Homegrown Campaigns
- Thread starter Jame
- Start date
I'm new to Traveller with the T20 version (ok, I played a couple adventures back in the early 80's but it never really got going and I don't really know anything about the official universe).
I was just debating whether I should go with something others were familiar with (OTU) or create my own world as I often do in gaming. It seems to me (from the outside/new convert) that the classes/races/technology themselves are set in some kind of "official universe".
Are there any dimension spanning campaigns out there? I've been toying with using the idea that black holes are actually the visible effects of dimensional rifts. I may start my campaign in a "normal Traveller universe" and then have the group accidentally end up in another universe that is not quite the same.
I was just debating whether I should go with something others were familiar with (OTU) or create my own world as I often do in gaming. It seems to me (from the outside/new convert) that the classes/races/technology themselves are set in some kind of "official universe".
Are there any dimension spanning campaigns out there? I've been toying with using the idea that black holes are actually the visible effects of dimensional rifts. I may start my campaign in a "normal Traveller universe" and then have the group accidentally end up in another universe that is not quite the same.
Nice idea, Starspawn. I don't know of any such campaigns out there using any of the Traveller rules, but perhaps GURPS Space might be of use (there used to be some characters posted on the GURPS part of SJ Games, and one set was from such a campaign. I can't find it nowadays but if you can it might be helpful).
If you do want to consider the OTU, then I recommend you get the Gateway Domain sourcebook (a bargain at $10 for the PDF). There is everything you could want for an OTU campaign in there, as well as a setting that lets you either play inside the Third Imperium, or in a pocket empire just outside of it. The book has a surprising amount of background goodness, I'm considering lending my printed copy to my players just to get them familiar with the OTU (especially as I can then remove the adventure off the back section).
Some of the races I was looking at for a Traveller based game were the former spacefaring races from Empire of the Petal Throne. For example the Shen, Ahoggya etc. The homeworlds for many of these races was given in one of the games supplements. Simply pick a period, pre or pose the Tekumal disaster and away you go. It should not that hard to convert them for use with any of the existing rule systems.
The time, more than a month later, is NOW. Pardon the repeated info, but it makes more sense with it than without.
The Interstellar Republic ruled over half a Galaxy, and had for 3,000 years. After 2,700 years, it was beginning to strain at the edges, but the strain was ignored until a private scouting venture discovered the human species - the scouts barely managed to hold onto their lives and property, and returned, frightened, to the Republic with the location of Earth. After a long debate, the Republic launched an expedition and formally contacted Earth, which brought the human species to the stars. After 100 years, humanity was considered integrated, but its internal tensions had never faded - and when dissident humans joined or conflicted with dissident Republican factions, civil war erupted. Another hundred years passed, and the once-mighty tl20 Interstellar Republic was ash and ruin. On those planets that had been able to support life, many remnants subsisted at the edge of the Information Age (tl8), and more had reverted to the Stone Age (tl0). Only a very few areas - those farthest from the war - had even retained the most basic sciences of cold fusion and interstellar flight, but a few managed to keep more - those on the very fringes of the other galactic arms. The last known bastion of Republican culture, the Manische Consortium (also called the Consortium and the M.C.), had retained the highest level of spacefaring culture and technology available (tl15), and only because it was in a stellar cluster that was rich with resources, as well as hasty planning once the end was obvious. Now, 16 centuries have passed since the ruin of the Republic, and the Consortium is expanding again, sending a few major and numerous minor expeditions both out into the unexplored reaches of the Milky Way and back into the wasteland that was its ancestor in a hope to recontact whomever it can - though what will be found is entirely a mystery. The Consortium is not completely surrounded by barbarians and darkness, though – it was always on the most spinward edge of the Republic (although it has a moderate human element, since just as many humans fled the chaos in an attempt to find peace as desired to destroy the Republican Peace), and had received a strong Republican investment for any possible future expansion. To trailing are a few large multi-stellar states, most notably the Oshani Empire, and many smaller, few- or single-star governments. These tend to be in the low (tl10) to middle level of star-faring technology (tl13), and the Oshani Empire is the most advanced (tl13) – although it can only barely match the Consortium in manufacturing capability, and cannot match it in sheer technological knowledge. While these two polities have rarely gone to war, they spy heavily on each other, and intrigue among their smaller, weaker neighbors. Both have a number of client states through which they conduct trade wars. Recently, though, the Consortium and Empire have been trying to work out a deal to politically ally, if not unify, in order to bring back the Republic. Most of this is information sharing right now. The Trehan Confederation rarely interacts with the Consortium, and with only 650 systems, a technology level of 11 (for its nobles, technical caste and merchant caste; the rest can live anywhere from tl2 to tl9), and internal difficulties such as rebellious provincial governors, isn’t doing that much anyway. Its closest province is twenty parsecs away from the Consortium, although it ends up near a rift. It has a large population of humans, although the Zhruna and Hwimilnir, and then the Welife and Mirasthu, are still more widespread.
