Pirates of Drinax - GMs thread

[Endie]

I have posted a few more updates in the last three weeks, but didn't want to spam this thread, which is nowadays just my private micro-blogging site.

In https://drinax.net/honour-amongst-thieves-5/ the party start in Theev, having spotted another member of Miria's crew heading for the shuttle to the surface when scouting out the Mercifuge in the previous session. They captured him rather neatly, using NPCs well to do so, before stealing the Mercifuge itself. This was easier than normal due to the adventure stating that Miria's access codes were in her hideout. That said, one ominous element of the adventure has been that the player running Deanna - who happens to be my wife (the player, not the character!) - has previous in Traveller.

She is the only one, but the rest are quickly picking up that specialisation is powerful in a 2D6 system. So with cyberware, software, a specialised intrusion computer from the CSC, skill and attribute bonuses anything short of a target of 14 is trivial, which includes most starships and the security systems of at least one starport so far. All I can do is make use of the elapsed time involved and hope she rolls 6 for days spent. Still, if a player invests ina skill, they're telling you that they want to be awesome at it, so I shall roll with it and adapt.

Anyway, I slipped up badly, here. I had wanted to give the players a bloody space battle, since it had been a lot of sessions since that occurred, and I had decided that Ferrik would have the Misery's Company at his base, as well as a Heavy Jump Cutter (my design) with a fighter bay with two drone fighters. I counted on losses on one or both sides, maybe an escape by the Misery's Company at least, to make for a future nemesis.

More fool I, it turns out. Their plan to take the pirates by surprise at what they believe is a hidden base was brilliantly executed: the Mercifuge's arrival was expected and taken as good news rather than a reason for an alert, while the Harrier approached from the far side of the moon using a slow approach. Given the advanced stealth and tech advantage of the So Much For Subtlety - minus 9 in total to the TL12 ships' attempts to detect it - it could probably have just flow in from directly above, but coming over the horizon like a helicopter playing Ride of the Valkyries, the pirates had no warning.

As the Harrier made a low pass and blew up one of the two modular cutter base modules, the party's marines disgorged from the Mercifuge - aka the Trojan Vulture - and blew the door on the other one, leaving its inhabitants more concerned about finding helmets than fighting back. I was perturbed but also kinda proud.

In https://drinax.net/honour-amongst-thieves-6/ there was more of a victory lap going on: visits to Palindrome (where the party met with one of their contacts, and I got to foreshadow with Hink Tabreja from Makergod and Prince Grehai from Shadows of Sindal, amongst others), then a tour of Torpol and Clarke to drop off dead pirates on their way home to Drinax.

At Drinax, we played a series of minigames in which they investigated the Vespexer Tribes then picked tasks that the tribes wanted done, with the aim of winning a cohort over to Oleb. This was a complete change of pace, both in content and speed, and worked really well. I added one of the pages from my minigame to the blog post to give an idea of what it involved, but I may do something similar again later (and the players want to come back and win over the remaining three tribes in any case).

If anyone cares, I also posted more of the shorter diary accounts from Krrsh and Patrick Steward (their robot valet). I've not posted any of Sharyl's versions, I think, so far but I did those too on occasion. Again, it rewards players for revising...

 

[Endie]

More updates on the progress of the party across four separate sessions.

The first is unimaginatively, called Pourne Star, in which one of the Pourne authorities - it's a bureaucracy with a number of competiing agencies - ask the party to investigate the strange, alien craft which they recovered. Inter-agency conflict ensues: https://drinax.net/pourne-star/ One of the short set-ups from the core book which the players ran as a classic heist in the end.

There is an NPC diary, but I don't want to go into detail if people are only marginally interested so suffice to say it is merely the Jeevesian android they stole on Marduk giving his opinion: https://drinax.net/pourne-star-patricks-diary/

Next, the group engaged in a more private capacity with Captain Halet Tovrim of the Pourne Bureau of Investigation in the sensitive matter of his girlfriend - a young lady of dubious repute - and his request to prevent her being caught up in a forthcoming takedown by another branch of his agency: https://drinax.net/star-crossed-agencies/ This was one where I was able to just set up a basic scenario and setting to the players and they basically came up with the adventure. All I did was react.

Again, I gave Patrick's own journal on events for the players, which gave a hopefully-drole view of the same events and let the players revise the events (for extra memorisation!) with the incentive of some amusement. https://drinax.net/week-14-star-crossed-agencies-patricks-version/

I also gave the players the view of the Aslan Sharyl, who was with some of the other ships in their fleet, pirating: https://drinax.net/week-14-star-crossed-agencies-sharyls-pirating-update/ They have a soft spot for Sharyl, so it was kinda fan service for them, but also let me add a little of the culture of Aslan in my setting.

