Darrian Confederation questions

[zero]

I am slowly planning to do a RL game in the Darrian Confederation atm and I have just started translating Travellermap UWPs into actual pages of writing for my campaign notes.

Btw, I havent got "Darrians" (yet), but I plan on doing a game around a Darrian J3 capable (at least) Naval vessel - forgoing ship payments and accountancy and instead doing missions in various systems, plus I have High Guard and enjoy the in-depth Navy character creation :wink:

My first question is about Condaria (E-54779B-5). Its a low-tech agricultural garden world, however with an Impersonal Bureaucracy government with a Law Level of 11, that bans space travel... yet Condaria is an agricultural centre for the Darrians...

Which apparently also treats TL3 items as contraband, which I imagine leaves the rulers living with 1950s tech as the "plebs" would live in Renaissance level tech :shock:

Why hasnt anyone done anything about this yet? Also seeing as spacers are banned and noone is allowed to spacetravel, would be safe to assume they fire supplies for others into space using prototype reaction-drive rockets? Its the only way I can think of a TL 5 world with a Class E spaceport could get stuff up there without a piloted prototype ship.

More questions when I get round to seeing a world that I think doesnt quite gel again :wink:

 

[BFalcon]

I've not got it either, but they could just ship to a remote spaceport, even using steamtrains, where nobody would see the ships landing and taking off? Especially since grav-tech won't leave exhaust trails in the sky (and vapour trails from compression could be explained away easily enough...

Or the TL could just be a case of "they ship in hardware as needed to use, but don't know how it works, it just does"?

 

[RichardP]

Yes, TL level is local manufacturing capability, so you can buy in higher TL items and this is not reflected in the UWP TL number. Going to be a pain getting anything repaired.

The law level restrictions are very general. It could be a very tight restriction on travel to prevent diseases / pests entering the garden world of the confederation. You can get access but after months of form filling, complete health checks and multiple fumigations of your ship.

Don't forget law level applies to the plebs, people of official govt business will be granted exceptions, look at North Korea. Thats law level 11+ but they still have diplomats at the UN.

Cheers
Richard

 

[rust]

My first question is about Condaria (E-54779B-5). Its a low-tech agricultural garden world, however with an Impersonal Bureaucracy government with a Law Level of 11, that bans space travel... yet Condaria is an agricultural centre for the Darrians...

According to the Darrians supplement, Condaria seceded from the Darri-
an Confederation before the Fourth Frontier War and is now an isolationist
backwater with a corrupt bureaucracy and a decaying infrastructure, it is
certainly no longer an agricultural centre for the planets of the Darrian
Confederation.

 

[zero]

Thanks for the clarification rust. Condaria does have a Gas giant in system, so I guess it can be used as a pit-stop for skimming to go somewhere else :wink:

Shame for the Darrians that live there that the bureaucracy seceded, guess theyre just going to have to live with their corrupt almost fuedal farming world. :?

Could make a good Assassin's Creed style game of Darrians at TL 2 freedom fighting their hightech TL 5 oppressors

 

[Egil Skallagrimsson]

Btw, I havent got "Darrians" (yet), but I plan on doing a game around a Darrian J3 capable (at least) Naval vessel - forgoing ship payments and accountancy and instead doing missions in various systems, plus I have High Guard and enjoy the in-depth Navy character creation :wink:

Really recommend that you get hold of a copy of Darrians, will give you lots of background (not just the worlds in the Darrian Sector) and ideas, then plan your campaign.

Egil

 

[DFW]

According to the Darrians supplement, Condaria seceded from the Darri-
an Confederation before the Fourth Frontier War and is now an isolationist
backwater with a corrupt bureaucracy and a decaying infrastructure, it is
certainly no longer an agricultural centre for the planets of the Darrian
Confederation.

Interesting. A pre-stellar world in that part of space, NOT part of an interstellar polity won't remain unconquered forever. Even a large (non-mega corp) commercial entity has the resources to take it over...

