Posting Solomani Ships

[Golan2072]

My next campaign is going to be set in Canopus (to the Spinward-Rimward of the Solomani Rim) in 1201, using Mongoose Traveller rules (of course).

The thing is that a significant amount of ships in this setting would be Solomani designs. As the Solomani sourcebook hasn't been published yet for Mongoose Traveller, and probably will not be available yet when I will begin running this campaign.

Which means that I will have to convert the Solomani ships (presented in Classic Traveller's AM6: Solomani) to Mongoose Traveller stats myself and create my own deckplans so that I will have them ready for the game. I will do so soon, at least for my own use.

The Mongoose Traveller licenses forbid the publication of Traveller material set in the Official Traveller Universe (OTU) other than in the Foreven sector (which is many, many parsecs to the Coreward from my setting).

My question is: will it be possible for me to post these conversions and deckplans here in order to share discuss them with other Traveller fans? In other words, would posting stats and deckplans alone constitute a "publication" (which is not allowed under the MGT licenses) or merely a "discussion" (which is allowed)?

 

[AndrewW]

My question is: will it be possible for me to post these conversions and deckplans here in order to share discuss them with other Traveller fans? In other words, would posting stats and deckplans alone constitute a "publication" (which is not allowed under the MGT licenses) or merely a "discussion" (which is allowed)?

That should come under fan material which would be allowed.

 

[RandyT0001]

From the FFE Fair Use Policy 2008:

"Fair Use Explicitly Applies to non- Mongoose Traveller editions. Only Mongoose Traveller is
governed by both the OGL and the TTL."

From the Read Me First of the Mongoose Development Pack:

"The campaign my group is currently playing is set in the Original Traveller Universe – but the Fair Use Policy and Logo Licences do not cover what I want to do! Does this mean I can’t write new material for use in my own gaming group???

Of course not! What you get up to within your own gaming group has nothing to do with us – we wish you the very best of luck with whatever games you have going! The Fair Use Policy and Logo Licences are only required if you intend to make your material available to the general public.

Note that ‘to publish’ covers not only printed books, but also documents such as those in Word or PDF formats, and web sites. Whether you are charging money for these items or giving them away for free makes no difference – if it is intended for the general public, it is still publishing!"

And:

"What Can’t I do?"
"Publish Original Traveller Universe material beyond the confines of the Fair Use Policy or Foreven Free Sector Logo Licence."


From my understanding of reading this you cannot publish to this website or any other website material intended for use with Mongoose Traveller rules. Not even for the purposes of (a general public) discussion of your stats or deckplans of ship converted from CT's Solomani book. Even the basic FFE fair use policy restricts you to about a page of material (maybe one ship or deckplan). I'd send Matt a PM so you can get a direct answer (or maybe he'll pop in for an answer).

 

[Golan2072]

Even the basic FFE fair use policy restricts you to about a page of material (maybe one ship or deckplan). I'd send Matt a PM so you can get a direct answer (or maybe he'll pop in for an answer).

Hmmm... As the stats would be mine (CT-HG) and not the ones from AM6: Solomani (CT-LBB2) and the deckplans will also be my own work, I don't think I'll have any problem posting the CT-HG versions of the ships and deckplans online. After all, there are many Traveller web-pages on the 'net with various conversions and fan-made deckplans of many CT ships (especially the CT-LBB2 ones).

I've also sent an e-mail to Matt in order to clarify things.

 

[Golan2072]

I've discussed this with Matthew and we've resolved this issue in a satisfactory manner.

I will create a small pocket-empire in Foreven, the New Home Confederacy, created by a Solomani war-fleet mis-jumping from the Rim during the final phases of the Solomani Rim War (around the year 1000). The Solomani were trapped behind countless parsecs of hostile Imperial and Aslan territory; unable to return home, they used their warships to carve out a small pocket-empire of their own in Foreven, centered around the world New Home. They took over a few backwater worlds in this subsector and settled a few unsettled ones, building a new home away from home for themselves.

