Far Frontiers in 1120

[robject]

What does the Hard Times like for Far Frontiers? Do they even feel it?

---

I was idly sketching out a double adventure in the Far Frontiers sector. And I had to decide on a date. My reflex is to say "1108"-ish, just because.

But then I reasoned, why not peg the date based on the current date, kind of like they did in the good ol' CT days? The lazy man's way would be to say, this is 2022, so make it 1122... which would put it smack in the middle of Hard Times. (And if I used the old fastener where 1105 = 1977, we'd be somewhere around 1150.)

That means I have to think about the subsector map in the 1120s ... for Far Frontiers.

 

[Quint]

I mean, my initial thought is mainly unchanged? Perhaps a bit of shuffling where any Imperial Client States have lost meaningful support, but ultimately it's pretty removed from the politics of the Imperium.

D.

 

[robject]

Thanks Quint. I'm getting the same vibe.

 

[Quint]

I think the real issue is to decide just how much help the Imperium was actually giving any client states out that far, and how much the consulate would want to pushing into the sector when "just over there" the Imperium is blowing up - my guess is that they would be pretty conservative (plus, IWG, the EW is starting worry them if that plays into YTU). Otherwise it's just the local polities doing their normal thing, maybe with some refugees (and even that's doubtful that far out).

D.

 

[robject]

I was also worrying about the Wave, which will clearly impact the Consulate one way or the other.

Meanwhile, yes, there may well be some degree of long-range investment in the sector by megacorps; although I don't seem to see much reference to that in the FASA adventures! So maybe it's safe to say they're fairly insulated from everybody, at least until about 1200.

 

[Quint]

I think that Wave is an excellent way to handwave why the Consulate isn't taking advantage of the Imperium's chaos - they have their own chaos coreward and moving rimward quickly to worry about. I think that this is the actual explanation given from the TNE Regency book.

 

[GypsyComet]

it's safe to say they're fairly insulated from everybody, at least until about 1200.

That's my take on it as well, though any exodus from Zhodani space is going to flood into the region. Determining how widespread a Zhodani panic run would be is the first step. The rest follows from that, until the Wave arrives.

 

[robject]

That's my take on it as well, though any exodus from Zhodani space is going to flood into the region. Determining how widespread a Zhodani panic run would be is the first step. The rest follows from that, until the Wave arrives.

I don't know of any way to avoid making a decision on that in 1120. I *want* to keep things status quo there, but the act of doing that is saying "no widespread panicking is going on coreward".

I know Marc has already taken that position, so it's not like I'm going against the tide, but it's always nice to allow multiple interpretations.

 

[GypsyComet]

Ultimately the urge to move is going to be generational for most, and in 1120 the Wave is still two sectors away. While MT documents movement and unrest visible to Regina, that's also a bit later and could be attributed to other causes (though it was the groundwork for the next step at the time).

The Zhodani are going to have a tough time of the late 1100s, reacting to Virus with an unflinching wall when they need to be flexible for the Wave. If they decide to conflate the two for the masses, which they almost have to do to keep opportunistic Virus from hopping the Wave, running along the now helpless and exposed Consulate Waveline, then jumping into the still healthy Consulate farther spinward, they consign countless resources to the ravages of the Wave or admit that they must keep falling back. The Guardians are going to have their hands full with all the survivor guilt running rampant through the Consular Navy.

By the time the Wave has burned through most of the Consulate and is approaching Far Frontiers, around 1190, only the political isolation of the Raiders Blight in that sector from the Zhodani is going to keep it from widespread panic, while the Zhodani nobility of the rim-most tendrils will be looking toward the Wave with escape plans in mind, knowing that all of the planning of the Consulate has been for naught. You'll see quiet diplomatic sessions in the states of Far Frontiers, then a mix of fleeing, stoic line-holding, and wave hopping from various Zhodani, depending on intestinal fortitude.

The Blight will not fare well. It is too sparse and untrusting to communicate enough to coordinate.

The states of the rimward half will, on the other hand, know what's coming. Enough Zhodani with knowledge will have let that slip. Each state will react differently, but for some, watching the Blight and the Protectorate get Waved will just be more political calculation. The states of Far Frontiers are a ruthless bunch, for the most part.

