Pre-Melieu 0 Campaign: Sylea or Solomani?

[Sturn]

Lengthy post. Lots of explanation but you can skip to the bold text below to see what I'm actually asking for.

Through the last year or so I've been nibbling at a project for a campaign setting within the Traveller universe that involves key items I like such as: smaller campaign area, lower TL, smaller big ships, and "pocket empires". I planned on making consolidated star maps, world information, timeline, library entries, ships, vehicles, and equipment for this campaign and making it available for others if there was interest and it was legal.

I began by gathering information for a campaign set just before Melieu 0 as detailed somewhat in T4. I ran into many problems, notably all the contradictions with and even within the T4 material. I started with trying to make historical maps of Core sector and beyond in the years -200, -100, -35 (tentative campaign start), and 0. Loads of trouble. The T4 Core map contradicted older Core maps (different names, different world locations, even a missing world). Even the large M0 T4 campaign book had historical text that seemed to be using the older Core map instead of the Core map within the same book! After hours of work comparing data, collecting everthing I could, I wanted to pull my hair out.

I thus started considering a campaign set in the Solomani Rim somewhere near the end of the Long Night (no set date yet, somewhere around -400 to +200). From what I've researched thus far, the area would have much strife and several pocket empires (Easter Concord, Vegan Polity, Old Earth Union, etc). This would be set just before or during initial contact from the far off and recently established 3rd Imperium/Sylean Federation.

What I need is some help deciding which of these two campaign projects I should move along into researching. Both have advantages and disadvantages for me (see below). Whichever I choose, I would prefer a campaign 'sourcebook' that others are interested in which would help motivate me into the hours spent on such a project.

Pre-Melieu 0 (Sylean Federation rises to become the 3rd Imperium)

Likes

*Campaign involves 'living' the history of the 3rd Imperium, coolness factor.
*Centered on one sector (Core).
*Lots of source material to begin with (also a dislike).
*Smaller fleets, biggest ship around is 90k tons.
*TL 11-12.

Dislikes

*Source material is a mess, many contradictions.
*Lots of material makes it more difficult for me to make up new stuff.
*Players will all be from the Sylean Federation, knowing the other nearby pocket empires don't have a chance.
*Some of what I create I won't be able to share due to copyrights, much of the information will include copying what was done before by others.

Dawn on the Rim (Solomani Rim Pocket Empires at the end of the Long Night)

Likes

*More pocket empires with no dominance by one.
*Less contradictions in source material.
*Due to less background material, more fun filling in the blanks myself.
*Less set in stone, so can decide what I want without making contradictions to canon.
*TL 10-11?
*Lots of nearby fun areas for campaign 'expansions' (Aslan border wars, reaver pocket empires, Hivers, odyssey to find the Sylean Federation, etc).
*Less trouble with copyrights since most of the project will be original, just based upon earlier works.

Dislikes

*Not much out there detailing the Rim duing this time period (also a like).
*Predict less interest from other Traveller fans then the pre-M0 setting.

 

[kristof65]

For that era, I'd prefer the Solomani Rim one.

 

[GypsyComet]

Yes, the T4 version of will-be-Imperial space is different. Yes, it was done on purpose (to "keep prior players from having an advantage", per Marc himself at the T4 launch seminar at GenCon 1996). No, it made no real sense at the time and still doesn't.

Use the general material, ignore the sector listings.

 

[Travellingdave]

I ran a campaign set in a resurgent Terran Union in -25. I made most of it up myself but that was half the fun. I just pulled out the Solomani sourcebook and altered the UWPs as seemed appropriate.

It was cool pitting the players against the Empire of Dingir and forming alliances with the Vegans. It also allowed me to confront them with distinct Vilani cultures and contrast them with Terran norms. Also, the players cared more about Terra and its future than some proto-empire way out coreward. YMMV.

 

[kristof65]

Also, the players cared more about Terra and its future than some proto-empire way out coreward. YMMV.

Exactly why I would prefer that era.

 

[Sturn]

Also, the players cared more about Terra and its future than some proto-empire way out coreward. YMMV.

Exactly why I would prefer that era.

Sounds good to me also, exspecially with players new to Traveller.

 

[Sturn]

Yes, the T4 version of will-be-Imperial space is different. Yes, it was done on purpose (to "keep prior players from having an advantage", per Marc himself at the T4 launch seminar at GenCon 1996)....<snip>....

But it appears that some (or at least one) of the authors for the M0 book STILL used the prior canonical Core map when writing up histories (Interstellar Confederacy, for example). Strange. Perhaps because some of the earlier histories were transported into the T4 M0 campaign book from older sources, without being altered for the 'new' map.

 

[Golan2072]

I'd give another vote to the Solomani - less messy cannon to deal with, and far less canonical "future history" getting stuck in the wheels of your story (unlike the Core where from around year zero or even before you have to follow a specific chain of events in order to avoid breaking cannon).

 

[Sturn]

Thanks for the comments folks. I've put my M0 research into a folder (too much of it to throw it away), and am now turning towards researching a Solomani Rim campaign around the end of the Long Night.

I'll probably be posting here again for suggestions as I start researching again.