Finally, we moved onto the next major arc, which was The Borderland Run, which I had been trailing since they were on Theev with INN stories about unrest and (alleged) war criminals on Arunisiir: https://drinax.net/week-15-borderland-run-1/

 

[Uqbarian]

New to the forums, so I hope this is the right place to ask -- is it explained somewhere in the Drinax campaign why the Aslan didn't conquer Asim and the rest of the Drinax chain when they destroyed the former Kingdom?

 

[Endie]

New to the forums, so I hope this is the right place to ask -- is it explained somewhere in the Drinax campaign why the Aslan didn't conquer Asim and the rest of the Drinax chain when they destroyed the former Kingdom?

The Aslan are not simple "grr free land me take" monsters. They are also not just a single, monolithic bloc. "The Aslan" didn't attack Drinax: the Ahroay'if clan did.

There might be many reasons: at the time, a lot of the Ahroay'if efforts were focussed on providing logistics to the war on the Glorious Empire, for instance. But you can always come up with one particular classic Hierate clan motivation: the struggle with all the other clans. So perhaps the Ahroay'if knew that if they took Asim and appeared too ambitious without the forces to hold it solidly then other rivals or enemies (the Hkaaiheir, Tiykhistoko and Tokohfealr in particular) would sieze the chance to band against them. Aslan clans rarely want to be obviously first or last.

 

[MasterGwydion]

The Aslan are not simple "grr free land me take" monsters. They are also not just a single, monolithic bloc. "The Aslan" didn't attack Drinax: the Ahroay'if clan did.

There might be many reasons: at the time, a lot of the Ahroay'if efforts were focussed on providing logistics to the war on the Glorious Empire, for instance. But you can always come up with one particular classic Hierate clan motivation: the struggle with all the other clans. So perhaps the Ahroay'if knew that if they took Asim and appeared too ambitious without the forces to hold it solidly then other rivals or enemies (the Hkaaiheir, Tiykhistoko and Tokohfealr in particular) would sieze the chance to band against them. Aslan clans rarely want to be obviously first or last.

Yeah, just look at the TL-16 Aslan world. TL-16 but beset by threats on all sides so that they cannot effectively leverage their TL advantage over all of the other clans.

Teahehwaih
Afawahisa 1538

Touchstone/Afawahisa Sector book
Page 98

 

[Uqbarian]

The Aslan are not simple "grr free land me take" monsters. They are also not just a single, monolithic bloc. "The Aslan" didn't attack Drinax: the Ahroay'if clan did.

There might be many reasons: at the time, a lot of the Ahroay'if efforts were focussed on providing logistics to the war on the Glorious Empire, for instance. But you can always come up with one particular classic Hierate clan motivation: the struggle with all the other clans. So perhaps the Ahroay'if knew that if they took Asim and appeared too ambitious without the forces to hold it solidly then other rivals or enemies (the Hkaaiheir, Tiykhistoko and Tokohfealr in particular) would sieze the chance to band against them. Aslan clans rarely want to be obviously first or last.

Fair enough. It just seems a bit odd given how the books are describing the ihatei so far.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Fair enough. It just seems a bit odd given how the books are describing the ihatei so far.

Very few things in Charted Space are more chaotic and disorganized that the Ihatei as a group. They are basically Aslan acting like Vargr, following the most charismatic leader. The differences are the goals of said leader. With Aslan Ihatei it is territory. With Vargr? Who knows? Could be anything.

 

[Endie]

Fair enough. It just seems a bit odd given how the books are describing the ihatei so far.

You may explain it differently in your campaign, of course!

 

[Vormaerin]

Fair enough. It just seems a bit odd given how the books are describing the ihatei so far.

Also keep in mind that the ihatei are distinct from the clans. The clans are the Aslan that don't go running off to conquer random places because their land ownership urge outweighs their clan loyalty.

A lot of the Traveller material emphasizes the ihatei, because that is a major source of adventures and threats to human controlled worlds. But the ihatei are a very small fraction of the Aslan as a whole. Only a quarter of each Aslan generation is male and the ihatei are made up primarily of males who don't have prospects in their clan, so from families with a very large number of children or a fluke high male birth ratio.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Also keep in mind that the ihatei are distinct from the clans. The clans are the Aslan that don't go running off to conquer random places because their land ownership urge outweighs their clan loyalty.

A lot of the Traveller material emphasizes the ihatei, because that is a major source of adventures and threats to human controlled worlds. But the ihatei are a very small fraction of the Aslan as a whole. Only a quarter of each Aslan generation is male and the ihatei are made up primarily of males who don't have prospects in their clan, so from families with a very large number of children or a fluke high male birth ratio.

Well said.

 

[Uqbarian]

Also keep in mind that the ihatei are distinct from the clans. The clans are the Aslan that don't go running off to conquer random places because their land ownership urge outweighs their clan loyalty.

