The Beyond: A Revision

Here we go, Subsector O. One more to go. I'm kind of sad about that. I have a lot of work to do to clean up the big document and format it, but the pacing has helped keep me sane.

But here it is: Subsector O: Siren

https://geirbloodaxe.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-beyond-subsector-o-siren.html

TheBeyondSubsectorO.png


A ship:

Wisp-class Stealth Scout
Externally, the Wisp-class stealth scout is identical to a Serpent-class scout. From a casual inspection of the interior, it looks the same, but it is not. It is far more cramped, designed to be run by a crew of just two scouts. The internal space is optimized to allow for enough fuel for the Wisp's stealthy jump drive to makes two jump-2 transits, allowing it to jump into a system undetected, with its hull plates morphed into a near radar-invisible matte black surface and its drives powered down, glide through the system for weeks or months, and then jump out without detection.

Wisp.png



And, for a change, a starport, using the station creation rules.
I've included the text for both the Siren system and Siren High Starport, since they are close to one and the same:

Siren (1831 C521310-A)
On Imperial charts, Siren gives its subsector its name, probably because it was the first inhabited world visited by Imperial scouts. Siren orbits well outside the habitable zone of its K3 V star, adjacent to a large diffuse asteroid belt that continues far out along the star system's orbital plane. It is outside the star's jump shadow, placing it in an ideal location for a refueling waystation. At some distant point in the past, the Ancients made a half-hearted or truncated attempt to give the world a habitable atmosphere, but the effort clearly failed, leaving Siren a frozen wasteland with nearly as much carbon dioxide in its thin atmosphere as oxygen; in the case of both gasses, not enough to be useful.

Still, it was the best place in the system to extract fuel. The Siren Corporation established a foothold on the planet in -266, building a refueling depot to support the Storm Knights during the Sixth Expedition. Since that time, the small outpost has continued to operate as a Class C starport, providing fuel and some repair services for what little starship traffic crosses this backwater corner of space. The Highport is more developed than the small Downport that is mostly dedicated to ice extraction.
Siren High Starport does not meet Class B standards mainly because of its lack of shipyard. Refined fuel is available for a price. Siren High is known as a place where anything can be acquired for a price, but those seeking to take advantage of the lack of regulation are advised to be polite about it, as Siren's security forces include highly trained, well-equipped staff.

Additionally, any attempt to purchase or sell weapons of mass destruction will lead to a polite, but firm, demand to cease and desist and to conduct business elsewhere. Siren High Starport has existed as an independent entity for more than a thousand years and has no interest in inviting the intervention of outside powers that could reduce it to vapor if given sufficient cause.

Siren has become more of a destination than a wayport since the destruction of the freeport at Sniel in 1088 made through traffic between Nakris and the Hierate more difficult. The shops off the main concourse of Siren Hall do a brisk business in specialty items imported from as far away as the Vargr Extents and the other side of the Great Rift, but freighter traffic has dropped precipitously and the cargo terminal sits half empty. Rumors of a buyout by the Gateway Consortium have circulated for years, but the majority owners of the Siren Corporation reside on the station and are reluctant to surrender their legacy.

Siren High Starport
Siren High Starport is the major asset of the Siren Corporation. Parts of the station have orbited the desolate frozen world of Siren since -266. The current station complex is rated as a Class C starport facility, but only because its shipyard is a tiny facility that does not meet the Imperium's rating classification. The 60,000 ton orbital station has the ability to provide refined fuel (though at Cr750 per ton) and repair services (for ships of no more than 600 tons if a pressurized bay is required), including annual maintenance work. With a complement of nearly a thousand staff, the station can handle up to 2000 visitors and local residents, though it usually houses barely half that population.

Siren High is an amalgam of centuries of growth and renovations. The electronics, including its updated computer, sensors, and security systems, are well-maintained, but some sections suffer from age-related issues that a fresh set of holowall panels can't fix. Station security is contracted to Blackcloud Associates of Nakris, who supply a company-sized protection force and a squadron of fighters. But sometimes the dangers come from the station itself. The maintenance staff is kept busy supporting equipment that hasn't had spares in a thousand years and some sections are held together with… creativity by technicians long dead. The boast that one of the reactor cores is older than the Third Imperium is more frightening than impressive.

