The Traveller Adventure

[Supplement Four]

March Harrier Timeline

Looking at the ages and terms to derive how long each character has been aboard the Harrier as I did above, this is one anomaly. Pregen 4. The Medic.

Where two characters have been crewmembers for two years: The Captain/Navigator and the Third Officer, the rest of the crew has either one year aboard the ship or less than one year. But, then there's the Medic, and ex-Other, of all things! With Forgery and Streetwise among his top skills along with Medic-3! What an interesting character!

Who is this guy? He's got not a one or two year gap between mustering out...but a 5 year gap!

Hmmm....





TIMELINE

1100 - Pregen 4 finds himself on Aramis and has caught wind of a subsidy program being discussed by the Marquis. Maybe Pregen 4 saw a similar program in use in another part of the subsector. Or, maybe Pregen 4 saw the details of the program somewhere and began to petition the Marquis for a subsidy--thereby getting the idea in front of the Marquis for the first time.





1103 - Maybe Pregen 4 needed to raise some up-front money that the Marquis will match. Maybe the wheels of government just move that slow. In any case, it takes three years for Pregen 4 to get the subsidy. (And, maybe his Forgery skill came in handy.)

But, he's only a doctor--a medic. What does he know about running a starship? Nothing. He needs an experienced crew. This is where Pregen 1
comes on the scene. He's an experienced Merchant Captain with almost a quarter century of experience under his belt.

The positions of Medic and Navigator are set, and it is decided that Pregen 1 will act as Captain. 51% of the subsidy is taken by Pregen 1, while 49% ownership in this stake is held by the Medic, Pregen 4.

The Captain then hires and old friend, Pregen 5, to be the Harrier's gunner. He'll also serve as the ship's steward (until another crewmember is added years later).

Captain/Navigator - Pregen 1.
Medic - Pregen 4
Gunner/Steward - Pregen 5.

The next 8-12 months, the four Harrier crewmen finalize the subsidy with the Marquis, take delivery of the new vessel, argue with the Marquis over weapons installation (the Marquis finally agrees to 1 dual laser turret). The weapon is then installed after the three crewmen have taken delivery of the vessel. The Harrier is inspected. Licenses and insurance are obtained. And potential crew are interviewed and hired.





1104 - The March Harrier takes its maiden voyage and services the four worlds of its subsidy route: Aramis, Natoko, Reacher, and L'oul d'Dieu. The crew strives to reach two of the worlds each month, with no two worlds serviced in two consecutive months, as denoted in the subsidy agreement. Practically, though, this does not always prove possible. The Harrier spends more time at Aramis than any of the other three worlds (Natoko is a far second in landings).

To fill out the crew, Pregen 2 has been hired as pilot. And, Pregen 3 has been brought on as engineer.

Towards the end of the year, Pregen 5 relinquishes duty as ship's steward when Pregen 6 is brought aboard, taking that role.

About this time, Pregen 7 takes working passage between worlds as a deckhand, and after a couple of jumps, he is hired full-time as a member of the crew.

At this point, the crew is made up of (in order of seniority):

(5 years) Medic - Pregen 4

(2 years) Captain/Navigator - Pregen 1
(2 years) Gunner - Pregen 5

(1 year) Pilot - Pregen 2
(1 year) Engineer - Pregen 3

(Less than a year) Steward - Pregen 6

(Less than a month) Deckhand and 4th Officer - Pregen 7





1105 - The Harrier makes dry dock at its home port of Aramis to undergo the ship's annual maintenance and the crew's first two-week annual vacation. A second dual laser turret is installed, and the crew will need to start looking for a second gunner to operate it.

The Traveller Adventure Begins.

 

[Supplement Four]

If a Ref wanted to use the Pregens, he could follow what I've written above (or something like it of his own creation), playing out parts of it as suggested up thread.

Begin with the history. Detail the Medic's bright idea and effort to obtain the subsidy. Who knows, some interesting NPC contacts could come out of this if parts are roleplayed.

Negotiating with the Marquis of Aramis for the ship's weapons could be interesting--the Marquis wanting to keep the expense down and thinking that the ship doesn't need weapons on the four worlds of the subsidy--with the players finally winning this battle, of course.

