T5 Sophont Review

[DonM]

Presenting the T5 Sophont Review, a part of the T5 Second Survey project.

This is a review of many Traveller materials (noted in the References page), including the numerous "Minor Race Lists" produced by various people over the years.

This draft is being posted here to generate commentary from fans on the details. Contents are copyright 2014-2015 Far Future Enterprises, with thanks to Roger Sanger for use of the DGP materials, and thanks to the many Traveller licenses, including Mongoose Publishing, Steve Jackson Games, Avenger Enterprises, QLI, Imperium Games, and of course GDW. Also a great thanks to the many fans who contributed both materials and effort to this.

Even the most obscure notes on some lists were kept, if just to note the non-canon status of the reference.

Updated 8/28 with the latest updates from T5SS.

 

[Dagrill]

Presenting the T5 Sophont Review, a part of the T5 Second Survey project.
Ok, folks, rip it apart!

Hi Don,

I can't open this, what is a php file?

Regards

David

 

[Drakon]

Try using Mozilla and save the file. For some reason IE does not like this type of file, and if you directly open it, it tries to open it in Adobe acrobat reader. As a zip file that does not work.

 

[Garnfellow]

Inyx

GURPS Alien Races 2 doesn't specify a location for the Inyx homeworld, though at one point the text says something like it is found "two sectors rimward of Dark Nebula," which would suggest Banners sector rather than Ahriman (aka Eose'o).

Tjoneslo and I kicked around candidates for a specific world on the wiki, and Banners 2337 seemed the best fit from the available -- though non-canonical -- data. Would be cool to see our speculation locked in.

Alien Races 2 does specify the primary (G7 V) and the text gives standard GURPS data on the mainworld. My conversion of the UWP rendered it as A669918-E

 

[aramis]

I can't open this, what is a php file?

Server-side code. what actually comes back should be a zip file.

 

[DonM]

When I click on it, I get a zip file, which opens to an xlsx file.

Perhaps if I just posted the spreadsheet instead of being clever and putting it in a zip file?

 

[DonM]

I've posted the spreadsheet directly. Try that...

 

[taustin]

The download script is apparently setting a MIME type (as it should), with a suggested file name that IE11 is ignoring (and other browsers use). IE11 is using the name of the download script re-direct page, which is "download.php" instead. Which confuses Windows.

If you change the file name to end in ".xlsx" it opens just fine in Excel, so the file is downloading correctly, but IE11 gets the file name wrong.

It's a combination of (mostly) IE11 being stupid, and your download script not taking it in to account.

 

[DonM]

GURPS Alien Races 2 doesn't specify a location for the Inyx homeworld, though at one point the text says something like it is found "two sectors rimward of Dark Nebula," which would suggest Banners sector rather than Ahriman (aka Eose'o).

Tjoneslo and I kicked around candidates for a specific world on the wiki, and Banners 2337 seemed the best fit from the available -- though non-canonical -- data. Would be cool to see our speculation locked in.

Alien Races 2 does specify the primary (G7 V) and the text gives standard GURPS data on the mainworld. My conversion of the UWP rendered it as A669918-E

???

AR2, page 139: "The Inyx directly control Matrix (their homeworld) and some 17 systems in Ahriman sector (one sector Rimward of Iyiyukhtoi'/Banners), near the interface between the Solomani Confederation and the Aslan Hierate.

No, that doesn't exactly match the text you're seeing on page 140: "Matrix... is located on the edge of Hierate and Solomani space, two sectors Rimward of Dark Nebula."

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Don, are you applying some standards with regards to the races listed?
For example are you applying the same standards used with travellermap.com, that being

OTU (T5SS sectors)
Unreviewed (part of OTU, but not reviewed)
Apocryphal (once licensed, but now not)
Unofficial (never licensed)

I ask because of focus. Better to address the aliens found within the OTU sectors first I would think. The race you just discussed in Banners sector is all well and good, but not so much if the sector has not been reviewed.

 

[DonM]

Don, are you applying some standards with regards to the races listed?
For example are you applying the same standards used with travellermap.com, that being

OTU (T5SS sectors)
Unreviewed (part of OTU, but not reviewed)
Apocryphal (once licensed, but now not)
Unofficial (never licensed)

I ask because of focus. Better to address the aliens found within the OTU sectors first I would think. The race you just discussed in Banners sector is all well and good, but not so much if the sector has not been reviewed.

Not in the way you describe above.

A number of "does not belong" items are listed because they appear on other lists, and would raise a bunch of questions if there was no reference to them. For example, "cultures" don't belong, but they appear on some lists. There are some "non-canon" items that would be either Apocrypal or Unofficial by your definition (Judges Guild or Kundert items). Note that Jim was actually involved in the preparation of this list, so his name appearing in the Notes is with his involvement.

This focus was to identify all published or referenced sophonts in Traveller materials, and note for Marc review any items. Reference the Notes tab for information related to that. Marc has seen this spreadsheet in this form, and we agreed that making it public in its current form prior to his "review" would give him more information to make better decisions.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Thanks for the clarification.
I have my side projects still going on with the early history of the OTU from -10000 to -1776, so I look with admitted self-interest of the races within the borders of the First Imperium and the Rule of Man.

 

[Hemdian]

1. I thought Paranoia Press was de-canonised at the same time as Judges Guild. I have a recollection (which may be wrong) of reading something years ago that explicitly listed both (but no others).
   
