Galaxiad General Discussion

[mike wightman]

Are the Essaray of T5 and the Traveller map the same as the Esseray in MgT though...

Let's dissect what we have:

Season One encounters the Hydrogens.
Season Two encounters the Abyssals (originally called the Horde until their identity was revealed in the season finale).
Season Three explored the Barren Worlds.
Season Four encountered the Essaray as the cause of the Barren Worlds, building to a season finale in which the Siblings faced almost certain destruction.
Season Five continues the interaction with the Essaray and ultimately divines their secret.
Season Six begins in search of Dashus Khurisi - refugees fleeing from the original upheaval at the end of the Nth Interstellar War. The story dramatically diverges mid-season with encounters with the Wisps of the Core.
Season Seven ultimately encounters the Dashus Khurisi and their newly-won empire on the far side of the Galaxy.
Season Eight reveals the identity and mission of the insane Solomani Scout who has dogged their explorations since Season Two.
Season Nine explores the origins of the Khursae and resolves the puzzles encountered in previous visits to their worlds.
Season Ten, the finale to end all finales, resolves all of the threads of the previous encounters to finally defeat the Black Fleets, although the ending was left tantalizingly ambiguous.
The Empress Wave Season and its encounters with Grandfather’s Son 17 are generally praised;
the End of Time Season is generally rejected as trite.
Some other Season subjects included The Goos, The Secret of the Unfinished Ringworld, and The War Against the Darknesses.

And now the kick in the tail - all of the above is set in the period 1600 to 1800 while the Galaxiad era of T5 is set in 1900 - so we actually know nothing about the 1900 era apart from all of this happened in the past - possibly.

 

[Timerover51]

Again I confess my ignorance, but what is the "Wave"? What Traveller version of the rules mention it?

As a corollary question, is it possible to lay out a separate canon for each of the rules edition? Such as, canon for Classic (LBB, The Traveller Book, Starter Traveller), MegaTraveller, The New Era, Traveller 4, and Traveller 5?

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Since I have the the source materials I deduce that these the same Essaray
1.The locations in the T5 book correspond to Joshua's placement on travellermap. From the visual represntation the Essaray are on the righthand side of the galaxy map with Charted Space to the bottom.
2.The Essaray in MgT are placed in the same location and the text goes on to say about their location in OTU and relative to charted space. The small map helps as well.
3.The Galaxiad doc mentions the same locations

Here is the assumption that locks it in Mike.
I do not presume to know Marc Miller's mind 24/7, but I will take his public statements on his view on canon as gospel. First look at my signature.

Now, putting aside all commentary on how "Mongoose ignores canon here" and "Mongoose runs roughshod on canon", the fact of the matter is that Mr. Miller does not. So since he let one of his authorized licensees publish new, never beheld info about the OTU, he will keep it as a part of the OTU. He kept Virus even though he does not like it much either. So he is consistent.

So it's the same Essaray. Unless he changes his mind of course.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Again I confess my ignorance, but what is the "Wave"? What Traveller version of the rules mention it?

As a corollary question, is it possible to lay out a separate canon for each of the rules edition? Such as, canon for Classic (LBB, The Traveller Book, Starter Traveller), MegaTraveller, The New Era, Traveller 4, and Traveller 5?

A. The wiki article will help some http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Empress_Wave
and this one if you dare :coffeesip:
http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Yaskoydri/secret
So first officially mentioned in TNE. There the Zhodani Consulate falls apart as the psionic nobility goes crazy and the proles are no longer kept happy. Extended as to its origin in 1248 (with rules on how to mess with psions and whole planets). Moving at a speed of 1LY per year. MgT1e Zhodani book talks about how it is already unravelling the Consulate. The speed is increased to 1pc per year. Finally the Agent of the Imperium novel, written by Marc Miller himself, has an entire chapter how much more deadly the effects are as plants die as well.
Despite the speed changes, all are consistent that the wave enters row 01 of all sectors along the line of the Spinward Marches in the year 1202

B.I'm not doing that. I'm already 52 years old.

 

[mike wightman]

Again I confess my ignorance, but what is the "Wave"? What Traveller version of the rules mention it?

As a corollary question, is it possible to lay out a separate canon for each of the rules edition? Such as, canon for Classic (LBB, The Traveller Book, Starter Traveller), MegaTraveller, The New Era, Traveller 4, and Traveller 5?

CT 77-81-TTB-ST were all set in the 'golden age' of the third Imperium during the period 1105 to 1112ish. The primary area was the Spinward Marches although we did learn about the Solomani Rim.

MegaTraveller is set during the rebellion era post assassination of Strephon (later turned out to be a double due to fan pressure) 1116 is the year of the assassination, lots of metagame stuff happens and you start around 1120 in the shattered Imperium. A late supplement called Hard Times detailed the final collapse in the period 1125 to 1130ish. DGP had control of the setting during this time and one of their final plots was to have a race of aliens from the core threaten the Zhodani, while a militant K'kree fraction called the Lords of Thunder were going to launch an assault from K'kree space (this was written by W Keith).

TNE was set in 1202 following the fall of the Imperium and the release of a weaponised silicon based lifeform later called Virus. It was primarily a game of rebuilding, exploration and discovery, a small human state called the Reformation Coalition backed by Hivers began exploring and recontacting worlds in their sector - and they were not averse to raiding them either hence their nickname Star Vikings. Meanwhile the Spinward Marches had survived everything but remained isolated due to the threat posed by Virus. There is a Black Curtain region of space around the old core sector of the Imperium - wonder what could be in there...
TNE also introduced the Empress Wave (and before Aramis comes along and corrects me most of this was detailed in a MT/TNE bridging supplement called Survival Margin - actually part of the TNE line not MT) which was some sort of psionic based wavefront making its way towards charted space at lightspeed - it was causing havoc in the old Zhodani empire).
TNE had several mysteries - what was behind the black curtain, what is the empress wave, and what atrocity would be committed by the Star Vikings that would have them abandon their home and head off into space - note an extended interview with Dave Nilsen who was responsible for TNE answered all of these questions.

