CT Era Spica sector UWP data, by subsector

[Malenfant]

It is a group project, and nobody's suggested otherwise. If you want to contribute something useful and constructive then by all means go ahead and contribute it.

Right now I think what we need are ideas for races, worlds and polities in the sector, and ideas for how everything's evolved over time til 993.

 

[Tony Canopus]

What's with the tough talk? I got lots to contribute, but I am reluctant to now, because apprently this has become your show, and you seem to have a tendency to bark down any ideas that aren't yours, or that don't conform to what you know.

You need to take a chill pill.

 

[Malenfant]

I'm not "barking down ideas", all I'm doing is asking for justfications. If an idea holds up to examination then it's fine. If it's just thrown in for the sake of it because someone thinks it sounds cool then it probably would need to be refined somewhat.

Some of us have put a lot of time and effort into this project so far - if it's "become my show" it's only because I have done a lot of work in tracking down dates, reading the books, and drawing maps and have been commenting lots on the threads as a result. I certainly haven't prevented or discouraged anyone else from contributing their own material though.

At the end of the day though, if you don't like how things are being done so far then please either propose a better way to do them or leave. Either way, nobody is forcing you to take part in this.

 

[Klaus]

Hey come on peeps

We're doing fine; it's early days yet. Mal's right when we should plan first rather than going off half-cocked and producing data in isolation.

We are doing something somewhat unusual in that this is a collaboration of peers, rather than as a 'team' with a leader and defined 'roles'. I don't see how it can work like that since we're not all in the same place.

I' ve got alot of experience in collaborative projects, and one of the best ways of getting the ball rolling is being a bit provocative. People don't usually have a clear idea of what they want, but they know what they don't, and once thats been thrashed out the way is clearer.

We've already got an awful lot done in less than a week! I know people want to go off cuz everyone's got pet stuff they want to produce etc, but without an agreed plan we're doomed!

Everyone's ok'd Mal redoing the stellar data. We need to wait for that before we can plot UWP's. And we're not ditching them as far as I can see, just adding some optional data THAT CAN BE IGNORED and affects no one.

Its obvious from these posts that everyone is literate and knowledgable and loves Traveller, and we're all going to have to make some compromises down the line. But we are off to a good start, and if we keep it up like this, and don't fall out die rolls, then its gonna happen, and its gonna be good. There's no reason we shouldn't aim to produce the best Traveller setting ever!!!

 

[Flynn]

Klaus,

As an FYI, you have to have UWPs before you can use Mal's Revised Stellar Generation. Please review it, and you'll see that there are modifiers based on whether a world is inhabited or not, as well as its size and atmosphere.

-Flynn

 

[Klaus]

Ah, ok, my bad

Ok change tack: do all the UWP's have to be generated? Can't they be invented? That way we can personally edit out all the silly results. and it could be alot quicker.

 

[Klaus]

I've put some scribbled comments on Mal's sector map, to be chewed up and spat out

http://www.crookedlimb.net/nisseau/spechre.html


N

 

[Malenfant]

Originally posted by Klaus:
Ah, ok, my bad

Ok change tack: do all the UWP's have to be generated? Can't they be invented? That way we can personally edit out all the silly results. and it could be alot quicker.

Well, I'm suggesting that people just invent UWPs for worlds that they want to have in their settings. Though the UWPs would have to be physically reasonable. (The most important issue is that there are no size 1 or 2 worlds in or within the habitable zone with any atmosphere - they simply can't hold onto them at any physically reasonable density. And also, no N2/O2 atmospheres outside the habitable zone).

 

[Malenfant]

Originally posted by Klaus:
I've put some scribbled comments on Mal's sector map, to be chewed up and spat out

http://www.crookedlimb.net/nisseau/spechre.html

See, that's what I was hoping people would start doing...!

Looks good. What do you mean by CF though?

I like that smuggling route, there's a nice convenient J1 main going all the way across the borders there (well, until it gets to the Hiver side anyway).

I can see the clumps of worlds in the subsector B, C, and the rimward part of F forming one or two independent polities too.

The hivers have a nice load of clusters and mains too in their portion.

I'm wondering if the anti-Sol world is a little too close to the Solomani border there though. Wouldn't it be better off a bit further to spinward?

As for Alpha Crucis, assuming there's no usable canon on it you could just make something up or use the GENII data for world locations there if you want your jump line to go somewhere).

 

[Klaus]

I was thinking the anti-Sol world might some kind of bulwark, supported by some states behind it, and a longtime animosity with the Sols, so it would be a fortress world. If we're keeping map data then it should be a class A port with gas giant and base. If its not a Sol base then whose is it? was my thinking.

