a General in the Imperial Army and some kind of high ranking noble (it happened against all odds), but we never paid it much mind. He wasn't a high profile bureaucrat nor playboy-noble that the citizenry would recognize, so we let it slide most of the time. He was essentially just an adventurer who occasionally, but rarely, pulled rank to get the entire motley crew penthouse suites at the local downport 5-star hotel.
It's funny, because that group was never on the run from the law, nor had any real dealings with law enforcement nor military. It was usually some outside force that they had to deal with; i.e. Zhodani, Droyne, the occasional Vargr pirate/corsair band, or other non-Imperial that was a potential bad-guy.
E.D.Quibell
SOC-13
O ... I disagree.
Traveller is meant to be played any where you like, from the gutter of some god forsaken backwater to the Imperial Palace on Capital and everywhere inbetween.
Best regards,
Ewan
WarriorKnight
SOC-12
One of my favorite characters was Imperial Flt Admrial who was also a Duke.It seems every time he goes on a vacation the ship gets hijacked & he ends up gathering together several passengers & (with limited resources) takes back the ship.One of the other characters who has been on several voyages has started to refuse to travel with him unless he charters the ship for his personal use.:rofl:
Easterner9504
SOC-13
Nobles
TRAV is not set in the 20th/21st Cent. It is elsewhere ans elsewhere has different rules and mores. It is not even the same over the 1000 years. The Imp of Arbellatra is not the Imp of Strephon as Whipsnade and I mentioned in a recently revived thread.
In WW1 Princes died in the trenches, in the War of the Roses the nobles exterminated themselves. In Rome patricians who wanted political power had to serve in the army. At Cannae both Consuls (POTUS and VP analogues) were present, one was KIA. Julius of impeccable lineage had no problem with standing in the front lines to inspire the troops.
Tech though began creating an easy out for upper types. Plenty of WW1 generals found no need to go to trenches, many stayed so far back they could barely hear the arty, aided and abetted by the static nature of the front and radios.
WW1 dead princes:
Prince Heinrich of Bavaria, Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Prince Frederick John of Saxe-Meiningen, Belgium's Baudouin de Ligne as well as England's Prince Maurice of Battenberg.
TRAV is not set in the 20th/21st Cent. It is elsewhere ans elsewhere has different rules and mores. It is not even the same over the 1000 years. The Imp of Arbellatra is not the Imp of Strephon as Whipsnade and I mentioned in a recently revived thread.
In WW1 Princes died in the trenches, in the War of the Roses the nobles exterminated themselves. In Rome patricians who wanted political power had to serve in the army. At Cannae both Consuls (POTUS and VP analogues) were present, one was KIA. Julius of impeccable lineage had no problem with standing in the front lines to inspire the troops.
Tech though began creating an easy out for upper types. Plenty of WW1 generals found no need to go to trenches, many stayed so far back they could barely hear the arty, aided and abetted by the static nature of the front and radios.
WW1 dead princes:
Prince Heinrich of Bavaria, Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia and Prince Frederick John of Saxe-Meiningen, Belgium's Baudouin de Ligne as well as England's Prince Maurice of Battenberg.
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