General Has anyone used secret societies IYTU?

[Commander Truestar]

So, this is not the first time I have seen this, and one can make the case that the post-Republic Star Wars Empire was plagued with a "secret society" of wanna-be Jedi

But, I recently watched "Ms Marvel" and encountered the trope again, in the "Red Daggers".
Now, yes, I have seen extremely well trained martial artists in the real world

And, during my military service I encountered trained military operators who also enhanced their skills by choosing to study and master a form of martial arts.
I had personal access to a person who made it a requirement to move through the world armed at all times, and his revelation of certain weapons (when it happened) was miraculous even to me. Stunning to those we were facing.

So, it "Does" happen in the real world.
I've not done it because I simply would have to remember "not" to include what I knew was real unless I could say it was general enough to be ubiquitous

But, I am looking for lessons in what you've done?

 

[Spinward Scout]

This was posted on Reddit almost a year ago.

Adding Secret Societies To Your Game

I seem to remember talking to someone about Secret Societies, but I don't remember when or where. If I find it, I'll post a link.

EDIT: Funny enough, I made a thread about Secret Societies last fall here:

Secret Societies IYTU

 

[Condottiere]

Flat Universers.

The Traveller Map

An interactive map of the universe of the Traveller role playing game, incorporating official data and fan submissions. The site also provides services for generating custom maps and APIs for incorporating maps into other sites.

travellermap.com

 

[Grav_Moped]

Flat Universers.

The Traveller Map

An interactive map of the universe of the Traveller role playing game, incorporating official data and fan submissions. The site also provides services for generating custom maps and APIs for incorporating maps into other sites.

travellermap.com

And at some point, an astronomical Aslan will knock everything off the edge....

 

[Quint]

Absolutely. Pick a crazy, weird secret society from SciFi and it probably exists. In my campaign there are two that currently play a somewhat more central role, the Fellowship of Free Travellers (aka the Freemasons) and the Orchard (if anyone recalls the old Starhunter TV show), but there are plenty more....

 

[kilemall]

I posit that the Oort Cloud is half occupied by secret orgs, mad research bases, drug production etc because it’s far enough out and tough to get jump coordinates, and ice provides fuel, water and oxygen and some carveable habitation if large enough.

A lot of agents are out there in the middle of nowhere trying to find all these people. Think something like Venetian/Mongol/Byzantine/Chinese and possibly Assassin spies out in the middle of nowhere like likely happened in the 1200s.

I split up the psionic discipline training into different orgs with just one specialty instead of one omnibus psionic academy. Getting two or more abilities is a rigorous ordeal with consequences if it’s found out a sworn member has taken training elsewhere.

 

[Spinward Flow]

I split up the psionic discipline training into different orgs with just one specialty instead of one omnibus psionic academy. Getting two or more abilities is a rigorous ordeal with consequences if it’s found out a sworn member has taken training elsewhere.

Interesting ... very interesting indeed.

 

[Spinward Scout]

I split up the psionic discipline training into different orgs with just one specialty instead of one omnibus psionic academy. Getting two or more abilities is a rigorous ordeal with consequences if it’s found out a sworn member has taken training elsewhere.

Sounds like the game Trinity. Which, if you've never seen it, you should take a look.

Also, I would have put Psions in the Sol system on the asteroid Psyche.

 

[McPerth]

Secret societies I've used:

• Psionic Institutes (i see them as semi independent more or less allied entities, each one a secret society in his system)
• Phoenix Project remains
• Society of White Star/Society of Red Star (from TD issues 14-17)
• Various Intelligence services proxies (from IN to SolSec, and others)

In fact, I've used several more, from ecoguerrilla groups to religious ones, but those are the most extensive and used.

 

[bookwyrm]

Star Trek: TNG
Immortal Coil
Jeffrey Lang

Data discovers and is drawn into a secret war between two secret societies.

One of my favorite reads with Data as the central character.

I've considered doing something like this in MTU.

I've also wondered about Secret Psionic Societies in the different areas of Known Space, or SPS's from outside Known Space who have migrated secretly into Known Space. Mostly because TNE mentions Hivers having some Psi potential when everyone KNOWS Hivers don't have any Psi potential.