Then, skip to 1104, where the ship begins. Jump to each planet at least twice, just dicing cargo and passengers. Establish what the worlds are generally like. Add in the new crew when appropriate. Maybe find some NPC contacts that the players can use later in the game

Spoiler:

how about the original broker the ship deals with on Natoko (Gyles Honsen)? The PCs will look for him and end up meeting Ulrich Baseru after the adventure starts in the "In Search of Longer Legs" chapter.

Also, if the Ref feels like it,

Spoiler:

he can run the Patron Encounters Pyramids, Go For Broke, Electronic Bestiary, and In The Money from the Patrons chapter--maybe one adventure for each world.

At this point, The Traveller Adventure is started.

 

[Whipsnade]

Excellent as always, S4. A wonderful way to tailor the adventure to better suit MgT chargen's nifty background creation tables.

When using TTA "straight", pages 31 and 129 provide a wealth of information regarding the subsidy, crew, and other details:

• The subsidy is held by a blind trust on Regina.
• That trust, as the subsidy holder, gets 50% of gross revenues.
• The ship has been assigned to the Aramis Trace route for five years.
• The ship has worked that route without break for ~187 weeks (three years) to earn 80 weeks "off" per the 70:30 ratio.
• Many of the crew have signed aboard at different times over "several months".
• Both the ship's turrets have been armed sometime during the last 5 years.

Much like how Peleg and Bildad hired Ahab to captain the Pequod, the subsidy holders hired the March's captain to operate her along the Aramis Trace. He's most likely been serving aboard for the three years the ship has been banking up those 80 weeks of off-route time. A captain whose contract with the subsidy holders was winding down would want to use any earned off-time before leaving.

As for the others, I think the ex-Scout pilot has been aboard the longest because he owns the most shares of the ship's shadow fund.

 

[Supplement Four]

Excellent as always, S4. A wonderful way to tailor the adventure to better suit MgT chargen's nifty background creation tables.

Thank you, sir. You already know that I highly value your posts as well.

I don't know much about MGT, but I've been looking at what the character's tell me and how they should interact for about as long as I've been playing Traveller. Whether you're reading a subsector, or a UWP, or a system, or just how a few characters came to know each other, the details are there...you've just got to read and interpret them. It's one of the things I love about Traveller.

When using TTA "straight", pages 31 and 129 provide a wealth of information regarding the subsidy, crew, and other details:

• The subsidy is held by a blind trust on Regina.
• That trust, as the subsidy holder, gets 50% of gross revenues.
• The ship has been assigned to the Aramis Trace route for five years.
• The ship has worked that route without break for ~187 weeks (three years) to earn 80 weeks "off" per the 70:30 ratio.
• Many of the crew have signed aboard at different times over "several months".
• Both the ship's turrets have been armed sometime during the last 5 years.

Ahhh...I had forgotten about that. It's a big book. I'm surprised at the things I do remember from TTA.

If it were me, I'd rewrite what I said above to accommodate those details you cite.

So, the blind trust is on Rigina. Hmm. This must be the work of the Duke, then. A ship from way out there sent to Aramis? Or, an order for its manufacture was sent to Aramis' starport.

The time the ship was in service does not reconcile with the ages of the pregen characters, though. As I show above, one character, the Medic, has 5 years to work with. The Captain and one other has two years. The rest have one year or less.

Unless there was a totally different crew, and the pregens are the ship's second or third crew.

Maybe the subsidy holders are having a hard time keeping a crew?

And, it doesn't make sense at all that the ship has both turrets. Where's the other gunner? The pregen crew doesn't support two turrets.

 

[Whipsnade]

Ahhh...I had forgotten about that. It's a big book. I'm surprised at the things I do remember from TTA.

Me too! Thanks to Spartan's great questions I'd cracked open TTA for the first time in I don't know how many years. I'd run it enough to remember some things, but there's so much crammed in there. For example, I'd completely forgot that it contains a Vargr chargen!

If it were me, I'd rewrite what I said above to accommodate those details you cite.

Nope. Yours are better because they're already linked and such links are important for current players. As written, TTA is "You all meet in a tavern..." with the Harrier replacing the tavern.

