Solomani on the rimward frontier

[saulweaver]

Is there any canonical information about the Solomani on the frontier? Are they actively exploring and colonizing? Are there other powers out there?

Thanks for any information. My CT/MT materials do not seem to say anything about what is going on.

 

[mad13142000]

The Solomani Rim sort of peters out in the Aldebaran Sector...Not sure why, Do know that there are several small pocket empires rimward...There is something REALLY NASTY said to be lurking in Amderstun Sector....

Some of the pocket Empires rimward include:
Hadji Sector-
Creation of Nonpareil
Parity of Brothers
Johnson-Bowes Federation
Counsel of the Wise
Winston Democracy
Malorn Sector-
Bright Stars Cooperate
Daprolix Juncture
Great Terbah
Joie De Vivre
Lords of Vision
Malorn Union
Toh Republic
Hanstone Sector-
Auftei Ktaih
Fteiheiel Oih
Council of Heads
Jurisdiction of Nadon
Banners Sector-
Woal Warliylr
Delsun Comagistrant
Aoiftu Roakh

Note that these are the playgrounds of the Referees, and not much out here is solid canon, but some of this is pretty well distributed, and a couple of things are the result of HIWG and JTAS articles...Pick and choose what you will.
Also note that Langere Sector is the interface between Solomani and the Hive Federation, so Humaniti is blocked from expansion trailing, as is the Aslan on the Canopus Sector side..

I don't know...What exactly are you interested in?
-MADDog

 

[Antony]

Well I've been detailing the Banners sector. I havn't done much on the Aslan states of Woal Warliylr and Aoiftu Roakh. Though I did come with an explanation for the sectors name, excerpt posted below;

The Hope subsector (subsector H) contains thirteen star systems, all of which were settled primarily by humans. Unlike many other regions in the sector no Aslan had settled on any worlds in the subsector. This was despite the regions proximity to the Woal Warliyir.

This was a consequence of the so called battle of the banners, fought between the Woal Warliyir and a coalition of human states led by the then advanced system of Nakajima. During the engagement ships were so badly damaged that many took each other on at close to visual ranges. At this range sensor locks were virtually automatic. The human admiral Canning Xiang knowing this lit up the chameleon hull on his flagship producing a "banner" the rest of his command followed suit as did the Woal Warliyir vessels.

The battle was a pyrric victory for admiral Xiang (he was killed in the battle), Nakajima was devastated but the treaty between the Woal Warliyir signed by the surviving representatives of the human coalition continued until virus struck the sector.

 

[mad13142000]

I was under the impression that the Waol were a minor alien race...
I was going to mention your version of Banner - I have it as part of my astrography, but I don't play TNE myself, and he was asking about CT...
Don't get me wrong, I like your version, just don't use it...<although it taught me how to write a decent subsector note file

>

-MADDog

 

[Antony]

I never came across any information that the Woal Warliyir were a minor race so I made them Aslan as well. This made sense to me given the number of Aslan client states and Aslan PEs which seemed to fill the area.

 

[Ranger]

My general impression was that the SC was pre-occupied with the imperial threat and the liberation of occupied territory coreward. It would be hard to politically justify the expense of a major expansion or even large scale exploration rimward until the confrontation with the Imperium was resolved.

Just my thoughts,

Rob

 

[kafka47]

I have always viewed those rimward colonies the real deep pockets of real humanity left. Whereas, the pockets that formed up with the Rim compromised their principles those rimward was where the most militaristic societies were to be found.

I extrapolated from the fact that expansion during the Interstellar Wars must have pushed Rimward (as a flank to obtain resources to fight the Wars). Those colonies had colonies which pushed humanity further. With the collapse of the ROM, perhaps, some elements of humanity was always in search of Earth or their roots amongst the Stars. Now what if some of those colonists found traces of the civilizations that dated around the time of the primordials which pushed them further Rimward...plus, too much nasty politics (Earth et al) and radiation Coreward...

 

[mad13142000]

Kafka - Banners Sector is rimward of Ustral Quadrant, definitely within the Aslan Heirate, not Humaniti.
With the Aslan Spinward, and Hivers Trailing, Humaniti only has a narrow corridor 3 sectors wide through Malorn, Hadji, and Storr sectors to expand. And since these are all rimward of the Solomani, it would be up to them to do it, not the Imperium. Unfortunately, there is not much space before they trip across a potentialy more dangerous threat than the Virus, lying in Amderstun Sector...
As I see it, it's GOOD that there isn't alot of expansion...

-MADDog

 

[saulweaver]

Thanks for all the information everyone. I was able to find the maps of the relevant sectors, and human settlements seem to stop about 40 parsecs to rimward of the Solomani border. After that, its X starports and no populations. It appears that the rimward frontier is not being aggressively colonized. Perhaps due to the desire for revanche.

I was interested in doing a series of frontier adventures. The Imperium is an attractive starting point, but it is a very long way to any truly empty frontiers without having to go through some other empire (beyond Theron?). The frontier is much closer to the Solomani, but the whole Party/SolSec thing is such a distraction.

