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Fictional religions for Traveller (OTU, ATU, whatever)

BwapTED

SOC-13
Note:
I am not discussing fictional future evolutions of real world, extant religions. I understand that topic would go much too far into territory inappropriate for the open forums.
( Any thread like that would belong in The Pit, a Moot member only section, I believe).

What sort of fictional religions, alien or human, have people created for Traveller?

Emperor worship seems possible in some variations of the Imperium or a similiar space empire setting.

Anyone do something more Star Wars- like with Psionics and mysticism?

Other stuff?
 
A couple of adventures I'm writing involve religions. One is a cult focused around a leader (psionically enhanced). He's on par with a banana republic charismatic leader, and in his little realm the players confront him and his subjects.

Something similar is "Starchaser; the Legend of Orin", where the charismatic leader is an android with plans to conquer space because robots and computer are superior to humans. Orin, the protagonist, goes through several adventures to let his people go, who treat Zygon, the bad guy, as a god. Another cult-leader-worship kind of deal.

Another adventure concept that I have is based on one of the adventure seeds in my blog. A troublesome population has a history of uprisings, and the Imperial sociologists offer as a solution to go in and rewrite the sacred writings to calm the population. That's the task the players are given. The religion in question is just some generic religion that could be a conglomeration of various tenets from various religions; some peace edicts, some war edicts, some philosophies and myths to set examples to worshippers.

I hope that helps.

*EDIT*
My two Adventure Seed blog entries with religion are;
"Stone of Fire"
"The Flavian Option"
 
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That is all quite helpful, guys.

And fun. :)



I have read only a smidgen of the Lensman books, but it seems there are some nuggets of fictional religion there.
The Valerians have multiple hells and a patron god.
And then there is Klono.
Spaaaaaaace gawds!


Ancient astronauts seem fitting for the OTU and possibly other settings.


Ditto universalized/ syncretized versions of travel oriented deities.
 
The Wiki has at least two pages (articles) of interest to you:

Universal Religion Profile:
External Link: [http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Universal_Religion_Profile ]

Category: Religions:
External Link: [http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Category:Religions ]

All of the 126 "Category-Religions" pages access worlds or articles with mention of religions. Some of the data is canon and other of it is non-canon from fanzines, de-canonized Traveller publications, and the like. Be aware of that. Some of those articles are pretty interesting.

Hope that helps!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
 
Sazamshigzanaazi (Based in Vland 1717) A [AF2K] Vland-1

Membership: tens of billions.

The religion's Cx is AF2K: Highly homogeneous, Extremely accepted, Not strange, and Extremely symbolic.

Requires knowledge of Vland (of course). The higher, the better.

No special Arts held in esteem.
No special general skill held in esteem.

Core leaders are Functionaries in a Vilani bureau.
Craftsmen are employed fulltime for working on custom temples and fixtures. High craftsmanship is a point of pride in Sazamshigzanaazi.
Rogues are typically employed in rehab programs as problem-solvers for the community.
 
I did an adventure once with a Cthulhu cult. Turned out quiet funny actually. :rolleyes:

...looking for that roiling ball of nuclear conflagration in the depths of space that could be Azathoth:

"Look, there's our Lord and Master!"
"No, he's over there..."
"Ah, no, that's him over there isn't it?"
"Guys, I thought that was him hiding within that cluster way over there..."

That said, mutated & oversize Droyne could possibly pass for byakhee

Sazamshigzanaazi (Based in Vland 1717) A [AF2K] Vland-1

Membership: tens of billions.

The religion's Cx is AF2K: Highly homogeneous, Extremely accepted, Not strange, and Extremely symbolic.

Requires knowledge of Vland (of course). The higher, the better.

No special Arts held in esteem.
No special general skill held in esteem.

Core leaders are Functionaries in a Vilani bureau.
Craftsmen are employed fulltime for working on custom temples and fixtures. High craftsmanship is a point of pride in Sazamshigzanaazi.
Rogues are typically employed in rehab programs as problem-solvers for the community.