 

[Graham2001]

Have you taken into account the 'Sky Raiders Trilogy' and 'Stazhlekh Report' scenario which lay out the start of a war in 1108. There's enough information to work out an 'Optium for the good guys' start to the war, but the rest would have to be worked out. I tried my hands at working out how many warships each side could support but never did manage to get the math sorted out.

 

[robject]

Have you taken into account the 'Sky Raiders Trilogy' and 'Stazhlekh Report' scenario which lay out the start of a war in 1108. There's enough information to work out an 'Optium for the good guys' start to the war, but the rest would have to be worked out. I tried my hands at working out how many warships each side could support but never did manage to get the math sorted out.

Excellent legwork, thank you Graham, I'll check the sources.

SR: Stazlekh Report
SKY: Sky Raiders Trilogy
TS: Trail of the Sky Raiders
FS: Fate of the Sky Raiders

HISTORY

• Imperial agents meddled in local politics 300 years ago (SR32), presumably helping splinter the old Domain of Alntzar (which was quite large) into the current Alntzar, the League of Suns (Imperial-leaning), and the Trelyn Domain (also Imperial-leaning?). (TS50).

"CRISIS OF 1108" (SR33)

• The Descarothe Hegemony is not an association of independent worlds, but rather a budding empire, "not unlike dozens of other petty states in the Frontier regions beyond the Imperium". TS51.
• Armed and equipped with (obsolete) ships and (TL7-8) equipment purchased from Zhodani Client states [specifically, the Domain of Alntzar FS56] in the region, the Descarothe military is strong and capable ("formidable"). (SR50, 51, FS 56)
• In 1108, the Descarothe Hegemony triggered [by events detailed in SKY] an armed confrontation with a larger but more peaceful neighbor, The League of Suns (an Imperial allied/client state, and an "island of peace and prosperity"). SR4, SR32, SR34, TS52.
• "The Imperial presence has helped limit encroachment [upon the League of Suns] by neighboring Zhodani clients" [specifically the Domain of Alntzar FS57] (SR32).
• The Descarothe Hegemony "drove the League out" of the Qarant system, where the war began; since then, both sides have been at tempting, in the face of major problems, to mobilize. SR8. Qarant had co-dominium status in 1105, apparently (SR10). Meanwhile, neo-nationalists within the Hegemony are resisting the government's declaration of war. SR8.
• The League is worried about the Domain of Alntzar, a hereditary foe and Zhodani client state (SR8, SR32). If they turned hostile, they could apply pressure to Alzenei and force the League to fight on two fronts (SR31).
• The Zhodani Consulate has only the ability to provide token support of Consulate allies (TS50).

 

[Quint]

"CRISIS OF 1108" (SR33)

• "The Imperial presence has helped limit encroachment [upon the League of Suns] by neighboring Zhodani clients" [specifically the Domain of Alntzar FS57] (SR32).

I always wondered what kind of Imperial presence could actually be maintained (or reasonable) as far away as it is, personally (since I use the old PP sector data) use/think of "The Grand Duchy of Trelyn" as the local Imperial surrogate (thinking of Grand Duke as being something akin-ish to an Archduke, but more palatinate in nature).

D.

 

[robject]

Good point.

There is a 'mission' there, but also the League permits free access of its worlds by Imperials. For example, player characters.

Since the Consulate is, according to the sources, not "capable" of significantly supporting Alntzar (and perhaps others), then Imperial support need not be significant -- and probably isn't.

On the other hand, Imperial (and other) mercenaries could be making money in this capacity. For example, we also have the very subtle hint of this in Broadsword, p18:

New Frontier Trading Partners, a limited corporation based on Excalibur in the Sword World Confederation, procured a fleet of ten mercenary cruisers for use in operations outside the Marches far to spinward.

Ten merc cruisers, bought by Swordies, and sent far to spinward you say? Hmmmm.

 

[robject]

I see that Jungleblut subsector is NOT CORRECT for 1105 -- for one thing, the Hegemony is shown as owning Qarant, which did not happen until 1108. (It was shared until then).

 

[Spinward Flow]

On the other hand, Imperial (and other) mercenaries could be making money in this capacity.