So, the blind trust is on Rigina. Hmm. This must be the work of the Duke, then. A ship from way out there sent to Aramis? Or, an order for its manufacture was sent to Aramis' starport.

I think the ship is local. Not sent out from Regina, not the work of the Duke of Regina either. This is somewhat lengthy, so please bear with me.

In one adventure I can't quite put my finger on, we're told that the ship which is flying around the Marches is registered on Vland. Apparently where a ship is from physically and where it is from legally can differ greatly. When you remember that the Imperium on the interstellar level is a single legal and economic system, that makes sense.

Thanks to TTA, S:7, and others, we know that subbies are subsidized by governments to promote the second order trade TTA speaks about. We also know that such subsidies are usually made by the worlds served by the subsidy route. By following the known layers of governance operating in the Aramis Trace, we're looking at the planetary governments of the Trace systems and the County of Celepina and the Duchy of Rhylanor being involved. (The Duchy of Pretoria governs a big chunk of the rest of the subsector.)

So, someone at the local and/or county and/or duchy level decides the Trace is under served and floats the idea of a subsidy program. Just how much each of the governments kicked in on the subsidy depends on a slew of issues. Vinorian has millions of people while Saarinen only has hundreds, Aramis should have more political pull then others, Reacher is an Amber Zone, etc. However it's funded, a subsidy is created and it now needs to be managed. Enter the blind trust.

What's a blind trust? It's a trust in which the beneficiaries have no knowledge of the holdings and no rights to interfere with the handling of those holdings. Why is a blind trust in this situation important? Because of the economic, political, and other disparities among the beneficiaries.

The merchant flying under the subsidy is supposed to service all the beneficiaries equitably - not equally mind you - but equitably under the terms of the subsidy. A system with more "muscle" could change the terms of the subsidy IF it could legally interfere in the subsidy's handling.

Third parties are going to manage these blind trusts. Such trusts are also a good long term investment because the subsidies within the trusts are essentially government backed. The ship is going to fly the route in question with guaranteed government/official freight and mail contracts. The blind trust on Regina which holds and manages the March Harrier's subsidy most likely manages many other such subsidies across the Marches.

The time the ship was in service does not reconcile with the ages of the pregen characters, though. As I show above, one character, the Medic, has 5 years to work with. The Captain and one other has two years. The rest have one year or less.

If we change our perspective on the pregens, they could still work. The medic, for example, could have been working for the trust on other subsidized vessels and only recently assigned to the Harrier.

Unless there was a totally different crew, and the pregens are the ship's second or third crew.

Agreed. I also think the Harrier is more than five years old. It's just been flying under that specific Aramis Trace subsidy for five years.

Maybe the subsidy holders are having a hard time keeping a crew?

The Old Timer in SSOM certainly exhibits contempt towards them.

IMTU, subbie crewmen bounce between subsidized ships and even in and out of the subbie industry. Some may be working the subbies until they can find a free trader or corporate berth, some may want a fixed schedule after an earlier career of "wandering", some may be working a subbie because their training obligates them to do so for a given period. IMTU thanks to the on/off route ratios, crewmen normally sign aboard a subbie for at least one year contracts so they have a chance at a share of the profits from speculative trade runs.

And, it doesn't make sense at all that the ship has both turrets. Where's the other gunner? The pregen crew doesn't support two turrets.

Again, agreed. She needs to be armed to carry mail and - IMHO - mail is normally not only part of a subsidized route but the major reason for such a route.

The only way I can explain it - and this is really weak - is by counting the two turrets as one battery. TTA does post date HG2 and, IIRC, there's no USP listed for the Harrier.

 

[Spartan159]

The other gunner may have just left, And look, Gvoudzon is a gunner! Isn't that lucky!

I love the discussion going on here.

 

[Whipsnade]

The other gunner may have just left, And look, Gvoudzon is a gunner! Isn't that lucky!

Great catch! That's another reason for the players to get involved with Gvoudzon and his troubles.

 

[Supplement Four]

The other gunner may have just left, And look, Gvoudzon is a gunner! Isn't that lucky!

