CT Only: Diaspora Proto Traveller

[san*klass]

Being a huge fan of Proto Traveller's simplicity and sparseness, but also being a fan of the Virus setting, I have recently begun to brainstorm a campaign concept using C(P)T rules and assumptions to run a Collapse campaign.
So a small ship, compact younger & failing Imperium, Bk1 character creation and generally less complex setting and ruleset.
Given that PT's Imperium is collapsing under its own weight and too overwhelmed to see this and search for a solution, I can more easily believe in a rebellion in this setting than in the "white hat wearing" (yeah, right!) Imperium of the standard mileu. Nobility and workers both, angry and frustrated that they are being made to carry the burden of all this failure and tptb's inability to really lead from the top.
So, enough rational.
I am planning a PC team operating out of the Unity of Promise in Diaspora (using "Astrogators guide to Diaspora" as my source book), either owning a ship or being loaned one by the UoP if not. Starting about six months before Virus/Vampires hit this Sector and wipe it all out, CT style Rumour table and Patrons will generate Scenario's, with the Solomani and pirates/slavers being the opposition. But eventually Virus will come along from Coreward and will gradually overwhelm everything and scenarios will become more matters of survival and struggling for any defence, than anything else.
All and any thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

[robject]

Whoa... a Proto-Imperium setting WITH Virus?! Interesting mix!

 

[Original_Carl]

Would you point me to this Virus setting? The word is far too overloaded in every context to do an efficient search!

Also, I'd like to hear more about a Collapse campaign and if there are settings or threads or docs on it.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Would you point me to this Virus setting?

VIRUS

That ought to keep you ad-hoccupied for a few minutes before diving down the rabbit hole.

 

[san*klass]

Whoa... a Proto-Imperium setting WITH Virus?! Interesting mix!

Yeah, it just struck me.
Going on previous PT posts, some people purely use PT to create and play in their own settings. But some utilise the tiny amount of 3I info in the 444 books for their campaigns. It just occurred to me if you can add a little 3I to PT then why not add the Rebellion/Collapse or TNE?

 

[san*klass]

VIRUS

That ought to keep you ad-hoccupied for a few minutes before diving down the rabbit hole.

Totally agree.
Virus is planetary life support systems shutting down.
Virus is starship crashing onto the starport.
Virus is hotel service robots running amok and slaughtering everyone.
Virus is turning all the traffic lights on a crossroads to green.
Virus is a starship blasting cities with its Missiles.
Virus is all that and worse!

 

[aramis]

Given that you've adopted a (to some, offensive) TTNE reference as a username, that you'd like virus is pretty much a probability. (I find the ithklur offensive for being essentially a series of jabs at chrstianity...) I'm not the only one, but not in the majority, either.

Don't worry, I won't make you change it, since it's in canon.

 

[san*klass]

Given that you've adopted a (to some, offensive) TTNE reference as a username, that you'd like virus is pretty much a probability. (I find the ithklur offensive for being essentially a series of jabs at chrstianity...) I'm not the only one, but not in the majority, either.

Don't worry, I won't make you change it, since it's in canon.

Whoa!
Given that my OP never mentioned the Ithklur I don't understand your negative comments.
And, anyway, as someone who was heavily involved in the church as a teenager, I have never seem anything in H&I that struck me as critical of Christianity.
I would be interested to know what you find so offensive.

 

[aramis]

The corruption of St. Nicholas to san*klass (the * is a click); the hat is a direct slam on the modern image of St. Nick, that the Ithklur are killing machines dressed as santa is also offensive... and the ithklur in general as a silly inclusion was out of form for traveller and making fun of the common civil image of the second most important religious holiday in the church calendar of most liturgical christians...
It gives me a very dim view of Aliens of the Rim vol 1 (and I am FAR from the only one offended by it and anything in it, especially the "san*klas" ...
The offense was by Dave N. the author of H&I. ANd it was layered on thick in several elements of that. But "San*klas" is a dead giveaway you are or were a TNE player. And, for the most part, only TNE players liked Virus as a concept. Let alone as presented.

When H&I came out, there was a lot of griping about the tone of the work; the CT and MT alien modules are VERY much straight forward, non-humorous, presentations of aliens as complex, and just barely graspable, psychology, while AotR presents them as nothing more than man in suit, and contradicts the tone of the original Hiver module. It then adds the insulting introduction, and the included Ithklur as basically a joke taken way too far.

It's been 25 years or so, and I'm still annoyed by the whole content of the module...

 

[san*klass]

While I respect your honest opinions I find myself unable to agree with most of your points.
Yes H&I was a radical departure to much of what had gone before (as was Virus) and so annoying and maybe offensive to some.
I don't intend to argue the points since I am sure you have heard it all before.
Yes I was a TNE GM and ran a successful campaign for about five years, but my tastes lean more to CT these days.
I hope that you won't hold that against me, and allow a TNE GM to post onto CT forum?

 

[robject]

Nilsen's tone can be flip, sometimes too much, and Santa's his most obvious clever Douglas-Adamsian twist on culture. Krikkit comes to mind, and wasn't that just a few years before TNE? Might have been fresh in the mind of SF at the time.