There are one hundred and fifty known sapient species, not including AIs. While ninety-eight species have small colonies within the Consortium, only fifteen constitute major elements of its population. Somehow, humans have a small, but growing, section of the population... Humans don’t have any known all-human or majority-human states, as there aren’t that many, and tend to assimilate into larger states (though there are quite a few groups which preach species pride…). One of the major species throughout Known Space is the Kalina (basically dry Bwaps); they make up about one third of the total population. The Osimal are the next major species; they make up the primary species of the Oshani Empire, which is based upon their homeworld of Oshant. The “crusader states” are composed of Vargr-like Welife, who came from the ruins of the fallen Republic (they were always there, and generally as volatile as ever ‘till some met a messianic human 200 years ago) and the Aslan-like Mirasthu, and humans, as well as others. They began migrating to the area a few centuries ago, and either began joining the Consortium as member planets or client states (more the Mirasthu) or as individuals (the Welife). There are also the Zhruna, the dominant species of the Trehan Confederation, and the Hwimilnir, which are found in many places. The Zhruna are Vedrans with a healthier male-to-female ratio, but while not actively vegetarian are patriarchal, obnoxious and conservative. They can be bullies at times. The Hwimilnir are much like Traveller’s Vegans, in that they prefer low-gravity, and tend to wander for a while before they settle down.
The main branches of the Consortium military are the Army and Navy. The Marines exist, but are part of the Navy – while the Fleet is the more prestigious section of the Navy, the Mobile Infantry (Marines) is in no ways without honor. Indeed, both the Navy and the United Planetary Forces receive similar levels of respect. The main weaponry of the individual trooper is either combat armor and Gauss rifle or powered armor and fusion rifle. Navy vessels tend to use more missiles and fewer lasers. Aside from the Navy, Marines and Army the M.C. has a scout service and a merchant marine. The scout service tends towards spinward and coreward operations, although there have been quite a few operations the other way. The merchant marine is composed of several mid-sized companies that carry out governmental trading, and conduct half of all cross-border trade. There are fewer trade wars than in the OTU, but there are occasional cross-border trade conflicts…
The scout service is much like the IISS, but it isn’t responsible for delivering the mail. There are FTL communicators with a three-parsec range, handling most of the interstellar mail, and a separate mail service, for any dispatches. However, the Scout Service is (quietly) also the spy service, and spying is relatively important to the M.C. The Oshani Empire is aware of this, and about three centuries ago created its own spy service. Occasionally they cooperate. Often they don’t…
The tech level of the Consortium is a middle tl15, but it involves more advanced computer and biological technology than the OTU, and takes some hints from both SJ Games' Transhuman Space and GURPS Biotech, such as sapient AIs and gene-mods. FTL travel is a version of hyperspace, with a maximum travel range of J12. Most star vessels can do about J6 - J8, and have much more efficient power plants. Sensors also have a range of ten light-seconds, with military models having more. On the whole, most technology is more interactive, with an emphasis on both ease of use and sophont (both biological and artificial) control. Oh yeah, one thing to keep in mind: the early tls are now: tl0: Stone Age only; tl1: Bronze Age; tl2: Iron Age/Imperial Rome; tl3: Medieval Ages; tl4: Renaissance; tl5: 1800s; and normal OTU tls from there.