Another thing to say "Hmmm" about, is pregen 7. He's hired as 4th Officer and deckhand. Who the hell is this guy? A Marine Captain working first for no pay, passage only, and then hired as an officer?

And, what is a 4th officer--when there is no designated 1st, 2nd, or 3rd officers?

I speculate...that the Captain (pregen 1) and crew have decided to take on some, shall we say, more challenging cargoes when the opportunities pop up, and our Marine Captain has been hired more for his Tactics, Revolver, Cutlass, and AutoRifle skills than as a grunt deckhand.

Instead of 4th officer and deckhand, Pregen 7 should be "Security Chief" (even though Security is usually the realm of the Steward).

In one adventure I can't quite put my finger on, we're told that the ship which is flying around the Marches is registered on Vland. Apparently where a ship is from physically and where it is from legally can differ greatly.

Interesting. If you remember the adventure, please post it. I think that there's only one more to feature a subsidized merchant--from memory, is it Chamax Plauge? I'll have to dig that one up and see.

Thanks to TTA, S:7, and others, we know that subbies are subsidized by governments to promote the second order trade TTA speaks about. We also know that such subsidies are usually made by the worlds served by the subsidy route. By following the known layers of governance operating in the Aramis Trace, we're looking at the planetary governments of the Trace systems and the County of Celepina and the Duchy of Rhylanor being involved. (The Duchy of Pretoria governs a big chunk of the rest of the subsector.)

I'm digging what you're saying, but I can't agree that is the subsidy route. While it is true that the Aramis Trace is linke by J-1 to four worlds in the Aramis subsector (Aramis, Natoko, L'ouel d'Dieu, and Reacher), three worlds in the Rhylanor subsector (Vinorian, Nutema, and Margesi), and one world a sector coreward in Deneb, the Sabine subsector (Saarienen), there is no information at all on that last world and minimal info presented in the adventure for the three worlds in the Rhylanor subsector.

As I state up-thread, I think this is enough evidence for us to deduce that the subsidy route is only the four worlds in the Aramis subsector: Aramis, Natoko, L'ouel d'Dieu, and Reacher. Also, if you look up thread, it is fairly clear that those four worlds need some encouragement to trade among them. The description of Reacher in the adventure is that it is an economically depressed world. All four worlds are non-industrial. And both L'ouel d'Dieu and Natoko aren't much outside of their starports. That leaves Aramis, but that world, despite being the seat of government for the subsector and the fief of the Marquis, is not really a world--but a single city. It's easy to see why trade is depressed between those four places--and why a subsidy is needed.

I submit that the subsidy route is the four worlds in the Aramis subsector, for the reasons just cited, and the other four worlds in the Rhylanor and Sabine subsectors are available for off-subsidy journeys as the subsidy contract allows. Remember, when the agreement was signed, nobody knew that the Harrier would find demountable fuel tanks. It was probably assumed that the ship would service the four worlds in the Aramis subsector and then be allowed to J-1 it to those other four worlds as allowed.

 

[Whipsnade]

Interesting. If you remember the adventure, please post it.

I'm looking for it.

I submit that the subsidy route is the four worlds in the Aramis subsector...

I can buy that and for the excellent reasons you made. I was most likely putting too much emphasis on the word "trace".

I will point out that there's a lot of seemingly conflicting canon regarding subsectors, duchies, and the like. We're told early in CT that the subsector is the first level of Imperial governance. It's strongly implied many time that subsectors are duchies, but we're then also told specifically told that some subsectors aren't duchies. There's no Duke of Jewell, for example, and TTA tells us that the Towers Cluster in the Aramis subsector reports to the Duke of Pretoria.

It comes down to whether the subsidy in question follows an astrographical boundary or a political one. Arguments can be made for either.

 

[Supplement Four]

What's a blind trust? It's a trust in which the beneficiaries have no knowledge of the holdings and no rights to interfere with the handling of those holdings. Why is a blind trust in this situation important? Because of the economic, political, and other disparities among the beneficiaries.

Something else that might make some sense of the Blind Trust being on Regina: Regina is the seat of government for the Sector, and it probably holds a lot of "blind" this and thats for the sector. If the Blind Trust was close to the subsidy route, then it would probably be easy to figure out where the route was located--and the trust would not be so blind.

