OTU Only: How Cosmopolitan is the OTU?

[Supplement Four]

One thing that impressed me about Traveller back in the day was how aliens were presented. They were truly alien--not just humans with some quirks. The game delved into the culture and history of the aliens in the old CT Alien Modules.

So, one by one, I became enamored with each alien in turn as I read about them: The Zho's, the Solomani, the Droyne, the Vargr, Hiver, K'kree, Aslan. And, so on with the minor races.

But, when I gamed, it was hard for me to put them all together (as a Ref). If you set your game in the Spinward Marches, as I usually did, then Zhodani, Droyne, Vargr, and Darrians could be used, with maybe an occasional Aslan. True Solomani, though, I couldn't justify, as those would be in a Sector far, far away from the Marches. The same goes for the Hiver and K'kree.

Because of the relatively slow inter-galactic journey speed, it's really hard to mix all of the major races together in one spot.

I always wanted a ship of K'kree to show up in one of my games set in the Marches, but I couldn't tie it together logically. K'kree in the Marches would need a really good reason. Why are they there? And, the seldom seen aliens in that part of the Known Universe would attract at least a little attention.

What are you thoughts? Do you see the OTU this way? Or, do you see more of a mix of the major races so that, no matter where you go, there are pockets of each of the major races in each sector?

 

[GypsyComet]

The K'kree are noted as maintaining "embassies" over much of the Imperium, located at local capitals and/or important worlds. The Marches are still a stretch, though. That's a nine to ten sector journey each way.

 

[Supplement Four]

The K'kree are noted as maintaining "embassies" over much of the Imperium, located at local capitals and/or important worlds. The Marches are still a stretch, though. That's a nine to ten sector journey each way.

That's what I'm sayin'. Small pockets of whatever can be used, but it is hard to justify common K'kree or Hivers in the Spinward Marches. It's hard to play with a SolSec agent in the Marches.

All the races are so cool, I'd like to play with all of them at the same time. In my Traveller games, the players have never really traveled very far in sector terms. They usually float around one-to-three subsectors or so.

 

[GypsyComet]

I'm not sure I want the entire panoply to be common in every corner of the Imperium. The map is big for good reason.

Specifically, getting all three of the Human Majors in one place is tough. The rest of the Majors will be available, if not really common, through much of the Imperial core regions. I have no problems justifying everyone but the Zhodani in any of the four sectors of the Domain of Sylea, for example. You aren't going to get much native Heirate politics, and the Vargr will be Imperialized, but Solomani skullduggery, Vilani statism, Hiver fecklessness, and K'kree stuffiness are all on tap, and there are Droyne worlds handy in part of the region.

Newts and Virushi are all over the Imperium, so there are always a couple familiar faces to work with there too.

 

[Drakon]

True Solomani, though, I couldn't justify, as those would be in a Sector far, far away from the Marches.

Funny you should mention this, as the Lemishi are Solomani in origin. It is one of the things that make them weird. There were several groups of Solomani who did not like where the Terrans were going, felt they were becoming too supremist, etc. and split off with them, migrated into the Ziru Sirka. Some were allowed to colonize the margnial systems between Deneb and Vland, to keep the roads open. Much like many Americans left the colonies because they sided with the british crown during the revolution, there are a few colonies of solomani out there.

If they gotten this far, I am sure Solomani have made it into the Marches.

What are you thoughts? Do you see the OTU this way? Or, do you see more of a mix of the major races so that, no matter where you go, there are pockets of each of the major races in each sector?

Startowns will have a mix of races, especially space going races. further inland, further away from the port, you will see what ever species dominate the planet.

In T5 each system gets a Homogenity factor in its cultural extentions. I see this as more a cultural homogenity, but can be used for species variety as well. Cultural and species while not identical, are closely related.

 

[rancke]

Funny you should mention this, as the Lemishi are Solomani in origin. It is one of the things that make them weird. There were several groups of Solomani who did not like where the Terrans were going, felt they were becoming too supremist, etc. and split off with them, migrated into the Ziru Sirka.

Except that the main period is after the establishment of the RoM, Solomani groups moving into the former Ziru Sirka was quite common. That's what gave Diaspora Sector its name.

Some were allowed to colonize the margnial systems between Deneb and Vland, to keep the roads open.

The Siru Zirka had a ban against establishing colonies beyond its borders. The Vilani (and later Solomani) settlements beyond the trailing edge of Corridor were all unauthorized. As far as the 1st Imperium was concerned there were no roads to keep open in Corridor.

If they gotten this far, I am sure Solomani have made it into the Marches.

More than that. Most of the handful of worlds in the Spinward Marches whose population we know the origin of were Solomani. The Darrians were technologically uplifted by an expedition from Dingir, the Sword Worlders came from the Old Earth Union, Victoria was settled by a Solomani sublight expedition, Algine had first a Vilani settlement and later a Solomani sublight expedition. Vanejen, admittedly, was settled by Vilani alone.

