District 268 Campaign Idea

[Fovean]

Preparing my campaign folder.

Creating world write-ups.

FYI Mertactor and Collace are covered in the Living Campaign adventure 'Spinward Fenderbender.' The Mertactor write-up is based on old material, the Collace write-up new but pretty vanilla. But the Collace write-up does describe an anti-Imperial faction you may be able put to use.

 

[Mithras]

Thanks! I'd not heard of that.

There is OTU material in the Traveller wiki which states sources, but often the stuff is mainly social, with very little clue as to what it's like to walk on the surface. My write ups try to fill tha gap, and add social data to match that landscape and environment where there isn't any (or I don't like!!).

 

[Mithras]

I think I've settled on an 'angle' for my 'Beyond Mertactor' campaign. Actually two campaigns. This first is a solo trading game, a 400ton merchant out from Mertactor, owned by one of that world's trading houses. Speculation + some random encounters to keep me busy at weekends or after work! Since Mertactor is an old colony of matriarchal Mora, most of the officers on board will be trade house family members, and female. Well that'll be nice!

For my weekly game I'm thinking this: Remember old Admiral Lord Santanocheev, relieved in the Fifth Frontier War by Norris at the war's height (132-1109)? Probably along with lots of other admirals and generals? He has taken a pseudonym and now advises the Trexalon Technical Consortium. He is their Werner von Braun, helping them build a high-tech navy with which they can take on Collace.

At first I was going to have the PCs work for him carrying out various missions. But I think I'll have him be a bit less of a martyr and a bit more shadowy. The PCs can pick up rumours, encounter those pirates that Trexalon seems to allow, carry out various adventures on worlds. But they may be asked to carry out spy missions for the scouts or the navy. And/or they might be offered jobs by the incognito Santanocheev (such as the classic adventure 'Night of Conquest' because his navy needs more iridium.)

At some point the PCs should meet him and recognise him. Our player who is a knight and an army general from Vilis may even have known him previously, may even have been a friend.

But his plans may be more 'evil' than at first seems. His plan is to build up TTCs navy, and sponsor corsairs, but they do some awful things. And he buys ships from the Sword Worlds, surely they are the enemy of the Imperium? He will appeal to our general (If he's still alive by that point) to help him, but of course the Imperial spy networks, scout and navy intelligence, will also be asking the PCs to help them bring down this mysterious advisor.

So they get to choose which side they're on.

Choose Santanochhev and have fun helping him build up a space fleet (may even get to fight some battles versus the Collace fleet of ex-Imperial ships).*

Choose the Imperium and conduct commando raids against TTC, the Sword Worlds and anything that might bring down Santanocheev's little navy.

Lastly. Is Santanochhev burning with revenge? Or is he altruistic? Or is he outside the empire because he fears assassination? Or does he have another motive: does he want to create his own pocket empire with himself at the head????

* in this campaign the Imperium is war weary, and cannot afford to rapidly re-arm, it has abandoned its desire to integrate District 268. It instead is going to arm Collace (a little like the US arming Israel). The Border Worlds could not be protected from Sword Worlds incursions and have reverted back, a morale blow that has given renewed hope to Trexalon and other anti-Imperial worlds in District 268. If they can defeat Collace ... they have a chance of taking the subsector...

 

[rust]

GURP Traveller First In has an adventure outline where the characters
make a routine landing on Kwai Ching, and discover that there has been
a revolution, a faction has used some offworld support secretly provided
by Trexalon (Aslan mercs hired by Trexalon) to take over the planet.

Perhaps your version of Santanocheev has similar plans and projects, a
slow and secret "empire building" along the rim of District 268, bringing
some of the frontier worlds there under Trexalon's control.

And if you have the Leviathan adventure for Classic Traveller, he could
even build connections beyond District 268, just think of those Belgardian
anti-Imperials active out there. They are rather isolationist, but their his-
tory could help to bring them into a coalition with Santanocheev - espe-
cially if he can offer them modern weaponry.

In fact, they could replace the Aslan mercenaries as Trexalon's hirelings
for the dirty jobs along the rim ...

Just some thoughts.

 

[Mithras]

Thanks rust, I'll look again at First In, and of course Leviathan. Good idea.

 

[GypsyComet]

I back-dated the CT box for Tarsus to before the 5FW to get rolling, then dumped my PCs from there into the Collace-Trexalon cold war described in the Wiki. Great fun.

 

[Mithras]

Is Tarsus any good? I have it on the Traveller CD-ROM, but havenever looked at it.

 

[Mithras]

Trying to get a 'handle' on the subsector, so I quickly made this (extremely crude!!!) map to help see where ships, people and power is going. I can also see which are the backwater worlds.

 

[rust]

Flexos ... "No fuel or population" ... :shock:

Sir, you obviously eliminated our colony on Flexos. We are not amused.

More seriously, your idea of the region looks good.

 

[Mithras]

Flexos? Yup, no fuel! E type starport, no water, no gas giant. Flexos? Meeeh, avoid!

Sorry 10,000 TL 6 people!