OTU Only: The roads less travelled

[Marchand]

I'm interested to hear about OTU campaigns people have run that were NOT set in the usual stamping grounds of Spinward Marches or Solomani Rim. For the purposes of this discussion, I also want to rule out beta quadrant of Trojan Reach (i.e. the 4 coreward-trailing subsectors).

What were the themes? How if at all did the location affect the feel of the game? How did you make it feel different?

Also happy to hear about games set in SM/SR outside the "usual" Rim War through to Rebellion period (c.990-1120s).

So, speak to me of your campaigns in Antares, Zarushagar or wherever else.

 

[aramis]

I'm interested to hear about OTU campaigns people have run that were NOT set in the usual stamping grounds of Spinward Marches or Solomani Rim. For the purposes of this discussion, I also want to rule out beta quadrant of Trojan Reach (i.e. the 4 coreward-trailing subsectors).

What were the themes? How if at all did the location affect the feel of the game? How did you make it feel different?

Let's see... I ran one campaign which was Marches to Capital and back... to get a noble to the moot for the confirmation of Strephon. Was a bit of a blur.

I ran another that was marches to capital... to assassinate Dulinor. Lots of political intrigue.

I ran another that was set in Deneb... net effect, Spinward Marches Trailing.

I ran a game set in a total ATU. Players complained it felt too much like the OTU.

I ran a K'Kree game once - lasted two sessions.

Most of my games have been set in the Marches or in the Solomani Rim.

I did run TNE stock once - set in the RC. The feel wasn't different enough for the setting, but the rules were too different to support the setting.

I did a one-shot of Tron.

I've used CT as the character module for Car Wars a couple times. (Prior to getting ADC.)

If ships matter, Jump Drive's distinct feel trumps most all the rest.

 

[GypsyComet]

I ran a brief Hard Times game in Lishun, and a longer civilian "life during wartime" early Rebellion game in Daibei. Another wartime game got started in Arzul/Ingukrax before real life intervened.

I've recently played in a Classic era game in Delphi.

 

[Quint]

Waaay back in the day I would run things in the Glimmerdrift Reaches - the Judges Guild versions. I also ran in the early versions of the Reaver's Deep, and Far Frontiers sector by FASA. I'd also ran a ton of stuff in the old Beyond and Vanguard Reaches

Honestly, it mainly de-emphasized Imperial stuff, or gave it far more of an actual colonial or frontier vibe. It all gave me the opportunity to play with lots of small stellar polities without an omnipresent superpower presence.

The themes were honestly the usual Traveller tropes, just with less Imperium. But lets see what I can remember...

Glimmerdrift Reaches was mainly merchant and mercenary focused, but did use a bit of the "Great Game" vibe.

Reaver's Deep spent a fair amount of time in Human-Aslan relations, lots of merchant stuff and pirate things as I recall.

Far Frontiers was the opportunity to play anti-Zho stuff, but not based on anti-psionics it was purely political. So it had a number of psionic themes. Plus some fun church politics with the church that was mentioned in a couple of the adventures.

The Beyond/Vanguard Reaches had this thing called the Comsentient Alliance in it that became and remained a "big thing" in my game. It had a very cosmopolitan vibe to the campaigns, more like a Europe and Middle East plus Northern Africa between the WWI and WWII. There was a strong Imperial presence but it was highly balanced by the Comsentient Alliance.

D.

 

[WistfulD]

I don't know if this counts as OTU, but most of my games that do not focus on the most commonly known sectors have existed "in the Imperium," but in sectors that have been made using the star/sector building rules, because we tend to like building them.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I ran a campaign with my second or third group about them leaving the Marches, and heading back to Earth. A lot of it was impromptu adventuring.

 

[salochin999]

Always either Spinward Marches or a completely made up sub-sector for me although I started but didn't finish a Vilani early colonization setup. If I did one it would be an episodic Dumarest-ish trek where the players had no money but needed to go from Capital to the edge of the Imperium for some reason or other: inheritance, treasure map or something. They'd start with no money and have to earn their way home somehow or other.

 

[Nightwind1]

I've run numerous games in the Paranoia Press "Beyond" and "Vanguard Reaches".

 

[mike wightman]

One of my favourite campaigns was the one in which the group of players went from world to world Dumarest style.

