Setting up a pocket empires campaign

[Brandon C]

I am planning on starting a pocket empires campaign, which is my general preference with Traveller. I will be using MgT/1e, but I have access to some CT, MT and GT material to mine for ideas.

1) I want 4-5 major empires (8-12 worlds each) and 3-4 minor empires (4-7 worlds each). One major empire will be TL 15 and it's main rival TL 13 (with prototype warp drives). I will use four subsectors at spiral arm density (50% chance of world per hex). This should give me about 160 worlds.

2) The data for each system will be randomly generated. However, mainworld data will be divided into physical (size, hydrographics, atmosphere) and social (population, government, law level). Social data will be paired with each world based on highest population going to the most habitable world. After this is done, tech level and starport are determined.

3) I want a small ship universe and will enforce this through economics (population). A population of 7-8 is reduced by one and population 9+ is reduced to 8.

4) I plan on having the campaign set some time after the Rebellion, but without the Virus. Most ships under 1000 tons are very similar to their 3I equivalents. As for races, the TL 13 empire above are bipedal reptilians (I need to make them less Gorn-like than they were when I originally used them, perhaps replacing them with the hhkar). Of the 3I major races, I like the aslan, vargr, and droyne. I might use the k'kree. Of the minor races, the virushi, ael yael and bwaps come to mind.

Any suggestions or comments?

 

[flykiller]

what is the campaign? military? economic? just pc's flying around and seeing what they see?

I want 4-5 major empires (8-12 worlds each) and 3-4 minor empires (4-7 worlds each)

that's a lot of work, unless the worlds consist primarily of stats.

 

[McPerth]

Just one comment. The K'kree and ships about 1000 dtons are nearly incompatible, due to their claustrophobia and gregariousness. IIRC their smaller shisp are about 6000 dtons.

 

[Brandon C]

Just one comment. The K'kree and ships about 1000 dtons are nearly incompatible, due to their claustrophobia and gregariousness. IIRC their smaller shisp are about 6000 dtons.

I wasn't clear. I was just saying 3I ships under 1000 tons will be used in this campaign. Larger ships will be custom builds. Max size is around 6000 tons, and I know this will require changing the k'kree a bit.

 

[Brandon C]

what is the campaign? military? economic? just pc's flying around and seeing what they see?

Economic, legal and illegal, plus troubleshooting.

that's a lot of work, unless the worlds consist primarily of stats.

I will not fully detail each world. Maybe 25 words for most worlds, 100 if the PCs are going there.

 

[aramis]

Just one comment. The K'kree and ships about 1000 dtons are nearly incompatible, due to their claustrophobia and gregariousness. IIRC their smaller shisp are about 6000 dtons.

A 1000Td K'kree ship can be done.

It's one engineer & 1 technician (@48 tons each) per 100 tons of drive... with drives at HG rates (except PP.)
A J1 M1 P1 TL9 Courier is
1000 Td hull
__20 Td Bridge
__40 Td PP P1 TL 9
__20 Td MD M1
__20 Td JD J1
_100 Td JFuel
__98 Td Enginer & Tech SR
__98 Td Pilot and Gunner
_576 Td 3 servants for each (total 12)
__20 Td 10 turrets in one battery.
___8 Td Cargo.

The medic and steward are likely servants.

It's serviceable, and if they are short on crew, more is available than the 8 tons.

 

[Brandon C]

A 1000Td K'kree ship can be done.

I'll note that about the only reason I am considering the K'kree is that I have the CT alien module for them (as well as the modules for the vargr and aslan).

Well, that, and they hate everyone. And I think they are easier to use in play than the kafer (yes, I have the kafer sourcebook for 2300AD).

 

[whartung]

3) I want a small ship universe and will enforce this through economics (population). A population of 7-8 is reduced by one and population 9+ is reduced to 8.

What's the justification for the small populations? What's keeping the populations down? You may find you have a rather large amount of "8's".

What's going to be the base mean TL of the cluster?

Someone else here suggested once (atpollard maybe) after generating the statistics, you purge worlds that have incompatible tech (such at a low tech vacuum planet, or even a tainted planet). Simply, any planet with an environment that could not be kept habitable at the given TL. Either up the TL, or simply zero out the the population.

Do you have an origin story for the cluster (how did these planets get colonized in the first place, and by whom, and when)?

 

[Brandon C]

What's the justification for the small populations? What's keeping the populations down? You may find you have a rather large amount of "8's".

I was thinking post-Rebellion would justify it, but that may just complicate the races I want to use.

Low populations mean low military budgets mean no large warships.

With population being 2D-2, 6 would be more common (with that -1 for pop 7-8).

the base mean TL of the cluster?

10, probably.

Someone else here suggested once (atpollard maybe) after generating the statistics, you purge worlds that have incompatible tech (such at a low tech vacuum planet, or even a tainted planet). Simply, any planet with an environment that could not be kept habitable at the given TL. Either up the TL, or simply zero out the the population.

That is a possibility.

Do you have an origin story for the cluster (how did these planets get colonized in the first place, and by whom, and when)?