 

[ninthcouncil]

Originally posted by MADDog:
Unfortunately, there is not much space before they trip across a potentialy more dangerous threat than the Virus, lying in Amderstun Sector...-MADDog

You tease, MADDog.

I've seen a dot map of Malorn showing some systems to rimward keyed as "AI Lifeforms", though I've no idea of the original source of this data - is this anything to do with your mysterious Very Bad Thing? Or is it a home-brewed Thing?

 

[Anthony]

None of the rimward solomani information is particularly high canon, though I believe they're supposed to have sent some very long distance probes out. Jon F Zeigler is working on a writeup of Aldebaran sector for GURPS Traveller (not sure of release schedule) and pretty well determined that the actual canon is _very_ limited, and the information about the sector on the web is actively bad and should be discarded.

 

[mad13142000]

Originally posted by ninthcouncil:
You tease, MADDog.

I've seen a dot map of Malorn showing some systems to rimward keyed as "AI Lifeforms", though I've no idea of the original source of this data - is this anything to do with your mysterious Very Bad Thing? Or is it a home-brewed Thing?

Moi? Tease? Of course...

The bad thing is Canon...
At least in A Traveller Universe. (A clue!)
Ever read Hienlein? (ooohh. another clue...)


And Anthony - Canon is what is published. Many of those who take the time to make a website do so because they have HAD things published, or because they love the game and wish to share. That makes it canon enough for me. If someone says someting who used to write for HIWG, CORE, or some other Traveller source, that carries a lot. If all you rely on is what LKW or MVM said, you'd miss out on the rest of the universe - The players help create canon too...

-MADDog

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by MADDog:
And Anthony - Canon is what is published.

No, canon is what a Traveller editor insists that his authors use as background material.


Hans

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Originally posted by MADDog:
And Anthony - Canon is what is published. Many of those who take the time to make a website do so because they have HAD things published, or because they love the game and wish to share. That makes it canon enough for me. If someone says someting who used to write for HIWG, CORE, or some other Traveller source, that carries a lot. If all you rely on is what LKW or MVM said, you'd miss out on the rest of the universe - The players help create canon too...
-MADDog [/QB]

Don't confuse OTU canon with 'Your Own Traveller Universe' canon. Anything can be OK for you, but for it to be canon in the official Traveller universe means that the current publishers of the game have to have approved of it as such.

Also, just because someone had something published once that was incorporated into OTU canon, does not necessarily mean that anything else they write is automatically OTU canon. Look at the DGP stuff, for example.

None of that makes any other material any less valid for one's own TU of course - just don't think that it's actually officially-sanctioned and approved material when it isn't.

 

[mad13142000]

Originally posted by Evil Dr Ganymede:
Don't confuse OTU canon with 'Your Own Traveller Universe' canon. Anything can be OK for you, but for it to be canon in the official Traveller universe means that the current publishers of the game have to have approved of it as such.
Also, just because someone had something published once that was incorporated into OTU canon, does not necessarily mean that anything else they write is automatically OTU canon. Look at the DGP stuff, for example.
None of that makes any other material any less valid for one's own TU of course - just don't think that it's actually officially-sanctioned and approved material when it isn't.

So your saying that D20 is the ONLY Official Traveller Universe? They are the only ones currently publishing stuff. You have to discount Gurps, because it's already been relegated to the Alternate Universe. All that work for the last 25 years down the tubes. I guess I'll have to throw away all my stuff from BITS (CORE) and my old JTAS, Digest and Challenge magazines...Since it's not considered a part of the OTU...
I've never quoted stuff that hadn't been generated by Core or HIWG. Yes, my work on the Extents is based off of the DGP dotmaps, but according to YOUR editor, they are still considerd canon, just not referrable AS such. I've been working on them, because I'd thought that maybe some other person would be interested in them and wish to NOT spend 6 months developing them. But since they probably won't see print (I doubt Hunter decides to publish stuff NOT in the Imperium) I guess I should just stop...
So the OTU ends at Spinward Marches and the Solomani Rim...
gee, what an exciting place....
<yawn>

-MADDog

 

[ninthcouncil]

The canon does include the JTAS, Challenge stuff etc. The Hinterworlds sector, for instance, is canon, though it was only ever published in Challenge. Canon would include the DGP stuff, were it not for the problematic copyright situation surrounding most of their material; that's why it's referred to as forbidden canon.

GURPS Traveller is consistent with canon (and is, in fact, a very useful way of getting summaries of the canon information), excepting that it diverges from OTU history when Dulinor buys the farm instead of Strephon.

I can't see any problem with the BITS stuff, especially since most of it is adventure support rather than background development.

