The Company or The Shepherd?

[Keklas Rekobah]

I have two articles in the works for posting in the CotI File Library section. One is called "The Company," and is an attempt to detail the operations of the Imperial Essential Intelligence Agency, while the other is called "The Shepherd," and gives a treatment of a religion-based character, and bears many similarities to the "Shepherd Book" character from "Firefly."

Working on both of them simultaneously is taking longer than it would otherwise take, had I worked on them sequentially.

Based upon my posted article "The Syndicate," which of these two articles would you like to see posted next?

Thank you.

 

[Spinward Scout]

I would assume the "The Company" is running espionage against "The Syndicate" and viceversa?

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

I would assume the "The Company" is running espionage against "The Syndicate" and viceversa?

I can neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of the concept embodied in your question. However, I will forward your question to the appropriate individuals for processing. Rest assured, they will be contacting you. Your question is very important to us ... me ... it's important to me.

 

[Spinward Scout]

I can neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of the concept embodied in your question. However, I will forward your question to the appropriate individuals for processing. Rest assured, they will be contacting you. Your question is very important to us ... me ... it's important to me.

Well, when they contact me, I'll have to ask them about "The Company's" Secret Warehouse Storage Facility (SWSF™)that doesn't exist. Nothing to see here...

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

Well, when they contact me, I'll have to ask them about "The Company's" Secret Warehouse Storage Facility (SWSF™)that doesn't exist. Nothing to see here...

... move along.

 

[Icosahedron]

My Cr2 would be for The Company, since I could probably pick more useful stuff from it than I could from a single character write-up. Religion doesn't feature highly IMTU anyway.

Incidentally, What DOES happen to anything dumped in Jump Space??
Can waste be dumped, or does the jump field treat it as part of the ship and drop it back out with the rest of the ship?
Sorry to hijack the thread, please ignore this or move it elsewhere as you wish.

 

[Wraithcat]

I'm going to be controvertial and put in a vote for the religious dude.

I've always been amazed at how religion never gets mentioned in most RPGs, despite the fact that in the real world you can't go 5 metres without tripping over a godbotherer...

Anyway, I'd be interested to see religion get a workout. Maybe mix the covert with the religion if you must!!

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Well, it would be interesting to see some good possibilities for religion. (And, Wraithcat, I've noticed it's mostly SF RPGs that seem to ignore them.) It would be nice to see a character (several, actually) written up with their religious preferences explained and some write-ups on various religions.

I can always read some Ludlum or Fleming, or crack my Top Secret or James Bond games open, if I want to know about spy stuff.

 

[Vargas]

I'm waiting for Footgear of the Imperium.

 

[Wraithcat]

Well, it would be interesting to see some good possibilities for religion. (And, Wraithcat, I've noticed it's mostly SF RPGs that seem to ignore them.) It would be nice to see a character (several, actually) written up with their religious preferences explained and some write-ups on various religions.

I can always read some Ludlum or Fleming, or crack my Top Secret or James Bond games open, if I want to know about spy stuff.

Yes, you are right, it is Sci-fi RPGs ignore religion almost entirely.

But have you ever noticed that players of a fantasy setting like D&D will proudly announce the purchase of a brand new cleric/religious class book, only to totally ignore any religious elements when actually roleplaying (Armoured Mage Syndrome)?

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

I'm waiting for Footgear of the Imperium.

That's Traveller Project #273. Ever try to design a set of flip-flops for a Hiver?


"The Shepherd" is not so much a treatment of a single character, but a presentation of a new character career. This includes backgrounds, motivations, doctrines, and a couple of new skills, as well.

"The Company" draws mostly on Traveller Canon and publically-released information on real-world intelligence agencies. Your characters may never again consider a Patron as just another random encounter...

 

[deniable]

You mean the clerics who beat you up for calling their god a pacifist?

And a weird thought: Serenity seems to indicate that the two subjects may not be too far removed.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

You mean the clerics who beat you up for calling their god a pacifist? And a weird thought: Serenity seems to indicate that the two subjects may not be too far removed.

Shepherd Book took the "Protect your flock" directive very, very seriously...

 

[mbrinkhues]

I'll opt for the spy. After all Mylady deWinter was far more interesting than The Kardinal in the 1994s version of the Musketeers. So I'd take spys and assasins over cardinals and priests.


OTOH: Do Vagr follow the "Church of the Holly Tree?"

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

So I'd take spys and assasins over cardinals and priests.

Alexandre Dumas might question if there was ever a difference between Assassins/Spies and Cardinals/Priests, especially during the Thirty Years War, when Cardinal Richelieu supported the Protestants in Catholic France in order to undermine the influence of the Habsburg Princes in the Holy Roman Empire.

 

[kafka47]

I voted for Other...although, I like the concept of both and wonder how they may be merged. Perhaps, as the Cults and Conspiracies of the Third Imperium.

Perhaps, the Shepherds are fronts for the intelligence agencies who now some of them have genuinely found religion forming the basis for some of the TEDs later on in Traveller history. Conversely, the Shepherds playing an undermining role similar to what Christianity did for Rome.

An article on a religious theme, I would not mind seeing would be what happened to Terran religions after First Contact. Clearly, some substitution took place making Terrans the chosen people but what happens when Terrans cannot dislodge the polythesistic traditions of the Vilani...how does the Terran religions adapt or do they simply die?

There are also interesting questions for the Imperium, is there a Department of Homespace Security? How and when was this constituted? What is the relationship with the other noted intelligence agencies. Is effective or is it red herring?