District 268 Campaign Idea

Mithras

Banded Mongoose
I'm still looking at this subsector for my summer game, and I can roll in Glisten with it too. But I don't want to stat up just another bunch of worlds to set scenarios on, I'm looking to build in an over-arching plot.

So far I've got this:

BEYOND MERTACTOR
District 268 is the Middle East of the Spinward Marches, prime crossroads for trade in the hands of competing factions (Collace and Trexalon, with Forine and its colonies as well as the AgWorlds Combine all thrown in). I can see spying, terrorism border war and the blunt but powerful military of the Imperium stepping in to try to 'keep the peace'. That's the 'setting'.

I thought for the over-arching plot I would use the end of the Fifth Frontier War. Everyone knows how Duke Norris took control of the naval forces, had the flag officers kicked out and was rewarded with victory and a Grand Dukedom...

But what happened to those flag officers .... well some were demoted and transfered to the 100th ('Punishment') fleet at GListen, the Punishment part is that squadron dispatched in old cruisers and aging battle cruisers to patrol the hostile District 268, where local squabbles cause terrible headaches, and the anti-imperial sentiment of locals is a constant danger to crews and craft. Great! But these punishment officers are deeply resentful and brood.

Others were discharged honourably, mustered out, and many fled to the anonymity of the District 268 where some have joined or set up mercenary companies. One powerful group of ex-admirals have set up a cabal that works secretly with Trexalon to try to push anti-imperial sentiment, perhaps even form a Trexalon Federation - if Arden can do it, why not Trexalon? This is a chance for the admirals of the cabal to get their own back against the Grand Duke, maybe force him to come to D268 himself ...

McClellan Factors, a disreputable bunch of merchants based on Trexalon might serve as a secret intelligence agency for the cabal, ferrying instructions, arms, men and such around.

This is a high level espionage campaign interspersed with normal adventuring. The PCs are part of the cabal (though they don't know much) one is an ex-Imperial Army General and a Knight, definately one of the officers pushed out by Norris. He will be recruited by the cabal to carry out jobs for McClellan, TTC ....

The PCs may find unusual allies in the 'Punishment Fleet' based at Tarkine ... but short shrift if ever bigger cruisers and capital squadrons come in from Glisten subsector. Those guys will be mercilless, super-loyalists and 'shoot-first ask questions-later'.

That's all I've got for now ... does anyone have any ideas how I can add to it? Flesh it out some more????

I'm sort of struggling with that long term goal, maybe some short term goals of the cabal...

and I need a better title for this secret group than 'the cabal' ... I did think of 'The Gunroom' (Royal Navy term for the junior officer's wardroom on a ship) but that doesn't quite sound right, though it has the right touch of irony about it!
 
Don't be afraid to throw the Sword Worlders into the mix. Sure after the 5FW they are much smaller and disorganized, but there might be some old SW units that fled to the District rather than surrender to the Impies.

The Darrians might also be pushing their influence in the Core/Spinward section of the District (within the Bowman Arm) conflicting with the SW and the Trexaloners.

Don't forget Collace. A very well developed world that is allied to the Imperium and probably willing to work with the Darrians against the Swordies and Trexars.

Then of course you have the Impies in 5 Sisters... Lots of military units moving back and forth through the District. And who knows what the Droyne are up to over there...
 
One of the two Traveller campaigns I am running is set in D268 also, circa the latter days of the year 1104 (3 years before the big war). Though the campaign above is set afterwards, it does give me some ideas for my own campaign I hadn't considered. Thanks! :D
 
Thanks!

DFW said:
Sounds great Paul. Write it up and I'll buy it. :D

In answer to Rikki Tikki, and thinking some more I could get the SW a bit more intertwined... I hate those like-for-like analogies, you get in SF gaming (and Star Trek) but I can see the Sword Worlds as a faux Iran or Syria, fomenting revolt and terror in this dynamic cross-roads, trying to make life as unpalatable as possible for Imperial ambassadors, businessmen and naval officers. It can't be 'wiped off the map' because it has big friends (the Zhodani). So they plug away, a constant thorn, always at the bottom of some assassination, sabotage or insurrection.

There will be Sword Worlds terror cells, working through embassies or dummy merchant companies. Spies and agitators, sleeper agents who blackmail and bribe government ministers across the District.

So, does the cabal work with the enemy? Does it fund the SW terror cells? Or just provide intelligence? Not sure. The cabal aren't really traitors are they? THey hate hate Norris and the aristocratic cronism that saw him elevated to the Grand Dukedom.... but I'm not sure they have suddenely 'converted' to the enemy.

Can anyone think of a modern-day or historical parallel? US intelligence agents working with terrorists?
 
Mithras said:
Can anyone think of a modern-day or historical parallel? US intelligence agents working with terrorists?

Not a good reference point. Think more along the lines of this happening in large monarchy or imperial governed empire. Not a modern democracy as the Imperium isn't even close to that.
 
Old British Empire perhaps, men in the frontier funding tribes 'for the greater good'?

Modern-day seems a good fit due to the high-tech terror-based nature of an insurgency. But the mechanisms of pay and leverage are, it is agreed, more in line with those age of sail empires.

DFW said:
Not a good reference point. Think more along the lines of this happening in large monarchy or imperial governed empire. Not a modern democracy as the Imperium isn't even close to that.
 