Don't start up the shredder yet - The concept of canon isn't that restrictive. It's just that since the internet caused the whole concept of "publication" to mutate, it's necessary to be a bit careful about your sources if you wish to produce material that's compatible with the official universe, e.g. for professional publication. If you're not interested in getting things published, why worry? The Canon Police aren't going to be kicking down your door and shipping you off to Newcombe Imperial Prison with a bag over your head if you decide that Amderstun is full of dwarf lesbian ninjas in giant mecha

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by MADDog:
[QB]
So your saying that D20 is the ONLY Official Traveller Universe? They are the only ones currently publishing stuff.
[QB]

Actually, the canon is what Marc Miller says it is, which doesn't include either GT or T20 at the moment; the canon is basically materials produced for Classic Traveller, including most of the magazines. GURPS Traveller materials are canon for GURPS Traveller; T20 materials are canon for T20. Neither group is required to respect the other's canon, though they'll probably try to avoid deliberate incompatibilities.

This does allow an additional level of canon: there's stuff that's not canon, but won't be contradicted unless necessary. An example of this would be the Genii sector files.

HIWG is not canonical. Neither is CORE.

Oh, and for the record: my problems with the Aldebaran sector in CORE include:

TL 18 pop-A port-A world. That might just tilt the balance of power, might it not?
Home (the capital of the Confederation, which has a canonical location and UWP) is not on the map.

 

[EvilDrGanymede]

Originally posted by MADDog:
So your saying that D20 is the ONLY Official Traveller Universe? They are the only ones currently publishing stuff. You have to discount Gurps, because it's already been relegated to the Alternate Universe. All that work for the last 25 years down the tubes. I guess I'll have to throw away all my stuff from BITS (CORE) and my old JTAS, Digest and Challenge magazines...Since it's not considered a part of the OTU...

Er, no. In fact I didn't even mention T20. Pretty much all the stuff published in book form over the past 25 years (with a few exceptions that have been deliberately dropped from canon) are part of the OTU. GT and T20 are their own canon, as Anthony explained.

And I believe that JTAS and the digests are OTU too. Though there's probably all sorts of contradictions that spring up as a result of that.

I'm probably generalising somewhat. My point is that Marc Miller and the people who publish Traveller have decided and will decide what's officially canon. I imagine that they probably have a list of stuff that's been accepted somewhere.

I've been working on them, because I'd thought that maybe some other person would be interested in them and wish to NOT spend 6 months developing them. But since they probably won't see print (I doubt Hunter decides to publish stuff NOT in the Imperium) I guess I should just stop...

Why stop working on them? Just don't go under the impression that what you're doing is 'official canon' if it isn't. (though if you KNOW that it has been officially accepted as part of OTU canon then there's no problem. But that doesn't sound like the case here).

Even if you publish them on the web or by any other means, people can still be interested in them. Just because it's not part of the OTU doesn't make any homegrown Traveller stuff less valid - all it means is that it's not part of the official universe that everyone shares.

So the OTU ends at Spinward Marches and the Solomani Rim...
gee, what an exciting place....
<yawn>

Not at all. Other sectors are there on the charted space maps. Some presumably have been also developed in MT and TNE books (Didn't the Diaspora sector get a book for itself for MT?). Of course it's not just the Spinward Marches and the Rim.

 

[mad13142000]

Originally posted by Anthony:
Actually, the canon is what Marc Miller says it is, which doesn't include either GT or T20 at the moment; ... This does allow an additional level of canon: there's stuff that's not canon, but won't be contradicted unless necessary. An example of this would be the Genii sector files.
HIWG is not canonical. Neither is CORE.

The canon debate is dumb...I can go over to the U of A and find a hundred people to play D&D, but would be hard pressed to find 4 that play Traveller. The reason has always been because of the 'Canon' thing. I can name several people who were involved in HIWG but dropped out due to attitude from the publishing companies over canon, and whether stuff developed by fans and players was worthy or not. Why else did GDW and other Traveller companies go belly up while other RPGs of worse caliber thrived? Probably because of the attitude that the fans and players were secondary to whatever twisted desires of publishers ...TNE was the final nail for most - why develop and write for JTAS or other publication when everything was for naught?
I DON'T have a problem with people in power deciding what direction the game takes - What I'm saying is that by deliberately taking the view that some things are not worthy of consideration in the OTU, you are lowering the value of that setting. As far as I'm concerned, Core and HIWG are canon until Miller & Associates decides to publish something that counteracts it. If THEY say it's not, without publishing , then they doom the game to irrelevance in the greater RPG universe...
Is there any surprise that I have more original D&D stuff in my library than everything published for Traveller across all versions...If every time Traveller gets off and running, and someone comes along and cuts the legs out from under it because of canon issues, it'll never be as big as even the obscure RPGs - And I think Trav is better than those stupid Werewolves, Rifts, or....

The game is made up of publishers AND players, refs, and fans...

-MADDog

-------------------------------------------------
"And from now on, I don't care if my tea leaves spell 'Die Ron, Die' - I'm just chucking them in the bin where they belong."

 

[hunter]

Originally posted by Anthony:
Actually, the canon is what Marc Miller says it is, which doesn't include either GT or T20 at the moment;

The setting material for T20 is OTU canon.

Hunter