Indeed, one could get the impression that the Spinward Marches were located right next to the Solomani Rim, the way everyone from the Rim seems to make a beeline for the Marches.

(In my work on the history of the Spinward Marches I strive to provide the worlds I write up with Imperial settlers from other parts of the Imperium than the Solomani Rim Sector¹, but as none of my work is canon (yet ), that's not much help.)

¹ Regina, for example, was first colonized in 75 by settlers from Aiere (Core 1108), then had involuntary colonists from four different worlds dumped on empty continents during the Pacification Campaigns.​

Hans

 

[Spinward Scout]

True Solomani, though, I couldn't justify, as those would be in a Sector far, far away from the Marches. The same goes for the Hiver and K'kree.

Solomani: Entertainer or Noble on an Imperium-wide tour. Possibly a Merc or Expert/Specialist.

Hiver: One of the ideas I had for a Hiver was to make him an expert on the Ancients. He would easily be in the Marches with all of the Ancient sites.

K'kree: as someone else said - ambassadors and retinue

 

[Supplement Four]

If they gotten this far, I am sure Solomani have made it into the Marches.

There are a ton of racial Solomani in the Spinward Marches. The Solomani were the chief colonizers of the Imperial part of the sector.

I'm talking "true" Solomani, though. Not racial Solomani who are Imperial citizens. I'm talking about those that are featured in the Solomani Alien module. Those guys don't stray far from home.

 

[Spinward Scout]

Aren't 'true' Solomani supposed to be somewhat xenophobic?

 

[rancke]

There are a ton of racial Solomani in the Spinward Marches. The Solomani were the chief colonizers of the Imperial part of the sector.

The chief colonizers of the Imperial part of the sector were Imperials, and the Imperials is a mongrel race (in the good sense of the word) of which Solomani is a strong component, but only a component.

"If any 'race' can be said to be typically Imperial, it is the vast population of Humans with indeterminate (but thoroughly mixed) ancestry." [GT:Humaniti, p. 6]​

Hans

 

[Drakon]

Aren't 'true' Solomani supposed to be somewhat xenophobic?

Thats my understanding as well, which is why this branch bailed and joined the Imperium.

That is the great thing about space travel. You don't like the way they run things in this system, jump to the next.

 

[CosmicGamer]

All the races are so cool, I'd like to play with all of them at the same time. In my Traveller games, the players have never really traveled very far in sector terms. They usually float around one-to-three subsectors or so.

I'd think it possible many races would have some embassy at each sector capitol. Perhaps if you adventure in the capitol city of the sector capitol the characters might notice them?

 

[MikeinBallard]

As stated the K'Kree maintain a few embassies in the Marches. There are rumors of Solamani agents contacting the Zhodani, but it's not been established if they've been successful in their endevors. The Hivers have been seen talking to Duke Norris recently, discussing vaguely defined "future plans".

 

[Blue Ghost]

One thing that impressed me about Traveller back in the day was how aliens were presented. They were truly alien--not just humans with some quirks. The game delved into the culture and history of the aliens in the old CT Alien Modules.

So, one by one, I became enamored with each alien in turn as I read about them: The Zho's, the Solomani, the Droyne, the Vargr, Hiver, K'kree, Aslan. And, so on with the minor races.

But, when I gamed, it was hard for me to put them all together (as a Ref). If you set your game in the Spinward Marches, as I usually did, then Zhodani, Droyne, Vargr, and Darrians could be used, with maybe an occasional Aslan. True Solomani, though, I couldn't justify, as those would be in a Sector far, far away from the Marches. The same goes for the Hiver and K'kree.

Because of the relatively slow inter-galactic journey speed, it's really hard to mix all of the major races together in one spot.

I always wanted a ship of K'kree to show up in one of my games set in the Marches, but I couldn't tie it together logically. K'kree in the Marches would need a really good reason. Why are they there? And, the seldom seen aliens in that part of the Known Universe would attract at least a little attention.

What are you thoughts? Do you see the OTU this way? Or, do you see more of a mix of the major races so that, no matter where you go, there are pockets of each of the major races in each sector?

Maybe as cosmopolitan as the US or the UK and the Commonwealth. Today there are still lots of nations that are very provincial, and importation of other ethnicities can rub the natives raw. I would venture to guess that there are regions of the Imperium that, although solidly behind the Emperor, their people have a beef with Newts or Genoee or something. Everyone in the Imperium is part of the Imperium, but you don't want to be in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time and say or do the wrong thing, less you wind up in the hospital (if you're lucky).

I think that's why there was the blurb about anti-Psionics, partiucarly in the Marches, or the Nordics / Norse being the nucleus for the creation of the Sword Worlds; to give space some social tension and flavor.