2300AD - Alternative Time Line - Campaign

[2330ADUSA1]

Hello everyone,

I am a long time Traveller & 2300 AD player. I have played Traveller game now for almost 32 yrs from it's beginning and have had many long running campaigns mostly set in the Verge Sector. I have always loved Traveller 2300 concept, but not in love with it's timeline. So here is a slight alteration to that setting that I have made.

In my campaign the year is 2330 AD, and in that time a few new events happend that have openned up many new and different posibilities for mankind. Starting with all history is as the 2300 game world until February 2301, when the Americans on Mars discovered a Alien complex. Now to best define what they found think of the movie Total Recall where there was a atmospher processing plant ready to be turned on. Well the US Science team discovered it and did just that, they turned it on. In doing so they discovered that there were a number of them all over the planet of Mars, and they went to each one and studied them and then turned them all on. In a matter of 20 years Mars had a thicker atmosphere that allowed the planet to start to heat up and water started flowing on the surface of Mars once again. America started to seed the planet with population and the planet of Mars was quickly growing in population.

In the process of turning on all of these Alien complexes, the American scientists discover some other complexes through-out the SOL start system. The Americans move quickly to all of these locations and activated them all. One being a huge Portal way out on the edge of the solar system, inwhich they called a Bridge. The Americans discovered that this Bridge was a Star Gate or Bridge to another solar system with another Bridge/gate there. They activated the Bridge and traveled to another system, it lead to one of the systems withoin the American Arm. The American's occupied that Bridge/Gate as well too. Found the hidded Alien complex there as well too.

In the process of claiming all of these many complexes and locations, the Americans were able to discover a few new technologies that gave them instant power over the other nations of the world. They discovered Shields, Beam and Pulse Plasma Energy weapons, and a new form of energy to power their ships. There is talk of a new drive system too, but that has not been verified or seen. The American's have not been threatening to anyone, but have become the world's leaders in technology and have regain the #1 slot in world leadership again.

Mars is clearly American, with a strong national pride in citizenship in the USA. Also the hatred bewteen USA and Mexico has increased and there are rumors of something happening.

Campaign start January 2 2330 AD...

Penn

 

[2330ADUSA1]

In the year 2325 the American's started work on building a new Bridge/Gateway ring on the edge of the Proxima Centauri system. It is set for completeion in 2330 sometime. Once that comes online, The Americans will have a huge advantage in controling trade between Earth and Tirane with extremely quick travel time through the Bridge.

There have been a number of other new technologies and even elements added as well, the American's have the clear advantage in many technologies. One tech is a new food source called Proto-Protien that seems to be the answer to possible food shortages. Also there are reports that the Americans have prefected the cloning process and have done heavy amounts of genetic work on many different animals. There is a growing fear that they have actually cloned humans, and that these clones walk amongst us now.

Penn

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Not criticising anything you have done. It's your game, enjoy it.

BUT, when I read this, I have two thoughts...

1. I LIKE that the US isn't #1 in the official 2300 Timeline. In fact, in my version of 2300, I have pushed them behind the Manchus.

2. The additional technologies don't "feel" like 2300 to me. This is just my opinion, but there you go.

Having said that, I DO like the idea of only one power having a significant technological advantage over the others and having the players live through those events.

IMTU, I did something similar, having one Pocket Empire develop TL12 while everyone else was stuck at TL11. Vastly improved fusion power, Jump-3 and Fusion weapons, but only in one groups hands, made for an interesting backdrop for the campaign.

Good Luck.

 

[2330ADUSA1]

Just a FYI...I have 7 players running in this campaign now for over 3 years.

The time is 2336 in my game campaign and the Genetics/Clone wars have started in Human space with the US having turned very very aggressive. I love plots within plots with plots and there is no such thing as Goodie Goodies in my campaign realm.

Penn

 

[rust]

While this is certainly an interesting setting, it also does not feel
much like 2300AD to me. I like 2300AD because the stutterwarp
is the setting's only piece of "magic" while all the other technolo-
gy is a plausible development of real world technology based on
real world physics - "hard" science fiction. Your setting is closer
to space fantasy, with completely different technological assump-
tions than the universe of 2300AD. You can of course have lots
of fun with your setting, and I hope you have, but I think you
should be aware that your setting goes far beyond the original
concept of 2300AD.