With the trust situated on Regina, the beneficiaries of the trust might know that their income is coming from some subsidy route "out there", but the Sector and the reach of the Duke, is quite far. It could be any number of systems where subsidies are used. It would take a miracle to figure it's a few worlds in the Aramis Trace. Thus the trust stays quite blind.



What might be interesting...is to find out who the subsidy benefits!

A subsidy is a losing proposition, most likely. And, it's most likely government backed. Government(s) paying for a service.

At the same time, half of what the Harrier makes on the subsidy route is shared with the subsidy trust, which then (after expenses, I'm sure), sends the proceeds to the trust beneficiaries.

So, who is the beneficiary?

This could be a pet project for the Duke. A fund to explore and understand the Ancients. Maybe several blind trusts feed into this budget.

Or, maybe it's for a general fund set up for the betterment of the sector.

It's so secret, nobody really knows. What if the blind trust secretly funded the Psionics Institute? The government can't come out and support an Institute because psionics are illegal. But, there are secret government bases. This could be a great way to link in Research Station Gamma into the campaign, once the ship has longer legs.

The blind trust on Regina which holds and manages the March Harrier's subsidy most likely manages many other such subsidies across the Marches.

Which brings up an interesting question. How long are most subsidies? I think you said above that TTA states the Harrier subsidy is 5 years (maybe with a clause for extension after reveiw?). Is that standard? Or, are subsidies all over the map? Some are just a few years while others may be for lifetimes or even multiple generations.

IMTU, subbie crewmen bounce between subsidized ships and even in and out of the subbie industry. Some may be working the subbies until they can find a free trader or corporate berth, some may want a fixed schedule after an earlier career of "wandering", some may be working a subbie because their training obligates them to do so for a given period. IMTU thanks to the on/off route ratios, crewmen normally sign aboard a subbie for at least one year contracts so they have a chance at a share of the profits from speculative trade runs.

That's awesome. I like that a lot.

It changes my perspective on what subsidy routes can be in a game. I've always looked at them not the norm but not something unexpected or never seen, either. They happen, from time to time. Spacers run into them. And, I've always thought of subsidies as long term.

This discussion has opened my yes to shorter, more numerous subsidy routes, occurring much more often than I thought before. Where an entire industry has grown up around the work. PCs have a new choice. Where, before, they could join a merchant line (small or large) or be a free trader, here, a third choice is going to work for the subsidy consortiums.

 

[mike wightman]

Regina is not the sector seat of government.

That would be Mora, and at the time of TTA it is the Duchess Delphine of Mora who is sector duke.

 

[Spartan159]

With regard to the subsidy route, I submit that Vinorian would make it a round loop, Aramis - Natoko - Reacher - Vinorian - L'oeul d'Dieu and back at Aramis.

 

[Supplement Four]

Regina is not the sector seat of government.

That would be Mora, and at the time of TTA it is the Duchess Delphine of Mora who is sector duke.

Where are you getting that? Mora?

Isn't Duke Norris--who will be Archduke Norris--the sector duke? And, his fief is Regina, yes?

With regard to the subsidy route, I submit that Vinorian would make it a round loop, Aramis - Natoko - Reacher - Vinorian - L'oeul d'Dieu and back at Aramis.

I would answer this with a comment that you are thinking too geographically (astronomically?). Whipsnade made a good point when he said that the subsidy would contract for equitable planetary service and not equal planetary service.

I was thinking the same way you are when I made the comment that the subsidy contract might call for equal stops, two worlds a month, and no two same worlds visited in two months, which would mean that each of the four are visited once every two months or six times a year.

But, as Whipsnade as enlighten us both...the worlds are not equal.

What is Natoko? It's basically just a starport. Non-industrial. You've only got a few hundred people living on the entire planet.

What is L'oul d'Dieu? Owned by a mega-corp, and a water world, besides that. Sparsely populated, non-industrial, and not developed. A few hundred thousand people live on the entire world. Again, it's basically a starport with an inhabited island (could be man made) or two surrounding it.