A lot of the Traveller material emphasizes the ihatei, because that is a major source of adventures and threats to human controlled worlds. But the ihatei are a very small fraction of the Aslan as a whole. Only a quarter of each Aslan generation is male and the ihatei are made up primarily of males who don't have prospects in their clan, so from families with a very large number of children or a fluke high male birth ratio.

Though Drinax Book 2 is also saying the ihatei aren't entirely distinct from their clans.

And Tyokh is practically next door. A small fraction of twenty billion is still a lot!

 

[MasterGwydion]

Though Drinax Book 2 is also saying the ihatei aren't entirely distinct from their clans.

And Tyokh is practically next door. A small fraction of twenty billion is still a lot!

They are more or less distinct from their clans until they have a viable territory. After this they are no longer Ihatei. The clan basically allows them to rejoin the clan and the clan will provide limited support for their new territory, but only after they prove that they can defend the new territory and can make the territory viable. Once this happens though, the clan will also defend this territory as clan territory.

 

[Uqbarian]

They are more or less distinct from their clans until they have a viable territory. After this they are no longer Ihatei. The clan basically allows them to rejoin the clan and the clan will provide limited support for their new territory, but only after they prove that they can defend the new territory and can make the territory viable. Once this happens though, the clan will also defend this territory as clan territory.

Yep, that's more in line with what I'm reading so far. Ihatei (in the narrow sense) aren't clanless, but the leaders of their clan don't have to back them up if they don't want to. If an ihatei bites off more than he can chew, that's tough luck for him, and not the clan leaders' problem, right?

 

[Vormaerin]

They aren't kicked out of their clan, but they are joining a group of other Aslan from other areas to form a raiding party to go way off in some random direction to carve out territory that isn't going to be contributing to the clan. It seems unlikely that successful clans are going have lots of surplus males, especially in a region where there is a lot of war and conquest going on. Such as the Heirate vs the Glorious Empire.

Every ihatei is one less warrior for the clan military and one less person contributing to any of the male roles in society such as pilots. The Aslan either have very very large families or they are likely to be generally struggling to maintain the male population given the low male birth rate/higher male death rate. The vast majority of Aslan males are going to have excellent opportunities for advancement within the clan.

For every family with multiple sons in the clan, there's likely to be families with no surviving sons. And of those Aslan that have enough surplus males that they send off ihatei, how many of them can afford to give away millions of credits of warships for those ihatei instead of using them to expand the clan territory directly?

Ihatei are cool and they are an important part of the Aslan culture. But I suspect that being a growing, dynamic clan that does not lose many members to ihatei expeditions is probably a pretty important factor in clan success. Ihatei are much more likely to come from unsuccessful clans or clans that are hemmed in by stronger neighbors.

 

[MasterGwydion]

They aren't kicked out of their clan, but they are joining a group of other Aslan from other areas to form a raiding party to go way off in some random direction to carve out territory that isn't going to be contributing to the clan. It seems unlikely that successful clans are going have lots of surplus males, especially in a region where there is a lot of war and conquest going on. Such as the Heirate vs the Glorious Empire.

Every ihatei is one less warrior for the clan military and one less person contributing to any of the male roles in society such as pilots. The Aslan either have very very large families or they are likely to be generally struggling to maintain the male population given the low male birth rate/higher male death rate. The vast majority of Aslan males are going to have excellent opportunities for advancement within the clan.

For every family with multiple sons in the clan, there's likely to be families with no surviving sons. And of those Aslan that have enough surplus males that they send off ihatei, how many of them can afford to give away millions of credits of warships for those ihatei instead of using them to expand the clan territory directly?

Ihatei are cool and they are an important part of the Aslan culture. But I suspect that being a growing, dynamic clan that does not lose many members to ihatei expeditions is probably a pretty important factor in clan success. Ihatei are much more likely to come from unsuccessful clans or clans that are hemmed in by stronger neighbors.

It is still billions of Ihatei every generation. Even if Ihatei are only 1% of the population of Aslan, that is still way over a billion Aslan. I would get specifics but the Traveller wiki keeps timing out on me.

Here is ChatGPT. Not bad ratios, but there are way more than 200 billion Aslan in the Hierate.

 

[Anstett]

From Great Rift Book 2 (page 53):
The strict inheritance rules in Aslan society result in large numbers of ihatei – sons who will not inherit and their followers – who seek their own fortunes. A proportion of ihatei bands travel beyond the Hierate, pushing the boundaries of both their clan’s territory and the Hierate. Clans may disavow the actions of ihatei at times but it is through their actions that the clan hopes to grow in power.
It is not generally in the interests of a given clan to rein in its ihatei. This can lead to conflict with outsiders as ihatei encroach on their territory and
are resisted, potentially dragging the parent clan into battle. However, resistance to ihatei is part of the game of politics played within and without
the Hierate. Those who walk the fine line between repelling incursions and causing a clan to lose too much face may gain the respect of one clan – or
another – and become a potential ally.