I used Traveller to design the worlds adjacent to the one they started on and off they went. Each new system had its own adventures, and I would only detail the next few worlds that could be reached from that one.

In my head I imagined it as being set during the OTU long night (the more modern version of which I have had great fun with) but the Imperium was never mentioned.

 

[Golan2072]

One OTU campaign I'm thinking about - Aldebaran or Canopus circa 988 (Imperial year). In theory this is imperial space, and the Imperium indeed controls it militarily to a degree, repressing the local Solomani movement, but the whole thing is a powder-keg about to explode in about two years into the War of Solomani Liberty. Plus this is set on an actual, honest-to-God frontier on the Rimward. I'd depict a rather varied and multifaceted Solomani movement, which is quite different than the much more rigid Solomani Party of later years; the eventual post-war Solomani Party might even be the "Thermidorian Reaction" of the Solomani Revolution, repressing the more varied and sometimes more democratic anti-Imperial movement.

So you'll have:
- An actual frontier.
- Imperial rule, which is "powerful but distant" ala LBBs 4-5.
- Imperial rule, so most starships are standard Imperial ships and most gear is standard gear (many haven't changed much between 988 and 1105).
- Solomani politics with multiple factions, inter-factional strife and plans and conspiracies for insurrection against the Imperium.
- A process of political change which will lead, in two game-years, into an all-out war (which will mostly be fought elsewhere after the defeat of local Imperial forces).

What's not to like?

 

[aramis]

Waaay back in the day I would run things in the Glimmerdrift Reaches - the Judges Guild versions. I also ran in the early versions of the Reaver's Deep, and Far Frontiers sector by FASA. I'd also ran a ton of stuff in the old Beyond and Vanguard Reaches

I've used the JG domain-sized chunk as well. I just wish they had written up the Dannin more...

I just haven't used it for campaigns... a couple 2-3 session minicampaigns. And I do agree with the general tone being less imperial...

It's an excellent set of sectors, in that the detail is, right down the line, just a bit better than the early printings of Sup 3, and then it has additional material GDW never included.

 

[RandyB]

One OTU campaign I'm thinking about - Aldebaran or Canopus circa 988 (Imperial year). In theory this is imperial space, and the Imperium indeed controls it militarily to a degree, repressing the local Solomani movement, but the whole thing is a powder-keg about to explode in about two years into the War of Solomani Liberty. Plus this is set on an actual, honest-to-God frontier on the Rimward. I'd depict a rather varied and multifaceted Solomani movement, which is quite different than the much more rigid Solomani Party of later years; the eventual post-war Solomani Party might even be the "Thermidorian Reaction" of the Solomani Revolution, repressing the more varied and sometimes more democratic anti-Imperial movement.

So you'll have:
- An actual frontier.
- Imperial rule, which is "powerful but distant" ala LBBs 4-5.
- Imperial rule, so most starships are standard Imperial ships and most gear is standard gear (many haven't changed much between 988 and 1105).
- Solomani politics with multiple factions, inter-factional strife and plans and conspiracies for insurrection against the Imperium.
- A process of political change which will lead, in two game-years, into an all-out war (which will mostly be fought elsewhere after the defeat of local Imperial forces).

What's not to like?

Tangent from this: you just struck me with an interesting analog for the post-War Solomani Confederation. It strongly resembles either post-WWI Germany after the the metastasization of the Nazi Party or post-WWI Russia after the Red and White Revolutions.

 

[HiverLord]

Haven't run it yet, but I'm setting up an 'OTU' campaign, set in the Gateway Domain, with some slightly-altered borders.

 

[Lycanorukke]

The longest one I was involved with was a 'spook' campaign between the Julian's and the Imperium in the Rebellion/Hard Times periods.

The players were operatives for Julian Intelligence and bounced back and forth between the Imperium, the Protectorate and the League of Antares. Our ship was a disguised SIGINT merchant, and we rendered assiatance to local operatives (pre-packaged adventures) or took on mission of opportunity on our own initiative (freeform).

It started out as the 'Great Game', but slowly shifted into 'Deus Ex Illuminati' territory. Great fun, but keeping track of the web of secrets, lies and schemes burnt our GM out before we could finish.