   
2. There is no mention of any sophonts from Group One products.
   
   
3. What about HIWG material ... 'published' on CD?

 

[tjoneslo]

I found the following missing from your list:

Hawklings, Minor Race, (Position unknown), Ref: Marooned on Ghostring - http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Hawklings

Kancers, Minor Race, (Position Unknown), Ref: Darkling Ship - http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Kancers

Neuralon, minor race, (position unknown), ref: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=82019

Zirduluush, minor race Degushush (Dagudashaag 1302) , ref: Signal-GK Issue #4 - http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Zirduluush

Do you consider articles in SJGames JTAS Online sufficiently published to be included on the list? I have at least five items on the wiki list written by Michael Brown and other published there.

Do you want to consider fan published items? The one I'm thinking of is Michael Maley's High Torgua campaign writeup .

 

[rancke]

I would like to repeat a suggestion I made on another thread for the first T5 aliens book:

The first treatment of the subject should, IMO, be Peoples of Charted Space. This book would feature 8-page¹ writeups of the Big Eight (Aslans, Centaurs, Hivers, Imperials, Solomani, Vargr, Vilani, and Zhodani) and the Ubiquitous Two (Bwaps and Droyne). 4-page, 2-page, and 1-page² writeups of a selection of interesting races and cultures (e.g. Darrians, Imperial Aslan, Sword Worlders, Syleans, Vegans, Vlazdumecta), and a list of all officially accepted minor races, human and non-human (NOT an exhaustive list; just the ones that have been written up so far that are accepted (which is a good opportunity to decanonize a few squibs)). Also articles about the Major Race-Minor Race controversy and about human races.

¹ Eight pages because that makes it easy to turn them into handouts.
² More potential handouts.​

The most important part (IMO) in this connection is the bit I've underlined.


Hans

 

[DonM]

I thought Paranoia Press was de-canonised at the same time as Judges Guild. I have a recollection (which may be wrong) of reading something years ago that explicitly listed both (but no others).

The only explicit not-canon declaration Marc gave me was JG.

There is no mention of any sophonts from Group One products.

I went through the GO materials I have and found nothing... drop me an e-mail (don.mckinney@gmail.com) if you have some references for me to check.

What about HIWG material ... 'published' on CD?

No. Not unless required because of a canon reference (the Videll material comes over, as does some Clay Bush items). But the bulk of HIWG material remains fan creations in copyright limbo, along with many old Traveller fanzines. Sorry...

I found the following missing from your list:

Hawklings, Minor Race, (Position unknown), Ref: Marooned on Ghostring - http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Hawklings

Kancers, Minor Race, (Position Unknown), Ref: Darkling Ship - http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Kancers

The Judges Guild materials have been explicitly decanonised by Marc.

Neuralon, minor race, (position unknown), ref: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=82019

Not even close to canon that I'm aware of. Is there some reason that you would think this would be OTU material?

Zirduluush, minor race Degushush (Dagudashaag 1302) , ref: Signal-GK Issue #4 - http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Zirduluush

Ok, now we're talking! SGK #4, I'll review.

Do you consider articles in SJGames JTAS Online sufficiently published to be included on the list? I have at least five items on the wiki list written by Michael Brown and other published there.

Not a source noted by Marc. I'm going to suspect they would be considered on an individual basis, that there's not a blanket answer, and if there's not a strong author/source OTU connection, the answer will be no. This would also apply to Mongoose's Signs and Portents...

Do you want to consider fan published items? The one I'm thinking of is Michael Maley's High Torgua campaign writeup .

No. Same consideration as that Skortched 'Urf book.

Basically, any material considered needs to have a strong author/source connection to published OTU materials. I'll put JTAS Online and Mongoose's Signs and Portents on my list of items to ask about.

I would like to repeat a suggestion I made on another thread for the first T5 aliens book:

This project would be a first step in determining an OTU list of sophonts. This project is NOT a place to discuss proposals for T5 publications. Sorry.
I'm trying to keep a tight focus on this discussion, unlike the previous T5SS discussion.

 

[aramis]

The only explicit not-canon declaration Marc gave me was JG.

Judges Guild's sectors were explicitly decanonized in two waves - the spinward two (Ley, Glimmerdrift), in Atlas (pdf, page 5), and in T20's Gateway domain for the other two (Maranatha-Alkahest and Cruicis Margin; M-A was even renamed).

 

[inexorabletash]

M-A was renamed earlier - in one of the CT Alien Modules. (But not paved over until T20.)

Don - what elevates Signal-GK above "fanzine" status? Is it the author connection? Just trying to hone my Marc-guessing skills.

 

[GypsyComet]

Paranoia Press was implicitly decanonized, or at least softened, when FASA began detailing Far Frontiers with conflicting borders and regional assumptions along the common border with Vanguard Reach. The Beyond was later assumed decanonized when DGP put a very different dot map for that sector in one of their Aliens books. Whether they were assuming decanonization (The PP Beyond has some crazy stuff in it in light of later development) or were told to over-write was never established in print that I recall.

 

[DonM]

Don - what elevates Signal-GK above "fanzine" status? Is it the author connection? Just trying to hone my Marc-guessing skills.

I thought I put the details in the Notes tab.

BITS' "Long Way Home" adventure is set in, and dependent on the SGK materials. When Imperium Games reprinted it, they effectively pulled the SGK material up one notch on the "Is it canon?" list.