Aramis? Yes, it's the subsector captial, but it's also non-industrial, with a few hundred thousand people living in a giant cave that protects them from the world's corrosive atmosphere. Aramis is the starport, the bases, and the underground city of Leedor--and that's it.

Reacher? Exotic atmosphere. Non-industrial. A few hundred thousand people. Depressed economy (according to the text). And a low TL 8. On top of this, Reacher is an Amber Zone and somewhat phobic to off-worlders.

No wonder a subsidy is needed to service these worlds!

Taking the 620,000 people TTA says are living on Aramis, and using an average number for the other three worlds, the March Harrier services a base of just over 1.6 million people total!

That, plus considering the tech levels of the worlds, the Harrier probably spends a lot of its time running parts and supplies to the two Class B starports on Natoko and L'oul d'Dieu. That'd be a common Aramis to Natoko, or Aramis to L'oul d'Dieu run. I expect it would be mail, personal freight, and passengers on these return runs.

Hardly ever will the Harrier make the L'oul d'Dieu to Natoko run (or the reverse), unless it is for personal freight and/or passengers. Mail is handled by the X-Boats.

Reacher, with its low TL 8 and depressed economy, is most likely more of an importer. So the main run to that world would be Aramis to Reacher, with rare trips of Natoko to Reacher.

I would think of the subsidy route less in terms of a circle, as you presume, and more along the lines of a hub with spokes. Aramis is the hub.

I would guess that Aramis is by far the most often visited world. Trips would be Aramis to Natoko, and back. Aramis to L'oul d'Dieu and back. Aramis to Reacher, and back.

Occasionally, there might be a Natoko to Reacher, or a Natoko to L'oul d'Dieu, something along those lines, but those trips will be much more rare.

 

[Supplement Four]

I speculate...that the Captain (pregen 1) and crew have decided to take on some, shall we say, more challenging cargoes when the opportunities pop up, and our Marine Captain has been hired more for his Tactics, Revolver, Cutlass, and AutoRifle skills than as a grunt deckhand.

Instead of 4th officer and deckhand, Pregen 7 should be "Security Chief" (even though Security is usually the realm of the Steward).

Another thought on this: Look at the recent problems Reacher is having. It has turned Amber Zone because the population is attacking off-worlders due to the world's economic woes.

Maybe there was an incident. And, maybe the crew of the Harrier are just playing it "safe". But, maybe they hired this guy at "protection".

It was probably an opportunity that stared at them from in front of their faces. They've got this guy on working passage serving as a deckhand. He's an ex-Captain in the Marines, and he knows his way around an autorifle. It makes sense to hire him as a mercenary protector. He's a deckhand, but maybe his main job is to stand around the mouth of the cargo bay, autorifle in hand, guarding any approach by natives when the Harrier is offloading cargo at places like Reacher.

 

[mike wightman]

Where are you getting that? Mora?

Isn't Duke Norris--who will be Archduke Norris--the sector duke? And, his fief is Regina, yes?

Nope, Norris is not sector duke, nor is Regina the sector capital.
Norris is duke of Regina, Delphine of Mora is sector duke of the Spinward Marches - this is established by TAS News articles, FFW/MT canon fluff IIRC. In the SMC Mora is noted as the sector capital still.

Norris elevates himself to Archduke when he gets wind of Strephon's assassination.

 

[Supplement Four]

Nope, Norris is not sector duke, nor is Regina the sector capital.
Norris is duke of Regina, Delphine of Mora is sector duke of the Spinward Marches - this is established by TAS News articles, FFW/MT canon fluff IIRC. In the SMC Mora is noted as the sector capital still.

Norris elevates himself to Archduke when he gets wind of Strephon's assassination.

I'm not saying that you're wrong, Sigg, because you are usually correct. But, I just did a search for the word "Duke" in the TAS News Articles online, and each hit referred to Duke Norris of Regina. Especially during the FFW, the Duke promoted fleet admiarls and made other big decisions during that war. There is no mention at all of the Duke (Duchess, right?) of Mora.

I also read up in Library Data about Dukes and ArchDukes, and how the Domain of Deneb doesn't have one--yes, I know Norris elevates to that position when Strephon is assassinated. But, doesn't it seem correct that the strongest Duke--the Sector Duke--would be the one elevated to Archduke?