T4 was set in the early days of the Third Imperium.

Agent of the Imperium details the Third Imperium from 400 to 700 ish

T5 is meant to be set 1900+ when a lot of the new toys on offer in T5 can be used in the setting without a complete retcon of everything.

 

[Ulsyus]

It's a dog eat dog galaxy.

Especially when there's food shortages in the Vagr Splinters

 

[Timerover51]

Especially when there's food shortages in the Vagr Splinters

Ah, but they have to be careful as to how much liver they eat because of Vitamin A toxicity.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Plenty of canned food will be available for the pitiful survivors...:toast:

https://travellermap.com/?options=41983&ew=milieu&x=14.605&y=158.786

 

[Ulsyus]

Does the Wave extend into J-space to the extend that a ship could not Jump to either side of it without being affected?

 

[The Pakkrat]

The Empress Wave and the Virus Era are responsible for the name change from Vargr Extents to the Vargr Splinters. In more than a few sectors, both calamities strike within the same 30-year window.

There are at least two theoretical models as to how to either bypass or dig in and weather the enigmatic, hush-hush, Yonder Chilling Thought.

I've been playing with two big solutions, at least IMTU, but both have more than a few risks.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

We know the wave front's position and speed as of particular years. But there are still critical factors concerning the Wave which if known will answer these questions. Like

Can you can bypass the Wave? How thick is it? The ISS Talon, using its J5 drive made it thru to the to the impacted system in Agent unscathed to reach the crazy planet. At some point before surveying and activating the Wafer, the ship must have crossed the wave front either in real space or virtually in J-space. They passed thru unscathed. IIRC some, but not all, Zhodani Core Expedition ships did as well. If i am right that means it is possible. Maybe the wave does not exist or have damaging properties in Jumpspace.

As for ships which have been impacted those may have simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time as the Wave passed over them in normal space.

 

[Ulsyus]

The Empress Wave and the Virus Era are responsible for the name change from Vargr Extents to the Vargr Splinters. In more than a few sectors, both calamities strike within the same 30-year window.

There are at least two theoretical models as to how to either bypass or dig in and weather the enigmatic, hush-hush, Yonder Chilling Thought.

I've been playing with two big solutions, at least IMTU, but both have more than a few risks.

Okay, let on with your big solutions.

It's just that it occurred to me that at some point it was going to be obvious that the thing was approaching or breaking over chartered space, at which point there'd be a combination of research and other measures taken to try to mitigate against at least some of the effect.

I could see a team being sent to a system about to be immanently engulfed to bury test subjects are varying depths in dead moons and live planets to see if any km's of rock could shield life from it. In different systems they'd leave test items to be recovered after the wave front had passed to determine if it was possible to measure a variance in the wave strength as it passed further and further from it's source.

How fast was the thing going again? It was lightspeed wasn't it?

 

[Ulsyus]

At some point before surveying and activating the Wafer, the ship must have crossed the wave front either in real space or virtually in J-space. They passed thru unscathed. IIRC some, but not all, Zhodani Core Expedition ships did as well. If i am right that means it is possible. Maybe the wave does not exist or have damaging properties in Jumpspace.

I can see colony ships being built to carry those who can afford a place past the wave front to a horrible new old world on the other side. Picture, if you will, a world that went the way of the crew of the ship Event Horizon in the movie of the same name. The trauma to the new colonists, having to deal with the remnants of the old population, may not be inconsiderable.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Why doesn't FFE have a YouTube channel, talking about the Traveller Universe?

 

[mike wightman]

Which Traveller universe would you focus the YouTube channel on?
The CT golden age re-written to be T5 compliant?
The MgT golden age alternative universe?
The Agent of the Imperium universe?
The Galaxiad universe?

Then there are the historical -
CT proto Imperium
CT golden age
MT Rebellion
TNE 1200+
T4 M:0
T20 TNNE 1248+
GT:ISW
and the GT ATU

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Which Traveller universe would you focus the YouTube channel on?

Over time, eventually all of them (grouped in a timeline playlist format). With later videos focusing on 1900+.

 

[Ulsyus]

Over time, eventually all of them (grouped in a timeline playlist format). With later videos focusing on 1900+.

That's a fair bit of ground to cover.

What sort of format do you imagine each video would follow?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

That's a fair bit of ground to cover.

What sort of format do you imagine each video would follow?

I see about 50 or so videos at least being produced for the channel. Each being about 4 to 5 minutes long, discussing a subject from the Traveller Universe, that's presented by someone knowledgeable on the topic. One person isn't going to be an expert on the entirety, so that's why various presenters/contributors would be used.

 

[Ulsyus]

I see about 50 or so videos at least being produced for the channel. Each being about 4 to 5 minutes long, discussing a subject from the Traveller Universe, that's presented by someone knowledgeable on the topic. One person isn't going to be an expert on the entirety, so that's why various presenters/contributors would be used.

So sort of like a visual CotI but just on download instead of exchange?

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

So sort of like a visual CotI but just on download instead of exchange?

The FFE channel would be no different than the 90% of YouTube channels that present 5-minute videos about various topics. The PragerU channel is an example. The FFE channel would be about explaining the Traveller Universe.

If FFE wants to get real fancy, it can also produce videos about each Traveller game book and module, and how to run game sessions the same way that WOTC is presenting its videos on YouTube for D&D.