  • So what is the reason for their existence?
  • What do they do for enlightenment/saving/raising?
  • Is society structured in any way to focus the individual on meeting their religious obligations?
  • How does the structure of secular (?) Vilani society reflect a past with greater religious involvement (ie: their civil laws derived from religious obligations or commandments)
 
I don't know if this is quite what you're looking for, but:

The Universal Church of the Final Judgement is a particularly nasty apocalypse cult. Their doctrine is that God will come someday to judge the living and the dead, but only after Humaniti has proven itself worthy.

Their holy scripture is a condensation of every other major religious text, along with extensive commentary to show how it's all related (Orange Catholic Bible from Dune). It's overall theme is an extensive list of what constitutes a sin (pretty much everything). Their missionaries preach that since one obtains grace through the forgiveness of God it's important to commit as many sins as possible in order to acquire maximum holiness once forgiven (the Khlysts of Russia). Afterwards, you're no longer allowed to have any fun, but you do get to smite the ungodly with a clear conscience; suicide bombing dens of iniquity is a particular favorite (from an old Howard the Duck comic book, the details of which escape me at the moment).

Best of all, their holy book is so badly written that with careful analysis and sufficiently high rolls the players can justify pretty much anything as doctrinally sound. The best way to defeat them is not by direct conflict, but by turning them against each other.
 
Sazamshigzanaazi (Based in Vland 1717) A [AF2K] Vland-1

Membership: tens of billions.

The religion's Cx is AF2K: Highly homogeneous, Extremely accepted, Not strange, and Extremely symbolic.

Requires knowledge of Vland (of course). The higher, the better.

No special Arts held in esteem.
No special general skill held in esteem.

Core leaders are Functionaries in a Vilani bureau.
Craftsmen are employed fulltime for working on custom temples and fixtures. High craftsmanship is a point of pride in Sazamshigzanaazi.
Rogues are typically employed in rehab programs as problem-solvers for the community.


It seems interesting.

But I have much the same questions as Ulsyus has offered.

Also:

Is it monotheistic , polytheistic, pantheistic, or something else?

Belief in miracles?

Attitude towards Psionics? (hostility might make sense in the OTU)

Beliefs about an afterlife?

What sort of rituals and ritual objects are path of this religion?

Holy texts? All oral tradition? Something else?


Is it connected with the "Miller" caste/ bureaux or something separate and parallel?
Shuugilli or however that is spelled?

Connected in any way with old stories of the gods that might be based on Ancient war robots, or the Anicents themsleves?



Anyway, it looks like a really fun start. I like that it seems to function like a bureau.

The bit about rouges and social work or service looks fun, too. Nice detail!
 
We have several of them in our setting. You might consider checking in our setting book, Clement Sector, to see them.
 
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There are Mongoose Traveller related material specifically for religion, most of them come off as satirical in the descriptions.
 
I remember a couple of CT adventures that involved religion. Double Adventure 6 had a scenario called Divine Intervention. Book 4 had a mercenary ticket where the characters had to protect religious pilgrims. Supplement 6 had the inverse mercenary ticket where the characters had to attack the religious pilgrims being protected by mercenaries. IIRC, all three had a small amount of information about the religions in question.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka
 
I remember a couple of CT adventures that involved religion. Double Adventure 6 had a scenario called Divine Intervention. Book 4 had a mercenary ticket where the characters had to protect religious pilgrims. Supplement 6 had the inverse mercenary ticket where the characters had to attack the religious pilgrims being protected by mercenaries. IIRC, all three had a small amount of information about the religions in question.

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

Double Adventure 6. Fond memories. The Church of the Stellar Divinity.

External Link: [http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Church_of_the_Stellar_Divinity ]

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
 
Sazamshigzanaazi (Based in Vland 1717) A [AF2K] Vland-1

Membership: tens of billions.

The religion's Cx is AF2K: Highly homogeneous, Extremely accepted, Not strange, and Extremely symbolic.

Requires knowledge of Vland (of course). The higher, the better.

No special Arts held in esteem.
No special general skill held in esteem.

Core leaders are Functionaries in a Vilani bureau.
Craftsmen are employed fulltime for working on custom temples and fixtures. High craftsmanship is a point of pride in Sazamshigzanaazi.
Rogues are typically employed in rehab programs as problem-solvers for the community.

Rob,

*** Which material did Sazamshigzanaazi come from or is it your own creation? ***

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
 
Rob,

*** Which material did Sazamshigzanaazi come from or is it your own creation? ***

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

I genned it up last year.