The Interstellar Republic ruled over half a Galaxy, and had for 3,000 years. After 2,700 years, it was beginning to strain at the edges, but the strain was ignored until a private scouting venture discovered the human species - the scouts barely managed to hold onto their lives and property, and returned, frightened, to the Republic with the location of Earth. After a long debate, the Republic launched an expedition and formally contacted Earth, which brought the human species to the stars. After 100 years, humanity was considered integrated, but its internal tensions had never faded - and when dissident humans joined or conflicted with dissident Republican factions, civil war erupted. Another hundred years passed, and the once-mighty tl20 Interstellar Republic was ash and ruin. On those planets that had been able to support life, many remnants subsisted at the edge of the Information Age (tl8), and more had reverted to the Stone Age (tl0). Only a very few areas - those farthest from the war - had even retained the most basic sciences of cold fusion and interstellar flight, but a few managed to keep more - those on the very fringes of the other galactic arms. The last known bastion of Republican culture, the Manische Consortium (also called the Consortium and the M.C.), had retained the highest level of spacefaring culture and technology available (tl15), and only because it was in a stellar cluster that was rich with resources, as well as hasty planning once the end was obvious. Now, 16 centuries have passed since the ruin of the Republic, and the Consortium is expanding again, sending a few major and numerous minor expeditions both out into the unexplored reaches of the Milky Way and back into the wasteland that was its ancestor in a hope to recontact whomever it can - though what will be found is entirely a mystery. The Consortium is not completely surrounded by barbarians and darkness, though – it was always on the most spinward edge of the Republic (although it has a moderate human element, since just as many humans fled the chaos in an attempt to find peace as desired to destroy the Republican Peace), and had received a strong Republican investment for any possible future expansion. To trailing are a few large multi-stellar states, most notably the Oshani Empire, and many smaller, few- or single-star governments. These tend to be in the low (tl10) to middle level of star-faring technology (tl13), and the Oshani Empire is the most advanced (tl13) – although it can only barely match the Consortium in manufacturing capability, and cannot match it in sheer technological knowledge. While these two polities have rarely gone to war, they spy heavily on each other, and intrigue among their smaller, weaker neighbors. Both have a number of client states through which they conduct trade wars. Recently, though, the Consortium and Empire have been trying to work out a deal to politically ally, if not unify, in order to bring back the Republic. Most of this is information sharing right now. The Trehan Confederation rarely interacts with the Consortium, and with only 650 systems, a technology level of 11 (for its nobles, technical caste and merchant caste; the rest can live anywhere from tl2 to tl9), and internal difficulties such as rebellious provincial governors, isn’t doing that much anyway. Its closest province is twenty parsecs away from the Consortium, although it ends up near a rift. It has a large population of humans, although the Zhruna and Hwimilnir, and then the Welife and Mirasthu, are still more widespread.
There are one hundred and fifty known sapient species, not including AIs. While ninety-eight species have small colonies within the Consortium, only fifteen constitute major elements of its population. Somehow, humans have a small, but growing, section of the population... Humans don’t have any known all-human or majority-human states, as there aren’t that many, and tend to assimilate into larger states (though there are quite a few groups which preach species pride…). One of the major species throughout Known Space is the Kalina (basically dry Bwaps); they make up about one third of the total population. The Osimal are the next major species; they make up the primary species of the Oshani Empire, which is based upon their homeworld of Oshant. The “crusader states” are composed of Vargr-like Welife, who came from the ruins of the fallen Republic (they were always there, and generally as volatile as ever ‘till some met a messianic human 200 years ago) and the Aslan-like Mirasthu, and humans, as well as others. They began migrating to the area a few centuries ago, and either began joining the Consortium as member planets or client states (more the Mirasthu) or as individuals (the Welife). There are also the Zhruna, the dominant species of the Trehan Confederation, and the Hwimilnir, which are found in many places. The Zhruna are Vedrans with a healthier male-to-female ratio, but while not actively vegetarian are patriarchal, obnoxious and conservative. They can be bullies at times. The Hwimilnir are much like Traveller’s Vegans, in that they prefer low-gravity, and tend to wander for a while before they settle down.