 

[2330ADUSA1]

Realize I own all the 1st printing of all the books for the Traveller 2300 game realm from years ago. As with anything RPGing and Traveller for that matter, I only use the basic setting and that where it stops. I perfer to do alot of my own game design and like the heavy plots against society and culture and etc. I am a old RPGer and I have always run a rich Morals based campaign and like to push the limits. In 32 yrs I have never just used anything fresh bought, I extremely alter everything. Heck even my own Traveller campaign in based in the Rebellion of 1125 and I never used the Vampire Virus which I thought was a major stupid element. Instead I use a Plague that spread across space instead.

Penn

 

[2330ADUSA1]

Other developements...the Alien complexes that were discovered on Mars, are all huge and all part of a atmosphere processes system to make Mars nto a near simular eco system to a close but slightly colder Earth like world. Now another part of each of the 20 complexes on Mars were the vast cloning facilities that were also located/built into each complex. It is assumed that they were to be used to make and alter life forms to populate Mars with.

The American's experimented with them and discovered that they could make perfect clones of humans. They also discovered they could also transfer knowledge and memories into these clones, so they would have instant population. This was all kept a secret and it is how they populated the 20 huge cities that grey up on Mars over the past 30 yrs (2330 AD is my game start). Every American citizen that resettled on Mars had 20 clones made of themselves and once they finished growing, one was sent to one of the other 19 colones and given a brand new identity, and one was sent to the Spacer Core services to serve the American fleet. These new cities grew in size fast, and now are million plus each on Mars and very much part of the total American Citizenship movement. Clones are kept a secret, but are treated as full citizens.

Now another technology that is also developed was a set of genetics drugs that has been secretly given to every American over the past 25 years. the drug set called GSH - Genetically Structured Humans. The 5 shots given over time had in effect made those that got them stronger faster, and smarter. Effectively the outside effect was a strain of himans that were slightly larger, more heathier, more physically fit, and smarter than the normals. It has been discovered that the children of two GSH's have a 2 in 3 to giving bith to a GSH human. The clones are all GSHs, and any children that they have are all born GSH's too.

Another side effect seems to be that GSH's are super humans, extremely resistant to any colds, live longer and have a better quality of life for longewr than normal. They mature faster than Norms, lern faster than Norms do, and seem to have and increased chance to have and develope PSI abilities. These features have started to concern other nations of the world, plus the growing ever present increase in advancements in technology that the Americans have scares many. As well as the sizes of the American Space Fleet Core, and their Space Trooper Core both of which seem to have grown to the point to equal all the other nations of the worlds combined together. Add in their advanced equipment and other technolies and vast amount of resources and their Extreme Nationial Elite American banter...they are starting to promote fear.

Add in there advanced millitary gear and developement of Battle Bots and Robots, and all the rest of their hardware, the American forces are becoming a feared threat. With the banning of Nukes, there have been no other developed weapons of mass destruction until the advent of the American Mounted Beam Energy Bay weapons. These weapons could easily level a planetary city from orbit, and it is greatly feared that that is what the Americans will use them for. these large Battleships have all come out of the Mars Obital Shipyards, and are covered with all sorts of turrets and systems. They are some of the largest systems in Human space. As of yet no one have had a situation to go up against one of them, but the build up in American Space Core is alarming.

The next major developement is the new food source that seems to be some strange proto-protien that comes in both a liquid and solid forms. It seems to fit the bill of providing the food needs for the human food condition and has resolved the food needs.

America of 2330 AD is not the same US of today, the political correct are Long Gone. The culture is very strong and not very interested in the rest of humanity. They mark some nations as friends others as enemies and the growing rumor of a war against Mexico is ever growing. many fear a war is coming, and that if one does that it might be WW IV.

Only time will tell...

Penn

 

[2330ADUSA1]

Realize everyone I have played this campaign now for 3+ yrs and know what will happen. I enjoy setting up situations where there is no clear good guy and all sides are just as bad. American in this timeline is a extremely nasty culture with many advantages that allows them to hold their own.

The players in my campaign are a team of players apart of the American Exploration Core, on a Explorer ship that has NPCs, Robots, Droids, and a Mega Computer. They are involved in all sorts of adventures and missions, as well as they have some free will to choose side missions as well too.

Roleplaying is my key and character and situation interaction is what I truely enjoy the best. Having GM/DM'd Traveller, AD&D, D100, Conan, Hero's Systems now for 25+ yrs and played for 32+ yrs I have seen or done alot. My resource gaming libray is huge by anyones standards, and throw in table top resin minis wargaming I have enjoyed it all. BTW I am a Roleplayer, and NOT a numbers cruncher.

To each their own I know, my goal is for my players to have fun and keep going for years.

Penn