Hmmm, ok, creative thinking cap on.



Sazamshigzanaazi (Based in Vland 1717) A [AF2K] Vland-1

Membership: tens of billions.

The religion's Cx is AF2K: Highly homogeneous, Extremely accepted, Not strange, and Extremely symbolic.

Requires knowledge of Vland (of course). The higher, the better.

No special Arts held in esteem.
No special general skill held in esteem.

Core leaders are Functionaries in a Vilani bureau.
Craftsmen are employed fulltime for working on custom temples and fixtures. High craftsmanship is a point of pride in Sazamshigzanaazi.
Rogues are typically employed in rehab programs as problem-solvers for the community.
[FONT=arial,helvetica]
[/FONT]
In service, hospitality
to needs, appropriate
for all Vilani persons
- Argunek Shugilii aphorism no. 12
(baasa bilanilekane, "all Vilani persons"), oldest wording, "Vilani Haiku" style (original meter not translated).


On Rituals and Ritual Objects. Allegories rule and are typically clear. Novices learn with everyday objects, such as tables, bowls, or jars. A temple is a house for a master priest and the symbols of the religion, and typically rests next to an open market, square, forum, or landing field. Portable altars are brought outside the temple daily, on which blessed food is made available to all on a scheduled price based on SOC (one meal is typically SOC x SOC credits; each meal of each day varies and is of high quality).

Priests' garb usually includes a traditional lightweight, short-sleeved coat, typically with striking abstract patterns and complementing colors. "Earth" tones are common, but not mandatory. A member of the religion can tell the rank of a priest, but the indications are typically unclear to others.

The best ritual objects are the ones which were made with extreme care, and typically from single elements such as wood, crystal, or superdense. Experimentalists strive to master monomoluecular design, and some elevate this inaccessible art to the highest place. However there is a strong current of appreciation for simplicity and effort. Think Shakers with design, who are also French when it comes to food.

Origin and Purpose. It's descended from some "community care" program started by a corporation in the dim past, tenuously retro-connected to the Bureaux from Ziru Sirka days.

Doxis and Praxis. Their attitudes are Vilani to the core. Being at least a thousand years old and "corporate", their doctrinal positions and spiritual leadership has changed directions many times, ranging from asceticism to mysticism to social pragmatism. Today they are best classified as "gourmet shugilii eclectic benevolence" -- there's a significant number who dedicate a lot of spare time in Vilani soup kitchens, but there are also others who cater to the rich. This sort of bifurcation has caused sectarian violence in the past.

Traditions and Writings. Their holy books form a continuum of tradition, with the Argunek Shugilii allegedly being the oldest extant treatise. Its highly archaic and poetic Vilani seems garbled in places, but the Path To The Fully Developed Palate is apparently part of this problem and process. The Eye of the Underworld (Ganzir) in this religion's context seems to be based on aesthetic examination. Some denominations define this as judgement, others as criticism, and yet others appreciation.

Subsequent books which follow the Argunek add subtle -- and not so subtle, as in the case of the Lagsiir Canticles -- layers to the canon. Perhaps none are wholly accepted as canonical, including passages in the Argunek, which most agree has been superseded in places by later works, themselves likely flawed in some way. Interpretive councils are also considered fallible, and from there we get into the weeds.

Obligations. At least today, their religious obligations are primarily met in meeting the needs of society in general. "Laborare orare est" - work [feeding the hungry typically] is prayer.

The symbolic meaning of feeding is also frequently extended to training and education. Commercially-sponsored trade schools and universities are run by them. They also have hospice care facilities. Less common are "information" kiosks similar to the Travellers' Aid Society -- usually when a group tends to favor information dispersal, they simply join the TAS labor force or encourage members to join the Scouts. In the other direction, the Lagsiir Canticles' Outer Cycle are a popular channel for meditation, even by nonbelieving Vilani.

Research is typically not a part of their information itch, with the exception of materials research in connection with craftsmanship.

Relationship to Larger Vilani Society. Despite the group's claims, historians doubt this religion was ever tied up with any government, much less the Ziru Sirka. However, the religion itself is colored by popular Vilani culture.
 
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