I've also had thoughts about the Wanderers. Not much is know about them, but I can't help but wonder if that's intentional or not. Not to mention, there's an old Post where it's mentioned they're a Major Race from somewhere else. Why & What are they hiding, what are they doing, and are they Manipulating everyone (even the Hivers) to not be suspicious?

 

[Spinward Flow]

Mostly because TNE mentions Hivers having some Psi potential when everyone KNOWS Hivers don't have any Psi potential.

Well, presumably they didn't (at least, not officially) back during CT prior to the Empress Wave.

TNE is centuries down the timeline and the Empress Wave has presumably "washed through" Hiver space (finally), making them go "insane" and get psionics too ...

 

[mike wightman]

Hiver dreamers pre-date TNE, which is 1201.
1201-1105 = 96. there are 96 years between the CT start date and the TNE start date, not centuries.

The wave is still hundreds of parsecs away and has nothing to do with it.

By the way the Empress Wave is not CT canon either.

 

[Spinward Flow]

By the way the Empress Wave is not CT canon either.

 

[mike wightman]

You appeared confused, mixing TNE canon, the wrong dates, and CT canon, so I thought it best to spell it out.

TNE is not centuries away.

If the Empress Wave from TNE is valid then so are Hiver psionics.

Hiver psionics are not the result of the Empress wavs, since the Empress Wavs is still a ling way away.

Nope that resolves your confusion.

 

[Spinward Flow]

You appeared confused, mixing TNE canon, the wrong dates, and CT canon, so I thought it best to spell it out.

You are correct.
I was mistakenly confusing TNE dates (1201) with Galaxiad (1902).

One of those accursed Off By One errors in terms of which era in the sequence was being referred to.

 

[Enoki]

Plenty of criminal ones, like the Mob or Mafia...

 

[willtron3030]

Plenty of criminal ones, like the Mob or Mafia...

Many group that are not sanctioned by The Powers That Be are considered criminal. Many that are sanctioned by The Powers That Be operate like criminals.

 

[Enoki]

Many group that are not sanctioned by The Powers That Be are considered criminal. Many that are sanctioned by The Powers That Be operate like criminals.

And those are the sort of "secret societies" that proliferate in MTU. In fact, you might call the whole of the Ral Ranta empire one big criminal cabal of such societies.

Ral Ranta - Traveller

wiki.travellerrpg.com

 

[Black Vulmea]

I could tell you, but then I'd have to . . . y'know . . .

 

[Badenov]

So, this is not the first time I have seen this, and one can make the case that the post-Republic Star Wars Empire was plagued with a "secret society" of wanna-be Jedi

But, I recently watched "Ms Marvel" and encountered the trope again, in the "Red Daggers".
Now, yes, I have seen extremely well trained martial artists in the real world

And, during my military service I encountered trained military operators who also enhanced their skills by choosing to study and master a form of martial arts.
I had personal access to a person who made it a requirement to move through the world armed at all times, and his revelation of certain weapons (when it happened) was miraculous even to me. Stunning to those we were facing.

So, it "Does" happen in the real world.
I've not done it because I simply would have to remember "not" to include what I knew was real unless I could say it was general enough to be ubiquitous

But, I am looking for lessons in what you've done?

So, our last big campaign took place in District 268, and our characters were all allowed to choose one signature weapon. The Marine Gunny Sgt picked a VRF gauss gun, and the other players picked similar upgraded weapons, mostly a +damage rating to their weapon of choice. As I was looking over the list of available items, I noticed a note: change any listed weapon type to 'laser', add X to stats. The list was mostly gunpowder firearms, but asked if that could be applied to melee weapons, and the puzzled GM said yes hesitantly. I picked a sword to change into a laser sword, with the backstory that my ex-marine had taken it from some mystical Psionic that he'd had to fight back on some planet or other while the players were on active duty, and he'd kept it as a trophy.

As my Aslan pilot carved his way through bad guys with the laser sword, it inspired our GM to write up a whole secret society of these Darrian-adjacent psionics who had some crazed dogma about a light side and dark side and balance and such, though it was basically reskinned normal psionics. And this is how we brought balance to the Force.