ISO: Traveller adventures with religions & cults involve

[Liam Devlin]

ISO =(In Search of)...

In light of work recently in Spica Press' new book, Field Manual I am attempting to see what through the Trvaeller braintrust out here on these boards can be garnered up of canon adventures involving Travellers & strange religions, & belief cults.

Why, you may ask?

Simple: I wish to see what *has been done* already, and what *has not* ; While a great man said once, "all the best stories have already been told, we merely retell them," I'd like to know if there is *new ground* out there that can be broken or not.

Traveller be safe, & go armed,


Liam Devlin

PS: I am looking for Published, canon adventures, or such written in Challenge, or any other MGT recognized resource ONLY.

Thank you once again!

 

[Elrick]

Without looking through the books I can think of four:

* religious dictatorship in the Aramis subsector in the Traveller Adventure

* religious dictatorship in District 268 in Divine Intervention

* religious group killing people who have looked on their religious artifact and trying to get the artifact back in an Amber Zone by J Andrew Keith in JTAS 13

* religious group of blind telepathic Vargr in the MegaTraveller book Vilani & Vargr

 

[rust]

A nice example of the use of religion in a Traveller adventure is in my
view the old "Uragyad"n of the Seven Pillars" for Classic Traveller (still
available as a cheap PDF), because it leaves it to the referee to decide
how important the role of the religion in the adventure will be, he can
keep it far in the background or make it a vital element.

Cults are at the center of both adventures in the Traveller New Era rule-
book, also available as a PDF, "The Once and Future Emperor" (a slee-
per from the past who claims to be divine) and "Idol Dreams" (a virus
infected computer who is considered a deity).

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

While not an adventure, "The Backwards Mask" by Paul Brunette has some religious, um, connections. (Trying not to give away too much)

This is the version of "The Backwards Mask" by the author of the first two stories, not the version written by Matt Carson, which is a completely different story about the same characters.

 

[Myrm]

There is also the Miracle Engineer career as a source of all sorts of Technomage type ideas in one of the supplements.

 

[kafka]

BITS has a supplement 101 Religions which would give you 100 plus one plot points.

The Man Who Would Be God in the TNE mainbook is a standard retelling of the Cargo cult status.

Beyond the Open Door, while not OTU, has a rather nasty cult in in it.

But, in terms of retelling, why not do the Odyssey project that we once talked about. A solder who has choose between going home & decommissioning. Or staying active to escort some refugees to a better place. This would be through either the wreckage of a balkanized world or it could be in the aftermath FFW which could borrow heavily from T2000.

Similarly, a story the different "religions" that were featured in different alien belief structures from JTAS in which a warrior must make amends to become a peacemaker. Sort of like the Sarah Connor Chronicles. It could also have shades of nuBSG of two antagonist visions of "God" and "Gods".

 

[Liam Devlin]

Without looking through the books I can think of four:

* religious dictatorship in the Aramis subsector in the Traveller Adventure

* religious dictatorship in District 268 in Divine Intervention

* religious group killing people who have looked on their religious artifact and trying to get the artifact back in an Amber Zone by J Andrew Keith in JTAS 13

* religious group of blind telepathic Vargr in the MegaTraveller book Vilani & Vargr

Thank you Elrick!

I note that said race / sub-specie of Vargr did get mentioned in MGT- Alien Book on Vargr.

The Pavabid Heresy of the CoSD in District 268 is the basis for the adventure 'Divine Intervention'. With the discovery of lanthanum there between Collace & Trexalon, things will be...interesting sooner rather than later.

The JTAS adventure I have read, but it was long ago.

And of course the RD in Aramis likewise in MGT's Spinward Marches was touched upon.

 

[Liam Devlin]

While not an adventure, "The Backwards Mask" by Paul Brunette has some religious, um, connections. (Trying not to give away too much)

This is the version of "The Backwards Mask" by the author of the first two stories, not the version written by Matt Carson, which is a completely different story about the same characters.

Thank you Richard!

I am unaware of Mr. Brunette's works beyond those two TNE-novellas he did for reasons of personal taste in authorship. Thank you for your discretion.

 

[Liam Devlin]

A nice example of the use of religion in a Traveller adventure is in my
view the old "Uragyad"n of the Seven Pillars" for Classic Traveller (still
available as a cheap PDF), because it leaves it to the referee to decide
how important the role of the religion in the adventure will be, he can
keep it far in the background or make it a vital element.

Cults are at the center of both adventures in the Traveller New Era rule-
book, also available as a PDF, "The Once and Future Emperor" (a slee-
per from the past who claims to be divine) and "Idol Dreams" (a virus
infected computer who is considered a deity).

Thank you, Herr Rust!

The first one I would interested in seeking out;

The second one I have in deadtree, and while it maybe argued its TNE-era, I am looking for Mongoose-approved, current game time 1105 or earlier works on the topic of religious organizations, sects, or cults.

 

[Jame Rowe]

There is also the Miracle Engineer career as a source of all sorts of Technomage type ideas in one of the supplements.