I haven't found anything about Mora being the seat of government for the sector--only as a subsector.

 

[Whipsnade]

Especially during the FFW, the Duke promoted fleet admiarls and made other big decisions during that war.

Don't forget, he did that after he retrieved the Warrant.

SMC lays it all out pretty well. Everyone knew the war was coming, but everyone didn't agree on how best to prepare. The Santanocheev clique inside the Navy disbelieved the data INI was giving them and so set up a parallel intel agency which produced reports more to their liking. Santanocheev was able to do that because he had the full backing of the Delphine (Duchess of Mora) in her role as sector duke.

Norris, who'd served in the INI before his father and older brother died making him the Duke fo Regina, disagreed with the Santanocheev clique's thinking and preparations. He made so much of a fuss that Santanocheev and the Delphine basically cut him out entirely. Norris finally was driven to appeal to Strephon himself. (DGP's Four Knights even saw the tail end of Norris' holo presentation while waiting to be knighted by Strephon.)

Strephon agreed with Norris and dispatched the Warrant. It arrived in the Marches, was "lost" on Algine, the war began, Norris "disappeared" to search for the Warrant, recovered it, and armed with it's authority returned to win the war.

After that Norris was the Duke of Regina and the Sector Duke of the Marches. He then moved his capital to Mora so as the better keep an eye on the humiliated Delphine and her cabal.

 

[mike wightman]

Look in the Spinward Marches Campaign - Mora is cited as the capital of the Spinward Marches.
Norris moves his power base there after elevating himself to archduke.
Mora becomes capital of the Regency of Deneb.

Sanatochev is elevated to the position of sector duke prior to the start of the FFW - it is in MT sources, possibly DGP magazines that Delphine is named as duchess of Mora and sector duke of the Spinward Marches and thus responsible for Sanatochev's elevation.

I think it is in DGPS digest magazine where Delphine and Norris' power struggle is mentioned, and the reason for Norris selecting Mora as his capital for the archduchy is to be able to contain Delphine.

MT/DGP also reports the death of Delphine in the early 1120s

GURPS Nobles details the lot.

 

[Supplement Four]

SMC. Got it. Good source. I'll look a it.

 

[Supplement Four]

What is Natoko? It's basically just a starport. Non-industrial. You've only got a few hundred people living on the entire planet.

What is L'oul d'Dieu? Owned by a mega-corp, and a water world, besides that. Sparsely populated, non-industrial, and not developed. A few hundred thousand people live on the entire world. Again, it's basically a starport with an inhabited island (could be man made) or two surrounding it.

Aramis? Yes, it's the subsector captial, but it's also non-industrial, with a few hundred thousand people living in a giant cave that protects them from the world's corrosive atmosphere. Aramis is the starport, the bases, and the underground city of Leedor--and that's it.

Reacher? Exotic atmosphere. Non-industrial. A few hundred thousand people. Depressed economy (according to the text). And a low TL 8. On top of this, Reacher is an Amber Zone and somewhat phobic to off-worlders.

Given THIS THREAD, what would it be like for the Harrier on its subsidy route?

Aramis
Starport A
Size 6 Local gravity is 0.75. Consider all buildings and much of the cave in which Leedor sits to be covered with 1G floor plates. The place is definitely small enough and rich enough to assume such. It's a space-station underground.

Atmo B Corrosive. The downport must be covered with a dome or have some other protection. Extensive highport and orbital operations.
Hydro 0 Desert world.
Pop 5 620,000, all in the city of Leedor, the Starport (high and low), and the bases. Nothing much beyond the Leedor vicinity.

Govt 5 Feudal Technocracy. Personal fief of the Marquis of Aramis. Subsector Captial.
Law 6 Strict on guns. It's an enclosed environment.
Tech B Average Imperial.

NOTES: The Harrier will probably spend a lot of time in orbit of Aramis. Once you've seen Leedor, you've seen it all, but still, the city is better than the high port station. If transporting goods via rented orbital shuttles either dirtside or to the highport is no issue (as when the shipper pays these fees), then the Harrier can berth at the high port and spend that week in dock at the station without seeing Leedor.

