Mongoose and .sec files

[drkem99]

I am planning to use the new Drinax campaign and purchased both the Mongoose Aslan sourcebook and the Trojan Reaches Map pack PDF's from DriveThruRpg.

I use a number of campaign aids that rely on .sec files. (I use sec2pdf to generate PDF maps and I also import available .sec files into a database that I use to record campaign information, store planetary maps, etc.) While preparing for the campaign, I noticed that there are a number of differences between the Mongoose planetary data and available .sec files for the Reaches (Galactic and other archives, .sec files from the Traveller wiki or extracted from the Traveller map site) that by listed dates bracket the time period of the campaign (1107.) At first glance, most of the changes are allegiance codes but I am still looking through the data.

Are there any plans to make the Mongoose system data available in .sec format for your various sector sourcebooks to help out your struggling GM's? I can't be the only one using these tools! I want to use your outstanding sourcebooks, but I hate the thought of having to editing an entire .sec file line-by-line to match your data.

Thanks.

 

[Scott Kalkwarf]

No you are not the only one that uses them.

More data is always good.

 

[drkem99]

I've made a first pass through the data in the Aslan sourcebook and the .sec and .msec files from travellermap.com. There are a couple of spelling changes (unclear if they are deliberate or not) and one renamed system; the planetary data and system positions seem unchanged. Most of the changes were in the allegiance codes; the published .sec data is post-Aslan incursion into the Reaches. I still need to clean up the trade codes (I also found several trade code typos in the sourcebook) and the remarks codes.

It will take me a little time but I will eventually have new .sec and .msec file for the Reaches and a Bento template (database template) with the sector data in it for simple campaign bookkeeping. If Mongoose permits it, I will post a link to the files on the forums. (I can see where they might not approve distribution of information they hope to get paid for, and I won't post the information anywhere against their wishes.)

Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one still using the old tools - sec2pdf makes amazing maps. I have a laminated 4'x6' map of the Gateway Domain on my gaming room wall.

 

[drkem99]

A followup message in case anyone is waiting on .sec files for the Trojan Reach (Reaches?).

There are many more differences than I initially noticed between the Trojan Reach systems in the Aslan supplement and the available online .sec files for the Reach (from travellermap.com, for example.) The available .sec files are generally post-Aslan incursion and many allegiance codes require changing to bring the files back from 1120 to the campaign date of 1105. Mongoose has changed a couple of system names, changed several base locations, added a pirate base code, removed two red zones, and deleted any number of gas giants in the sector. (Parts of Menorial subsector have become a gas giant desert compared to previous data.) The .sec data does not include the new Mongoose codes for garden world, high technology, and low technology; there is also no place for Mongoose data about Aslan clan strongholds, etc.

The bottom line is that if you plan to run a campaign in the Trojan Reach and closely follow the Aslan sourcebook, go ahead and buy the map from Mongoose or DriveThruRpg. Small-scale maps for players, if needed, can easily be created from travellermap.com and any differences explained as survey errors (known to be common in the Reach.) There are also some apparent typos in the Aslan supplement that you will need to deal with. (3 nonaligned worlds in a subsector full of hungry ihitai? I think not.)

I did produce Trojan Reach .sec files for my own campaign use that can be used to produce maps using sec2pdf (as well as a FileMaker Pro database for campaign recordkeeping and some other functions.) Producing the .sec files involved deciding which Mongoose changes to keep and which ones to use (for example, I like gas giants... such nice hunting grounds for a pirate.) As such, the .sec files are a hybrid between the Mongoose data and previously published data; they reflect my plans for my campaign and my own preferences. YMMV. Anyone who might find those files helpful may email or PM me and I will glad to send them the .sec files.

One hint if you make your own .sec files: sec2pdf does not like more than 5 trade code/remark codes. Best of luck.

 

[InexorableTash]

Most of the .SEC files online were originally created either by DGP employees (the "GEnie" uploads by Joe Fugate, alternately known as the "Sunbane" files), or created by HIWG members. DGP was active in the MT era, HIWG in the TNE era. Therefore, many of the files represent Rebellion or later snapshots, typically 1120 or 1200.

There have been various efforts to take this data, scrub it to ensure it complies with the CT sources like the Atlas of the Imperium, back-date it to 1105 and other eras, and revise the data to match the current rule set. The travellermap.com site will reflect the latest data as it becomes available.

All that said, definitely go out and buy the supplements! Maps and tables of data are the barest minimum. You'll want the details and history of the worlds, regions, and populace of the sector, and you won't find that on the map site.

 

[drkem99]

The site http://www.travellermap.com has posted new data for 1105 reflecting the Mongoose data for many sectors including Trojan Reach; this will be a boon for anyone playing in or running a campaign in these sectors. Kudos to all involved!

Area maps, files (.sec and .msec), etc. can all be generated using the API's on the site. Note: the .sec and .msec files currently will require a little hand editing to be used as input for sec2pdf.