I think that is one point missing in a lot of discussion about the Ihatei. They are mostly inside of the Hierate, scuffling in the boundaries between the clans. Add in all that open area Spinward and Rimward of the Hierate it leaves a much smaller fraction to go off invading... exploring... the Imperium or the Solomani. The Reach will see some inroads, and the Borderland has systems very much in play. But that is a small percentage of the overall Ihatei numbers.

The Traveller Map

An interactive map of the universe of the Traveller role playing game, incorporating official data and fan submissions. The site also provides services for generating custom maps and APIs for incorporating maps into other sites.

travellermap.com

 

[CordwainerFish]

all that open area Spinward and Rimward of the Hierate

Perhaps there's something nasty there and most ihatei would rather chance themselves against the unaligned systems of the Reach. (We never hear of them freebooting in the Deep either, do we?)

 

[J. L. Brown]

It is still billions of Ihatei every generation. Even if Ihatei are only 1% of the population of Aslan, that is still way over a billion Aslan. I would get specifics but the Traveller wiki keeps timing out on me.

Here is ChatGPT. Not bad ratios, but there are way more than 200 billion Aslan in the Hierate.

View attachment 6510

The number of Ihatei born every year should be vastly less than 1%. Humans have about 17 live births per 1000 people per year. If female Aslan give birth at about the same rate, and males only make up 25% of all births, AND the 'potential Ihatei" are only non-first sons... it looks like 1% is quite a generous estimate.

 

[MasterGwydion]

The number of Ihatei born every year should be vastly less than 1%. Humans have about 17 live births per 1000 people per year. If female Aslan give birth at about the same rate, and males only make up 25% of all births, AND the 'potential Ihatei" are only non-first sons... it looks like 1% is quite a generous estimate.

Really? 17 live births out of 1,000 humans and you compare that to a culture that takes multiple wives and has children with all of them, including more than one wife pregnant at one time? Your statistics are for humans that practice monogamy, not polygamy.

Human rulers with harems often had several hundred children. The only real limit seems to be economic. If they can afford that many children, they have them. Why would Aslan be any different?

Edit - Also, your number is per year and the number I gave was per generationish, so you'd have to muliply your number by the number of wives and by the number of years in a generation. So, at minimum, you'd need 17x15 years = 255 per 1,000 times 2 wives = 510 per 1,000 Aslan over a 15 year period.

 

[Vormaerin]

From Great Rift Book 2 (page 53):
The strict inheritance rules in Aslan society result in large numbers of ihatei – sons who will not inherit and their followers – who seek their own fortunes. A proportion of ihatei bands travel beyond the Hierate, pushing the boundaries of both their clan’s territory and the Hierate. Clans may disavow the actions of ihatei at times but it is through their actions that the clan hopes to grow in power.
It is not generally in the interests of a given clan to rein in its ihatei. This can lead to conflict with outsiders as ihatei encroach on their territory and
are resisted, potentially dragging the parent clan into battle. However, resistance to ihatei is part of the game of politics played within and without
the Hierate. Those who walk the fine line between repelling incursions and causing a clan to lose too much face may gain the respect of one clan – or
another – and become a potential ally.

I think that is one point missing in a lot of discussion about the Ihatei. They are mostly inside of the Hierate, scuffling in the boundaries between the clans. Add in all that open area Spinward and Rimward of the Hierate it leaves a much smaller fraction to go off invading... exploring... the Imperium or the Solomani. The Reach will see some inroads, and the Borderland has systems very much in play. But that is a small percentage of the overall Ihatei numbers.

The Traveller Map

An interactive map of the universe of the Traveller role playing game, incorporating official data and fan submissions. The site also provides services for generating custom maps and APIs for incorporating maps into other sites.

travellermap.com

The problem with that quote is that it doesn't actually make any sense. If you want that to be the case, you have to explain how Aslan society does function if they only have, at best, replacement of existing men in society. The entire clan military is made up of first born sons? Every male coded job gets replaced by the son of the current holder and there is no market for expansion?

The ihatei quotes are like the claims that large percentages of the Vargr go do corsair stuff. It's really easy to say that. It's really hard to explain how the society functions if that's the case. Neither leaves enough people to do the actual society that is producing these folks if taken literally.

Now, if ihatei include all the younger sons who join the clan army, merchant crews for the corporations, mercenary units, and all those kinds of careers rather than working for their brother on the family ranch, sure, then there's some serious plausibility there. But that's not how it's presented.

Some tiny number of them will the the rich clan lords' younger sons wheedling some surplus ships from the clan and recruiting followers to go a-viking somewhere. But the Aslan society described just doesn't produce the level of spare sons that the standard description of ihatei suggests.