 

[zero]

Seems as good a place as any for an adventure, without a planetary navy or really any sort of substantial defence past missiles surrounded by various factions, you have to wonder why a fleet hasnt come along and claimed the world for their own...

...Unless they are scared to be a J1 from both Darrian and Mire and they worry such an agressive move so close to Darrian space will result in a Star Trigger usage :?

Surely the Darrians themselves could scoop up the seceded planet once again? It does have the thin, tainted atmos, maybe they think its not worth the trouble (civil war) over such a backwater?

Its agriculturally sound but would need a great upheaval in society.

Also; as this world would have a minimum TL 3 atmosphere processor, but only its rulers would have access to such tech (plebs have max TL 2 access), what kind of prototype filters (TL 2 max) would the pleb farmer Darrians be using as their rulers live in comfortable processed atmos?

 

[alex_greene]

Shame for the Darrians that live there that the bureaucracy seceded, guess theyre just going to have to live with their corrupt almost fuedal farming world. :?

Possible Patron / Mercenary ticket material, anybody? Anybody want to go and overthrow a corrupt government? It'll be fun ...

 

[zero]

Well Condaria will be armed with assault rifles, cannons, railway guns and some anti-tank rifles of TL 5 max variety and a few tactical missiles.
They wear Jack for armour... :shock:
They can only get off-world using prototype Reaction-Drive Rockets that cant Jump and are Manoeuvre 1.

The Darrian will go in armed with Laser and Plasma rifles, Meson rifle support and Rocket Pods. Darrians also have Fusion Blocks and Orbital Defence Cannons, Meson Accelerators and Heavy Mass Driver guns.
The Darrians dont even have to leave their ships to take out the corrupt rulers. :lol:
To get to Condaria they have Capital Ships (with Gravity and Jump Drives) with Spinal mounts. Though I'm sure a fleet of anything thats over TL 9 will do the job :lol:

Yeah, thats an easy ticket right there
Looking at it, I can see why the Darrians probably think they have more pressing issues than sending a naval fleet in to a neighbouring backwater to laser some SS space-elves that cant leave their own system. :roll:

They should just Red Zone it or something.

 

[alex_greene]

Well, they could - but that's where player characters come in, because they are the sort of people that they would bring in when they have to prevent that sort of unilateral conflict.

This is what players would specialise in: stealthy subterfuge operations, operating under conditions of total plausible deniability.

You go in, sneak around some guards, plant a scorpion bot in the big bad's bedroom, the following morning everyone wakes up, the old King is dead, let's modernise this backwards planet, all hail our economic saviours the Darrians, everybody's happy.

What, as they say, could possibly go wrong?

 

[zero]

Sorry for the double post, new question.

This time about Ektron (C-332652-9), a Non-Agricultural, Non-Industrial, Poor world. When the Darrians go out in the wild they need Respirator tech to survive its Atmosphere of 3.

This planet after reading up on the Traveller wiki, apparently stays afloat by traders coming here to get a hold of Ektron tea or Ektron tea leaves, which can make a carbonated version of tea. :?

Apparently the colony (millions of Darrians) is unable to maintain an industrial base and its atmosphere and water levels mean that an agricultural base cannot be formed and starvation is a big issue.

The solution came from trying to trade local produce, the only one successful was (and is) the Ektron tea leaves (and maybe Ektron Mountain Leaper -I'd love stats- wool for insulating clothes).

Ok, how can this colonised world carry on with these trades holding themselves up and be Non-Ag and Non-Ind?? :shock:

It just seems an excuse to have Darrians more elf-like and then give them TL 9 ontop of all that, all this from some leaf-peddling :roll:

 

[GypsyComet]

As Non-Ag and Non-Ind both indicate, the world is a net importer. Doesn't mean they necessarily aren't self sufficient, just that they would rather not eat what they have. The same could be true of industry. The world is at the top end of the Non-Ind definition, so the industrial trade imbalance may be small.