The main branches of the Consortium military are the Army and Navy. The Marines exist, but are part of the Navy – while the Fleet is the more prestigious section of the Navy, the Mobile Infantry (Marines) is in no ways without honor. Indeed, both the Navy and the United Planetary Forces receive similar levels of respect. The main weaponry of the individual trooper is either combat armor and Gauss rifle or powered armor and fusion rifle. Navy vessels tend to use more missiles and fewer lasers. Aside from the Navy, Marines and Army the M.C. has a scout service and a merchant marine. The scout service tends towards spinward and coreward operations, although there have been quite a few operations the other way. The merchant marine is composed of several mid-sized companies that carry out governmental trading, and conduct half of all cross-border trade. There are fewer trade wars than in the OTU, but there are occasional cross-border trade conflicts…
The scout service is much like the IISS, but it isn’t responsible for delivering the mail. There are FTL communicators with a three-parsec range, handling most of the interstellar mail, and a separate mail service, for any dispatches. However, the Scout Service is (quietly) also the spy service, and spying is relatively important to the M.C. The Oshani Empire is aware of this, and about three centuries ago created its own spy service. Occasionally they cooperate. Often they don’t…
The tech level of the Consortium is a middle tl15, but it involves more advanced computer and biological technology than the OTU, and takes some hints from both SJ Games' Transhuman Space and GURPS Biotech, such as sapient AIs and gene-mods. FTL travel is a version of hyperspace, with a maximum travel range of J12. Most star vessels can do about J6 - J8, and have much more efficient power plants. Sensors also have a range of ten light-seconds, with military models having more. On the whole, most technology is more interactive, with an emphasis on both ease of use and sophont (both biological and artificial) control. Oh yeah, one thing to keep in mind: the early tls are now: tl0: Stone Age only; tl1: Bronze Age; tl2: Iron Age/Imperial Rome; tl3: Medieval Ages; tl4: Renaissance; tl5: 1800s; and normal OTU tls from there.
gordito79424
SOC-1
Sounds great, I'd certainly like to see it!
LostWorldsMike
SOC-6
Bump...
To get this one on the same page as the "current" topic discussing the same thing.
(Mostly so I can keep up on both while I cobble together my own non-canonical campaign.)
To get this one on the same page as the "current" topic discussing the same thing.
(Mostly so I can keep up on both while I cobble together my own non-canonical campaign.)
I started back when I was about 12 with my own development of the universe... I've now extended my future history to 1950!!! and all sorts of things have happened in MTU usually dependant on what I was reading/studying at the time... It's very politics heavy and rather prone to attempted coup d'etat...
More details on request
I'd be interested in more details, as well.
As for my ATU, you can find the website at:
www.geocities.com/flynnwd/trav/index.html
Hope this helps,
Flynn
As for my ATU, you can find the website at:
www.geocities.com/flynnwd/trav/index.html
Hope this helps,
Flynn
Mine is circa 1212 TNE background, T20 rule system.
A new Commonwealth has emerged in Corridor around the recovered Depot, that isolated what was left of itself during the Rebellion, Invasion and Virus War.
I've tossed in some Galactica and other things for fun: Vland, Core, Regina, Zhodan, Terra ...and Earth were all remants of the 12 Colonies of Man....the Ancients were from well you guessed it.
The players are on a 600t starmerc for now but the captain has already told me he wants one of those
new battlestars.
Website is below.
Savage
A new Commonwealth has emerged in Corridor around the recovered Depot, that isolated what was left of itself during the Rebellion, Invasion and Virus War.
I've tossed in some Galactica and other things for fun: Vland, Core, Regina, Zhodan, Terra ...and Earth were all remants of the 12 Colonies of Man....the Ancients were from well you guessed it.
The players are on a 600t starmerc for now but the captain has already told me he wants one of those
new battlestars.
Website is below.
Savage