I like this one. You could base a campaign around a group of PCs who go to a low tech world where one has been, and then have to say, "That's not God, that's X, Y and Z!," followed by going around to various planets cleaning up after him (or her as a surprise), and then bringing him to justice*.

*Or giving him "Just Ice," i.e. gunbarrel justice.

 

[GamerDude]

* religious dictatorship in District 268 in Divine Intervention

Planet "Pavabid"

Church of the Stellar Divinity: basic belief is that "all stars are gods,
conscious beings of transcendental power. If a man worships his sun, lives a good life, and follows the teachings of the church, his soul will acquire spiritual mass, and upon his death will be drawn into his sun, where it will join with the deity"

On Pavabid:
A off shoot of CoSD known as the Pavabidian Heresy, claiming that "a star-god
sometimes sends part of its consciousness to inhabit the body of a man, who is called the "Son of the Star" and who is therefore divine and infallible. The first Son of the Star was Pavabid, who conquered his world in a religious war and renamed it for himself." A further tenet of the Pavabidian church is that "the stars are not brothers, but enemies; people from other stars are enemies of God, and contact with offworlders is therefore forbidden to all except a faithful few."

Leadership of the religious gov't on Pavabid is hereditary, the current "the Son of the Star, Thearch and Divine Ruler of Pavabid" is Orobid.

Pavabid is located "inbetween" Colace and Tarsus (these fill three parsecs in a verticle line, Collace on top, Tarsus on the bottom.. Pavabid in the middle.

 

[Liam Devlin]

* religious dictatorship in District 268 in Divine Intervention

Planet "Pavabid"

Church of the Stellar Divinity: basic belief is that "all stars are gods,
conscious beings of transcendental power. If a man worships his sun, lives a good life, and follows the teachings of the church, his soul will acquire spiritual mass, and upon his death will be drawn into his sun, where it will join with the deity"

Thank you Gamer Dude!

Now where is the canon-source for the CoSD one might reference & of an approved former GDW/ now Mongoose Games line?

 

[Liam Devlin]

To narrow the scope of this ISO-quest, specifically the any mention of the Church of the Stellar Divinity (CoSD), in MGT approved sources, adventures, & publications.

The one on Pavabid/ D-268/ SM is a given already (Spinward Marches Book, MGT).

thank you all once again.

 

[rust]

Now where is the canon-source for the CoSD one might reference & of an approved former GDW/ now Mongoose Games line?

Classic Traveller Double Adventure 6 "Divine Intervention / Night of Con-
quest" is the only "canonical" source I am aware of.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Well then,

that settles that.

 

[Liam Devlin]

While I see that MTJ-3 has a referenceTNS-news blip on the CoSD, I note also being a DGP-publication the item has been de-canonized. As I said, the quest here was to see what has been writ, and what can be used (for a written piece in general). THAT small piece of data cannot, alas for some, but good news for me...

 

[GamerDude]

Now where is the canon-source for the CoSD one might reference & of an approved former GDW/ now Mongoose Games line?

Classic Traveller Double Adventure 6 "Divine Intervention / Night of Con-
quest" is the only "canonical" source I am aware of.

Actually, I thought quoting the original mention of "the adventure Divine Intervention" covered that.

If you have the MGT book on the Spinward Marches, the descriptions of Collace, Pavabid, etc. are pretty much the entries in the original CT adventure. Seriously.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Now where is the canon-source for the CoSD one might reference & of an approved former GDW/ now Mongoose Games line?

Classic Traveller Double Adventure 6 "Divine Intervention / Night of Con-
quest" is the only "canonical" source I am aware of.

Actually, I thought quoting the original mention of "the adventure Divine Intervention" covered that.

If you have the MGT book on the Spinward Marches, the descriptions of Collace, Pavabid, etc. are pretty much the entries in the original CT adventure. Seriously.

Seriously,

My thanks Gamer Dude. I was looking for more on the CoSD church itself--its beginning, its founder(s), and of course if it existed, how it endured through 3 Imperiums to the present game date of 001-1105. Why?

If you have purchased Field Manual by Spica Press Publications, therein is a sect of the CoSD that has gone one step further and not only become a planetary government (like Pavabid in that sense only), it has become a multi-world government--without the Pavabidian heresy.

In order to explain what we have set there, one must know what the Church was before the folks in Urnian Subsector/ Foreven used the Church to achieve power over a 12-system interstellar state.

Hope this clarifies why I wished for canonical sources--this is not just for a table game, but for a written, & to-be written products for Traveller for others as well.

sincerely,

Daniel W. Hammersley

 

[RichardP]

Liam

don't forget we did at least one COSD adventure in spinward encounters - I certainly remember the space burial one.

PS Is this what I think it is?

Cheers
Richard

 

[Liam Devlin]

Liam

don't forget we did at least one COSD adventure in spinward encounters - I certainly remember the space burial one.

PS Is this what I think it is?

Cheers
Richard

I do recall that, aye Richard. But SE Comes out next month or so, but that adds a wee bit of flavor to the CoSD, true

PS: Yes.

Slainte!
Liam