The ships I will post - including deck-plans and MGT stats - will be ship designs used in 1105 by the New Home Confederacy. They are based on old Solomani designs from the distant Solomani Confederation, but have been modified to suit the local needs of the NHC. Some new ships - beyond the existing blueprints the Solomani war-fleet had - were designed and constructed as well.

If you want I will also post the astrography of the NHC, tentatively located in the New Home (P) subsector of Foreven.

 

[Golan2072]

Where do you think the New Home Confederation would be best located in Foreven?

I was originally thinking about subsector P, as it is close to Alenzar/Raschev (and thus to the Chamax :twisted, but it is a bit close to the Imperial enclave in the Five Sisters subsector of the Marches. But with moderate policies and open enough trade, the Imperium might tolerate them, or, at least, find it unprofitable to assimilate them.

Subsector O is another possibility, though it has far less worlds in it; the main threat there would be Avalar, but with a strong enough fleet and enough militarism, the NHC will probably be able to hold back the Avalarans.

Another option is the Coreward part of the Reidan subsector; there they could probably profit from the trade between the Darrians and the Avalarans.

 

[RandyT0001]

You are not restricted to use the map from the Foreven Logo License. You can make you own map of the Foreven Sector. From the Foreven Logo License:

7. A sector map and other details on the Foreven Sector have been provided in the Traveller Developer’s Pack. However, you are under no obligation to use them, and are free to create your own.

So your New Home Federation could occupy half of the Foreven Sector that you create specifically for this Federation or whatever you wish.

 

[Golan2072]

Hmmm... I think I'll simply use subsector M from the developer's pack for the star locations with my own worlds (generated using the hard Science method from the TMB).

Heh. I've ended up kinda liking this little setting even though it began as a justification for me to post Solomani-inspired ship designs online. If I will ever run this setting, though, I'd like to have Chamax around; but a small misjump (MUCH smaller and MUCH more likely than the original misjump which has placed the Solomani battle-group in this subsector) would be all that I'll need to infest one of the NHC's colonies with bugs!

I'm thinking about the original Solomani battle-group; it should've had several capital ships, including at least one capital-scale troop carrier with a division (or more) of troops.

Before their arrival, the local worlds were settled in the recent centuries by various independent colonists from Imperial, Sword-Worlder and Zhodani origins, living mostly in low-tech colonies. When the Solomani arrived, they quickly took over a few of these worlds and began building a more advanced technological and industrial base.

The most highly-populated world (Subsector M 0305), originally settled by colonists from the Spinward Marches and called Ashera, became the NHC's capital and was renamed New Home. It was heavily industrialized and saw a population boom, rising from UWP D768873-7 to UWP A778935-D in the last century. It's atmosphere, however, became tainted with pollution; while it is not immediately poisonous to any visitor, prolonged exposure to it causes respiratory illness. Most residents live in sealed arcologies, with only the poorest living outside them in shanty-towns.

The New Home Confederation is, in theory, a presidential democracy, but in practice the real power rests in the hands of the Solomani naval officer caste. The Solomani who misjumped into this part of Foreven were, fortunately, led by relatively moderate officers (belonging to the HVD faction which sees all Humans, Vargar and Dolphins as Solomani), who had no problem accepting the locals as Solomani and trying to integrate the new arrivals with them (while, of course, retaining power in their own hands).

The Solomani Party still exists in the NHC, and the entire officer caste are Party members, but the actual power lies in the hands of the Naval High Command rather than the Party Secretariat. No other political parties are allowed, but factions within the Party are tolerated and even encouraged (with the HVD faction holding a majority in the Assembly). SolSec also exists in the NHC, but is far less powerful than back home in the Solomani Confederation.

Member worlds are encouraged to deal with local matters independently; the Naval High Command holds supreme power, of course, but the member worlds have a significant amount of autonomy in most fields other than military or (external) diplomatic matters.

The highest technology level, afforded mostly by the military and the larger corporations, is TL-D, but the majority of the civilian population has access to TL-B goods (and civilian starships). New Home holds the only shipyards in the subsector, capable of producing TL-D military ships and TL-B civilian craft.

The largest corporation in the NHC is Novastar Incorporated, manufacturing anything from robots through colonial supplies to civilian starships. Military equipment is manufactured by state-run companies.