The astrogation map factor rears its ugly mug for this possibility. For all intents and purposes you would need to be basing your merc operations out of the Five Sisters subsector in the Spinward Marches, or the Glisten subsector at the outside as imperials. But the map becomes a problem when it comes to transit from the Spinward Marches to the Far Frontiers sector.

If you're trying to transit through the Stella Incognita of Foreven Sector, you need a minimum J3 capability to transit Spinward <-> Trailing across Foreven because of where the stars are located in the sector.

If you're going to transit through The Beyond Sector instead at J2 from Raweh/Five Sisters to the Trelyn Domain in Far Frontiers Sector, you're looking a "long trip" to get there across The Beyond ... but there are "jump blocks" along the way due to the arrangement of stars and/or the navigation problematic locations of some Red Zones along the way. Bottom line, no matter what route you try to take through The Beyond, you're looking at 25-30 jumps in order to reach the Trelyn Domain. So with a J2 ship you're looking at needing to spend A YEAR making a transit from the Five Sisters all the way out to the Far Frontiers Sector, just because of where the stars are located.

So for all practical purposes, you really want J3 minimum in order to make the transit, and even then you're looking at 15 jumps minimum from Raweh/Five Sisters all the way out to Kulikov/Mnemosyne ... and in terms of tech level, the Trelyn Domain is basically TL=A-C in terms of local support in the region, meaning you really want "Five Sisters tech" instead of "Glisten tech" once you get there so you can maintain your starship and gear. You can do that with a Mercenary Cruiser, but you're somewhat stretching the ship's capabilities to "go that far out" in search of contracts (or to get away from "imperial entanglements" back in the Spinward Marches.

Main point is that if you're running a merc operation, even at J3 you're looking at a 1 year round trip (minimum!) from the Five Sisters in which your mercs aren't fighting anyone ... so that had better be a pretty lucrative contract in order to justify the effort to go that far out with a group of mercs to fight someone and wind up with a profit by the time you return to imperial space (assuming you're inclined to return).

 

[robject]

^ might not be a round trip...

Anyway, plot hooks on a platter.

 

[Spinward Flow]

^ might not be a round trip...

If it's not intended to be a round trip, does it really matter where the mercs come from?

Anyway, plot hooks on a platter.

Self-imposed exile/banishment from imperial controlled territory certainly qualifies as being "on the run" from the long arm o' th' law. Going beyond the imperial fringes means that you're really out on the frontier.

Would this qualify as the Wild Wild Merc Train to the Spinward Stars for Gunsmoke in the Big Valley?

 

[Grav_Moped]

If it's not intended to be a round trip, does it really matter where the mercs come from?

Self-imposed exile/banishment from imperial controlled territory certainly qualifies as being "on the run" from the long arm o' th' law. Going beyond the imperial fringes means that you're really out on the frontier.

Would this qualify as the Wild Wild Merc Train to the Spinward Stars for Gunsmoke in the Big Valley?

Well, the Fourth Frontier War probably generated a few embarrassed (or worse) Swordies who'd be looking to avoid both the Imps and the Confederation...

 

[Graham2001]

From Dale Kemper's 'Far Frontiers' article published in Ares: Special Issue 2 & republished in 'The Traveller Chronicle', issue two, three & four (Dale skips any mention of the Keith Brothers aborted 'War in Jungleblut' plotline, but does mention the events of 1105/06.) and has this to say about the League of Suns relationship with the Third Imperium.

Treaty arrangements with the Imperium provide for Imperial use of local facilities for ships and squadrons operating in the area in exchange for support against encroachment by surrounding Zhodani client states. This treaty is not of great importance due to the fact that major Imperial warships have not been seen in the area for over a century.

Both works repeat the same text without changes. As to what the author means by 'major warships' my interpretation is that nothing larger than a cruiser has been seen in that part of space since roughly the time of the Solomani Rim War.

Also about two years ago I started an effort to 'quantify' the naval forces involved but got bogged down in the minutia. That thread is linked below just in case it proves of use.

https://www.travellerrpg.com/index.php?threads/fleets-of-the-descarothi-league-of-suns-notes.40786/