CF is Confederation

I reckon the 'smuggling' arc would have plenty of option for shady ports for dodgy weapons upgrades, a free trader stronghold.

The polities in freespace are on the main route towards the Imperium/Gateway. Commerce raiders would be heading out that way, maybe causing tension with the local navies. Its probably too early in the Rim War for the Imps to send commerce raiders the other way; they're still marshalling their forces.

I'll stick some likely j-2 routes out spinward on the scratch-map, 4-5, see what people think. These routes would be the main path for settlers so they're quite important.

 

[Klaus]

On another note, are we going to have any black holes in the area? I noticed there're pretty thin on the ground in Traveller

 

[Malenfant]

There's a reason why black holes don't exist in Traveller - they're incredibly rare! As it is we have a multiple B V system (Spica itself), we're probably pushing it to have more that could have become black holes. We don't have neutron stars either - largely because the nearest ones are WAY beyond Charted Space. I think only two nebulae can be found within the Charted Space map - the Helix Nebula and the Pelican Nebula. (I dunno what the "Dark Nebula" is supposed to be, but it doesn't seem to be anything real).

I guess one neutron star might be OK, but I feel a black hole is pushing it.

 

[Klaus]

Fair enough. A neutron star would be an interesting landmark in the sector, attracting scientists and researchers from far and wide, and maybe a hazard to navigation?

 

[Flynn]

The Alpha Crucis files found on CORE do match the dot maps found in MT/DGP products, and for these purposes, it would work for determining Jump routes and mains.

Hope this helps,
Flynn

 

[Klaus]

Is CORE software?

I use Mac so I can't play with these toys.

Any chance of someone spitting out a star map of Alpha Crucis?

 

[Flynn]

Klaus,

CORE is a website of HIWG sectors, most of which don't match canon except perhaps for world positions.

Here's a better solution:
http://maps.travellercentral.com/sec//ih.alpha_crucis.pdf

That'll help,
Flynn

 

[Klaus]

Thanks Flynn, I'll check it out.

World locations is all I'm after. No point placing a big trade hub on a particular main if it just runs into rift space in the next sector.

 

[Shadowdancer]

This map might prove useful -- it's interactive, and can show a jump-6 view around each system, so it's very useful for figuring out routes across sector borders. The link

 

[LcKedovan]

Originally posted by Malenfant:
But by all means, if anyone has any ideas about other ways for we should approach this project that could work, then go ahead and propose them. But please - don't just say "it's a mess" and not propose or contribute anything meaningful or constructive to support your statement or to improve the situation.

Hi Mal,

The only comment I have and I hope it is a constructive one, is although sometimes you come across "heavy handed" as some mentioned I think this can be really put down to two things only 1 of which is directly due to you (please correct me if I am wrong);

1. You are very passionate about having realistic star and UWP data; (I think this factor has been resolved, we all want good UWPs in the sector and consistency (as in no iceballs right next to a sun etc.) I think some people mistook the consistency meaning everything is boring in the universe rather than if we want a big ocean or iceworld to do crazy stuff with it should at least be in an orbit that makes sense)

2. I think this one is the most key to recent heated discussions and it is the fact that because some people post a lot in a short time, people who are involved and might not have the luxury to be online so often are getting their thoughts, ideas and opinions steamrollered. An example is that Gruffty has been agreed to be the lead on the plan however he indicated he will be on holidays and now we are trying to move so fast that people think you are running the whole show (which you never tried to do).

I think we need to keep things moving of course, but we also need to remember that some people need time to respond, to work up their own ideas and to contribute in their own time. That way we keep this a community project without letting the fastest posters, or the ones with more free time making all the decisions. To that effect we should also be using the Poll option a bit more when reaching decision points. (To date really, there are no final solid decisions to be made, but we should keep Polls in mind.)

Just my view through the difficult communication medium of the electronic world

-W.

 

[LcKedovan]

Originally posted by Malenfant:
There's a reason why black holes don't exist in Traveller - they're incredibly rare! As it is we have a multiple B V system (Spica itself), we're probably pushing it to have more that could have become black holes. We don't have neutron stars either - largely because the nearest ones are WAY beyond Charted Space. I think only two nebulae can be found within the Charted Space map - the Helix Nebula and the Pelican Nebula. (I dunno what the "Dark Nebula" is supposed to be, but it doesn't seem to be anything real).

I guess one neutron star might be OK, but I feel a black hole is pushing it.

We need to decide what the Star Spica is. It has to be something special to be on all the maps directly. Mal, as our resident real world expert, any ideas why Spica would be special?

-W.