Remember that Darrian space has a lot of Solomani descendents mixed in, as well as quite a few Aslan. The Regency Sourcebook gives the Imperial era Ektron roughly 10% of its population as Aslan.

The system has two belts and three gas giants, and the pop multiplier given in Spinward Marches Campaign is 4. The other thing working against agriculture is the red sun.

Figure out what attracted them to this place initially, and you'll have the planet solved.

 

[rust]

According to the Darrians supplement, the plants of Ektron grow extreme-
ly high (trees up to 300 m) because of the low surface gravity of 0.25 G.
Herbal teas are indeed the main export, used to finance the import of high
technology goods. The population of Ektron is 4.3 million, about 20 % of
them are Aslan. There are no stats for the mountain leaper, I think it is
rather similar to a big mountain goat.

 

[zero]

Thanks again, rust

Doesnt really solve the issue of just how a colony of 4.3 million can survive like that purely on imported food and their own tea, but I guess I can handwave the finer details, its not like the PCs will have many reasons to go there beyond the Ektron tea itself.

According to non-canon material on the Traveller wiki, the pre-Maghiz Darrians chose to settle on Ektron due to its prime location (close to the planet Darrian and the Spinward Main).

When the Maghiz happened, the Darrians (who were living in domed cities away from its harsh atmos, now useless from the EMP) were forced to live off the land and agriculturalists gained power.
It was after the reformed Confederation contacted Ektrom and freed the people from the agriculturalists tyranny that the Darrians came up with the solution of trading the Ektrom tea leaves so the planet could sustain itself.

With the trade routes, I guess its an ok system with a rich backstory. Not as interesting as Condaria though :lol:

EDIT - I was thinking of what kind of occupation would be good for not having to make ship payments but also gives an excuse to travel from system-to-system and also set foot dirtside. I think a Merchant Marine campaign would be as good as any, working for The Company

The Company owns the ship, but the characters use it to traverse trade across systems set by the Company. I thought that would be ok - any other ideas??

 

[rust]

I was thinking of what kind of occupation would be good for not having to make ship payments but also gives an excuse to travel from system-to-system and also set foot dirtside.

Any kind of troubleshooter, whether government, corporate or privately
funded (e.g. by some kind of foundation). I would probably go for some
kind of foundation, because in my view this could offer the greatest va-
riety of missions and at the same time could keep both government offi-
cials and corporate agents as potential rivals or enemies. The characters
could have enough funds, equipment and status to achieve something,
but they would not be "at the top of the food chain" like govenment or
megacorporation employees.

 

[zero]

So kinda like the Wardens in Chthonian Stars, a type of group that goes on a spaceship loaned to them by their employer and performs various missions around space?

Good idea. I could use the Warden's profiles for that from Chthonian Stars. My current Pbp game is a Warden game and I enjoy it more than the accounty spaceship mortgage method of play, its more free I think.

Just wondering, as I will be getting Darrians at some point, are there any new classes in it or any restrictions on certain classes?

Also I'd like to set the game on a Jump 3 (at least) ship, are there any spacecraft (as in non-Capital) that could be used as a trouble-shooter or Merchant Marine vessel?

 

[rust]

The supplement has 11 careers, each with the usual three specializations.
Most are modifications of standard careers, but there are also some I ha-
ve not seen in other books, like Envoy or Militia.

Of the civilian ships, there is a small courier with jump-4, but it only has
2 staterooms, and a 400 dton far trader with jump-3, perhaps a little too
big for a troubleshooters' ship.

 

[zero]

Thanks

The small amount of staterooms arent an issue, its a small game, 1-2 staterooms would be fine.
The small courier sounds good in that regard, any J-3 military vessels fit the bill?

 

[rust]

A nice 200 dton Pioneer Scout with jump-3, a slightly demilitarized version
could be what you are looking for. It also has only 2 staterooms, but if this
is no problem ...