Mithras said:
Old British Empire perhaps, men in the frontier funding tribes 'for the greater good'?

Right. After being out of the empire he/she sees how it is destructive to those outlying world. Moral compass thing.
 
Why not take something from the Zulu and British interactions.

Zulu, Zulu Dawn and Rouke's Drift (spelling maybe on the last one.)

Dave Chase
 
There will be Sword Worlds terror cells, working through embassies or dummy merchant companies. Spies and agitators, sleeper agents who blackmail and bribe government ministers across the District.

So, does the cabal work with the enemy? Does it fund the SW terror cells? Or just provide intelligence? Not sure. The cabal aren't really traitors are they? THey hate hate Norris and the aristocratic cronism that saw him elevated to the Grand Dukedom.... but I'm not sure they have suddenely 'converted' to the enemy.

Can anyone think of a modern-day or historical parallel? US intelligence agents working with terrorists?

Here's my two cents, based on historical facts... bear in mind that political alleigances change over time when reading this.

Shortly after the American Civil War, the U.S. Army sent a cavalry unit (which one, I don't recall--- nor the year) to train the Afghans how to fight a "modern" cavalry engagement. They remained until just after World War One as advisors.

Obviously, this is not the public perception of current events. Though General Petraus' "Counterinsergency Operations" (COIN) certainly looks like it has the same spirit of effect, he had to formally codify his ideas in a book for "all to see."

I guess what I'm trying to say is... the basic idea of helping Afghanistan has remained the same, though the status and character of our "alliance" has obviously changed. The "public's" understanding of the same events are different (mainly due to changes in technology in our case... faster freedom of information and such). Those perceptions may reflect the situation "on the ground," but one couldn't possibly understand them unless they were actually there.

My only suggestion, at this point, would be to have a LOT of surprise encounters jumping into a system. In a setting with no FTL communication, like Traveller, bad things can happen before news of them reach other systems. In your campaign's case, I would use it a little more often than ususal.
 
Terrific ideas, Mithras :)

Rikki Tikki Traveller said:
Don't be afraid to throw the Sword Worlders into the mix. Sure after the 5FW they are much smaller and disorganized, but there might be some old SW units that fled to the District rather than surrender to the Impies.

Thats just a tactical retreat until the Sword Worlds defeat the decadent Imperium and drive it's stale culture back to Mora and beyond (oh, and the space smurfs get taken down a peg or two as well)

We'll be back (by about 1120)

Egil
 
Mithras said:
I hate those like-for-like analogies, you get in SF gaming (and Star Trek) but I can see the Sword Worlds as a faux Iran or Syria,

:shock: :o

Oh, come on, the traditional "space vikings" is the only terran equivelent.

Which begs the question, if (and it's a very big if) the Sword Worlds are down after the 5FW, will it lead to the creation of superior designs of flat pack furniture and intergalactic pop domination?

Egil
 
I was thinking abut you Egil! But I always do when the SW get mentioned!

A state of real 'space vikings' would be wiped out by the 3i, state sponsored raiding wouldn't be tolerated by an 11,000 world interstellar state.

So, how does it fit in...? I suggest Iran or Syria, because they are frowned on, but tolerated. Everyone knows they are trouble-makers ... :) Yes, just like Space Vikings!
 
Preparing my campaign folder.

Creating world write-ups. So far I have pretty good, and interesting, summaries for:

Mertacator
Singer
Kwai Ching
Datrillian
Trexalon
Motmos
Noctocol
Dallia
Talos
Forine
Milagro
Pagaton
Mille Falcs

Some of the OTU writeups are OK, if a bit uninspiring. I try to giveeach world a memorable quirk or feature, a thumbnail sketch that I can elabrate on later on during the campaign if the PCs ever revisit it.
 
Mithras said:
I was thinking abut you Egil! But I always do when the SW get mentioned!

A state of real 'space vikings' would be wiped out by the 3i, state sponsored raiding wouldn't be tolerated by an 11,000 world interstellar state.

So, how does it fit in...? I suggest Iran or Syria, because they are frowned on, but tolerated. Everyone knows they are trouble-makers ... :) Yes, just like Space Vikings!

Of course, some people suggest that the Sword Worlds only exist as independant entities because of a design flaw in the Spinward Marches, or because a mad bit of game design left us in an odd position purely as a place for interesting plots, others that the Zhodani protect us from the wicked wiles of the Third Imperium.

Both ideas are nonsense, the truth is that the Imperium is not man enough to take down the Sword Worlds. They have been trying for centuries and just look how far they've got! And we are only just getting angry.

Watch out Sylean wierdos, we haven't even started yet.

Egil
 
I get it I think:

Swords/blade weapons = Scissors (Sword Worlds);

Plasma/Fusion/High Energy Weapons = Rocks (Imperium);

Forms/Charts/Committees = Paper (Bwaps/Newts):

-- Return to Swords above --

Addendum: Vargr also defeated by paper (especially if rollled up);
Zhodani try to ignore whole mess by seeking answers
corewards to end the above cycle;
Solomani eagerly await their turn at the Rocks again;
K'kree go after the real cause of all this: The Hivers!!!

:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P
 
Of course...the Hivers did it!!! (Insert dramatic drum roll here)

At the behest of their masters...the Droyne (aka the Ancients) acting under orders of the Ultimate Mastermind -- Grandfather!!! :shock: :o
 
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