Or maybe he's invoking the Star Trek episode "I, Nomad" with San*klass being the irony of something good being something bad. Certainly better than Futurama did with Robot Santa Claus. Anyway, I believe he was a Christian at the time, so it's not clear to me at all that he was slamming Christianity. It certainly doesn't sound to me like he was mocking St. Nicholas, but rather the Jolly Old Elf.

I need to dig up my TNE CDs.

 

[mike wightman]

I like TNE, but dislike the d20 rules they used. Back in the day I tinkered with them then switched to MT.

I have since planned out an alternative ending to the conflict with Lucan's Imperium that I intend to use with CT (plus a few house rules).

I'm looking forward to seeing more of what you do with this.

Will you be using the MT Hard Times supplement too?

 

[san*klass]

Nilsen's tone can be flip, sometimes too much, and Santa's his most obvious clever Douglas-Adamsian twist on culture. Krikkit comes to mind, and wasn't that just a few years before TNE? Might have been fresh in the mind of SF at the time.

Or maybe he's invoking the Star Trek episode "I, Nomad" with San*klass being the irony of something good being something bad. Certainly better than Futurama did with Robot Santa Claus. Anyway, I believe he was a Christian at the time, so it's not clear to me at all that he was slamming Christianity. It certainly doesn't sound to me like he was mocking St. Nicholas, but rather the Jolly Old Elf.

I need to dig up my TNE CDs.

I lost my copy of H&I (and much more) in a house move years ago, and so cannot (nor intended to) debate the Ithklur.
However, all is recall is loving the humour and the irony of the Ithklur's covert rebellion against their Hiver masters. And the "stupidity" of the whole san*klass thing was a pivitol aspect of that.

 

[san*klass]

I like TNE, but dislike the d20 rules they used. Back in the day I tinkered with them then switched to MT.

I have since planned out an alternative ending to the conflict with Lucan's Imperium that I intend to use with CT (plus a few house rules).

I'm looking forward to seeing more of what you do with this.

Will you be using the MT Hard Times supplement too?

Me too - I love the TNE setting, but can no longer be bothered with the rules level of complexity. Also, I have recently (through posts on here, and also various individuals blogs) become hooked on the whole Proto Traveller thing.
I tried a Collapse campaign, using TNE rules, years ago, but the Players never got into it so I gave up.
I now want to try that setting again but with PT rules and sensibilities.
Thank you for the steer to Hard Times, which seems to be a good additional source, and (as my campaign concept) also seems to be set in Diaspora. I shall be in Drive Thru soon!
At present I want to cement my thoughts and then set up a CT-like Rumours/Patrons matrix to create a sandbox for the first (pre Virus) half of the campaign. But then new Rumours of a terrifying new weapon/disasters /horrific accidents/lost & abandoned ships start to emerge as Virus moves ever closer.
Then the scenarios become more structured and sheer survival takes over.
I see either a Call of Cthulhu like (atmosphere not the monsters) tpk ending, or a misjump and low berths journey into TNE.
Anyway, I will buy and read Hard Times first then we'll see.

 

[mike wightman]

There was also the MT Star mercs folio adventure Assignment Vigilante set in that sector - you may get some use out of that too.

 

[san*klass]

There was also the MT Star mercs folio adventure Assignment Vigilante set in that sector - you may get some use out of that too.

Thank you Mike, I shall look into that also.

 

[kilemall]

The corruption of St. Nicholas to san*klass (the * is a click); the hat is a direct slam on the modern image of St. Nick, that the Ithklur are killing machines dressed as santa is also offensive... and the ithklur in general as a silly inclusion was out of form for traveller and making fun of the common civil image of the second most important religious holiday in the church calendar of most liturgical christians...
It gives me a very dim view of Aliens of the Rim vol 1 (and I am FAR from the only one offended by it and anything in it, especially the "san*klas" ...
The offense was by Dave N. the author of H&I. ANd it was layered on thick in several elements of that. But "San*klas" is a dead giveaway you are or were a TNE player. And, for the most part, only TNE players liked Virus as a concept. Let alone as presented.

When H&I came out, there was a lot of griping about the tone of the work; the CT and MT alien modules are VERY much straight forward, non-humorous, presentations of aliens as complex, and just barely graspable, psychology, while AotR presents them as nothing more than man in suit, and contradicts the tone of the original Hiver module. It then adds the insulting introduction, and the included Ithklur as basically a joke taken way too far.

It's been 25 years or so, and I'm still annoyed by the whole content of the module...

Wow never knew this went on.

Very dissapointing to read given the reasonable classiness the franchise has maintained for decades.

 

[Jame]

I like TNE as it was my first experience with Traveller. But then, I was 12-13 and only had the core rules.

I need to get the TNE flash drives.

 

[aramis]

Wow never knew this went on.

Very dissapointing to read given the reasonable classiness the franchise has maintained for decades.

Dave's since apologized for the tone of the introduction; in said introduction he pretty openly mocks people trying to make the aliens feel alien as a waste of time and paper. He's not, to my knowledge, ever apologized for the the tone of the rest of the module.

 

[Ildefonse]

Thank you Mike, I shall look into that also.

If you're going to consider DriveThru for those two books ($10/ea.) you might consider the whole MT series direct from FFE for $35 + shipping. Granted, it probably won't be as timely as DriveThru...