Aramis does not have a Gas Giant, so fuel must be obtained at the starport (high or low)--this being the Harrier's most common stop on its subsidy.





Natoko
Starport B There is a small, limited high port, but it is almost exclusive used by Tukera.
Size 5 Population is made up entirely of starport personel and those living in or attached to the starport.

Atmo 8 Dense, standard atmosphere.
Hydro 2 Some water.
Pop 2 Averages 500 people.

Govt 1 Wholly owned by Tukera.
Law 1 Almost anything goes. Weapons must be displayed on person (so the other guy knows what he's getting into if a disagreement pops up).
Tech 8 Tech 8 but with lots of tech bleed. Locally, it's TL 8, but higher tech goods move through the starport all the time.

NOTES: The Harrier will almost always land at the downport at Natoko. There is no reason to go beyond the starport.

There is an in-system gas giant for refueling.





L' oeul d'Dieu
Starport B Most operations are done in orbit via an extensive highport station. Special permission is required to visit the downport--which is reserved solely for Sharurshid vessels (the downport is a floating city).
Size 9 Since the Harrier is streamlined, it will have no issues landing a the downport, but this is never required since almost all operations are completed through the highport.

Atmo 8 Standard.
Hydro A Water World
Pop 5 Averages 500,000.

Govt 1 Wholly owned by Sharurshid.
Law 0 You're on your own. But, there's hardly anyone around.
Tech B Average Imperial. Extensive facilities next to dirtside starport.

NOTES: Visiting this world is just like visiting a space station as travel to the surface is restricted and almost all trade is conducted through the highport.

There is an in-system gas giant for refueling.





Reacher
Starport C
Size 9 The Harrier will have no problem landing at the downport because it is a streamlined craft. Local citizens, though, are tough hombres. Watch out getting into a brawl with them.

Atmo A Exotic.
Hydro 8 Lots of chemical soup seas.
Pop 5 Averages 500,000.

Govt 4 Representative Democracy.
Law 2 Slug throwers are common, but it is expected that weapons are worn in plain sight.
Tech 8 The world is non-industrial--a couple of habitat domes and some colonists, where TL 8 is the best that they can do locally.

NOTES: AMBER ZONE! The locals are not doing well. Technology is not increasing as fast locally as they'd like, and the world just lost its two major export partners due to that tech deficiency. So, the indigs are angry. They've been attacking off-worlders. Go there at your own peril.

The highport is basic, and the Harrier will use it as much as possible. But, trips to the surface are required for the bigger, better cargoes.

It is this place where character Pregen 7 earns his keep.

There is an in-system gas giant for refueling.





In General....

As you can see, it is very easy for the March Harrier to spend most of its time in space. It must make dirtside port at Natoko, but there's nothing on that world outside of the Starport. At least the crew can see what sunlight and a natural breeze is like, even though it's a dense atmosphere. Natoko's atmosphere is probably what keeps it popular among the nearby worlds, and that, along with Tukera's influence and bribes, keep Natoko on the main X-Boat lane that touches the rimward part of the subsector.

At Aramis, the ship usually has a choice between the highport or the Leedor port. It just depends what is best for any specific situation. The Captain will want to use the highport as often as possible due to the world's corrosive atmosphere.

At Reacher, the Harrier usually has to land, but some deals can be made from orbit (and that is a growing option with the Amber Zone dangers).

The beautiful waterworld of L' oeul d'Dieu is restricted to Sharurshid personnel, and the Harrier does its business through the extensive highport. But...what if the crew can get their hands on some Sharurshid passes to enjoy some of that water and sunshine!





The March Harrier's subsidy route is surely no picnic. It's a real job. Day in and day out, more than most, the crew is either in the cramped confines of the Harrier or of a highport. They must look forward to their trips to Natoko, where there's not much to see, but at least there's some sunshine and fresh air. Going to Reach is just like hitting a highport--the domed arcologies only hold about half a million people. The atmosphere is exotic, and the seas are even more strange.

Spoiler:

The PCs should be overjoyed to get the demountable tanks and the right to venture out to new worlds as the ship goes off subsidy in TTA, if the Ref plays this right.