No, no story yet.

 

[kilemall]

The original horses were small. Just make the K'kree smaller.

My little vicious ponies.

 

[pendragonman]

Ithklur are amusing...

And I am a small ship guy as well. 5-6 ktons is a good-ish max. You might kick the tires on 10 kton maxi freighters for the big cartels, and 10 ktons for super dreadnoughts/super carriers/space control ships.

 

[aramis]

If you want to make the k'kree more space capable without diminuation, simply treat 48 Td (224 deck squares or 14.5x15.5 squares, or 21.75x23.25m) adequate for 1 K'kree dominant, his ≤6 servants, and their ≤6 each wives. Each takes 2 squares, for 43 adults, which is at least 5 squares per adult.

 

[flykiller]

Maybe 25 words for most worlds, 100 if the PCs are going there.

you must be good at imprompteu decisions and encounters.

 

[Brandon C]

you must be good at imprompteu decisions and encounters.

That's how I've run things for many years I do keep notes, to make sure I stay consistent about a place or person, but many GMs would be horrified by how little I write down for an adventure before hand.

 

[Brandon C]

Ithklur are amusing...

Hmm, I need to reread what I have on them.

And I am a small ship guy as well. 5-6 ktons is a good-ish max. You might kick the tires on 10 kton maxi freighters for the big cartels, and 10 ktons for super dreadnoughts/super carriers/space control ships.

I was shooting for 6000 ton dreadnoughts and super carriers, as I already have designed them

If I run a military campaign, I'd use a 2000 ton light cruiser, which is specifically designed for adventuring

 

[McPerth]

A 1000Td K'kree ship can be done.

It's one engineer & 1 technician (@48 tons each) per 100 tons of drive... with drives at HG rates (except PP.)
A J1 M1 P1 TL9 Courier is
1000 Td hull
__20 Td Bridge
__40 Td PP P1 TL 9
__20 Td MD M1
__20 Td JD J1
_100 Td JFuel
__98 Td Enginer & Tech SR
__98 Td Pilot and Gunner
_576 Td 3 servants for each (total 12)
__20 Td 10 turrets in one battery.
___8 Td Cargo.

The medic and steward are likely servants.

It's serviceable, and if they are short on crew, more is available than the 8 tons.

Of course it may be done, but only 16 K'kree might not be enough for them to keep sanity. Of course, CT:AM does not specify numbers, but for what I've read they rarely go in groups of less than 45-50 individuals. Smaller "herds" seem to be rare...

 

[McPerth]

Some comments/suggestions/advices:

I find wise to limit the pop of the planets, as it will reduce the number of units and bookkeeping

I also find wise the limit on ship tonnage (say it metallurgy does not allow for larger ones, larger jump bubbles are unstable, whatever you want, true reason is GM decision). Maybe this is because I also like small (relative) ship universe.

Starting TL 10 means only J1 is allowed, and I don't expect it to raise in the scope of the game (unless you want to make it for long turns, as 5 years or so). maybe just raising to 11 (and so allowing for J2) could make it more interesting.

Keeping all the player on the same race (let's say humans, to make it more traveller like) avoids races adevantages/disadvantages.

Some things you'll have to decide:

• The length of a turn (critical, as it decides what kind of game do you intend to play)
• The level of detial of the systems: all systems are a single "zone" (as in FFW/TCS), several zones in a system (as in I:E), detailed systems and operational movement on it (good luck in this case).
• How to conduct ground combat, as AFAIK there's not a good one in traveller, for such a strategic game.
• Likewise, some way to cope with interface combat, as MgT is quite vague on it (planetary defenses, ortillery, what effects have each weapon whe nused as such, etc).
• Ship construction and repair capacity and times
• And sure a miriad of details more, those are just the first ones to come to my mind

And, BTW, I could be interested on playing it.

 

[flykiller]

I find wise to limit the pop of the planets, as it will reduce the number of units and bookkeeping

also makes it easier to wing the game. just enough people that you can come up with what you need, not so many people that you have to account for it.

That's how I've run things for many years

you going to run it here on the boards?

 

[aramis]

Of course it may be done, but only 16 K'kree might not be enough for them to keep sanity. Of course, CT:AM does not specify numbers, but for what I've read they rarely go in groups of less than 45-50 individuals. Smaller "herds" seem to be rare...

the rules already put the 1d6 kids per wife as included in the adult stateroom allotment... so that 16 adults includes around 50 non-adults

 

[pendragonman]

If I run a military campaign, I'd use a 2000 ton light cruiser, which is specifically designed for adventuring

2 ktons is a reasonable ship for players to be command crew of.

I think if you look in TNE at their ships you will find that mass of warships run between 13 and 16 times the dtons depending on armor thickness (example: the old Dragon class SDB is 400 dtons but masses 5800 tonnes empty, and a Beowulf is 200 dtons but 1075 tonnes empty),so those 6 kton dreadnoughts mass on the order of 90,000 metric tonnes (sp?), and using mass instead of the standard dtons can make it an easier sell to the players.