SirenHigh.png
 
Well, this is the last subsector of the whole sector.

I have compiled all of these posts into a document that runs about 60,000 words. It needs editing and the completion of some articles that didn't fit well within the subsector release format.

My goal is to post that document as a PDF within a week or so, perhaps with some articles as previews prior to that. And to lobby for this to be a replacement for the unfortunate mess that is the current 'In Review" OTU version of the sector, based on the original Paranoia version. I realize my biggest obstacle will be overcoming the fact that this version doesn't match the dot map from a 1991 Mega-Traveller supplement, but bad data from bad data... I think I can make that case. Or I'll try anyway.

Thanks for taking a look.

https://geirbloodaxe.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-beyond-subsector-p-aslani_6.html

Here is the subsector map:
TheBeyondSubsectorP.png


And three Aslan ships (do you know there are no small craft in the Aslan Highguard section of Drinax Book 2? I include a fighter and a pinnace here, but I may do some more)


Yurletyashi-class Frigate
The Yurletyashi is a 2400-ton frigate-class warship specifically designed to counter the Storm Knight's Scimitar-class frigate. Build with a higher level of technology than the Scimitar by the shipyards at Htoleakh, the Yurletyashi is slightly more expensive than a Scimitar, but faster, slightly better armored and equipped with weapons with a longer reach. With a particle gun bay as its main weapon and eight pulse laser turrets optimized for longer range, the ship, whose name means "swift spear hook" can strike hard at the Storm Knight's primary offensive unit from very long range and maintain that distance for the length of an engagement. However, long range sniping is not a common Aslan tactic, and actual combat between the Yurletyashi and the Scimitar has been little more than simulation and sales pitch. The ship has not been produced in large numbers and the main buyers have been the four Tlaukhu clans who are signatories of the Peace of Kaiear, so an actual fight between a Yurletyashi and a Scimitar would be a serious breach of the treaty.
Yurletyashi.png


Fyalraiea-class Pinnace
Named after a carnivorous sea bird that swoops and spears its prey, the Fyalraiea is a common pinnace produced by shipyards at Htoleakh and Layeaukhtyei. Designed for both boarding actions and troop deployments, the Fyalraiea is the standard auxiliary vessel for many Aslan warships and a common sight as a customs or police pinnace in many systems. Capable of 7g acceleration and armed with a pulse laser turret and wing-mounted missiles, the heavily armored Fyalraiea is capable of standing up to any heavy fighter class it would likely encounter in The Beyond while still able to deliver eight troops in boarding actions or as orbital jump troops. In a modified straight troop transport configuration, it can place 36 troops into a combat zone or deliver an armored personnel carrier to the fight.
Fyalraiea.png


Taleryushi-class Fighter
The Taleryushi or "swift cleaver" fighter is a 10-ton crescent-shaped fighter capable of 9g acceleration. Though technically a "light fighter", heavy armor and bulkheads greatly increase its survivability. It is available in two configurations: a two-seater with a dedicated gunner or sensor operator, or a single seater with an assault capsule ejection system. The two-seater outsells the single seat version by four to one, as fighter pilots are not inclined to admit that they might suffer defeat.
Taleryushi.png
 
Oh, a postscript:
Here I am drafting a little note to the T5SS about all this, and I did a bit of research. This version actually DOES almost match the dot map in Megatraveller Alien Volume 2 (p.50 - if anyone besides me still has it). So it's actually closer to canon than what's been put back in from the 1981 Paranoia Press version. Imagine that. Maybe I have a case after all....
 
Wow, that's some elaborate work right there! A lot of detail and love for the sector.

May I inquire, how you calculate your ships? Do you use an Excel spreadsheet or is it just write-up in Excel and you do it all by hand?
 
Ursus Maior said:
Wow, that's some elaborate work right there! A lot of detail and love for the sector.

May I inquire, how you calculate your ships? Do you use an Excel spreadsheet or is it just write-up in Excel and you do it all by hand?

Yes.

Meaning, most of it (like the software section) is essentially hand entered each time. There are formulas for things like armor, engineering, repair drones and things that are easy, but at different tech levels and with different "advanced features" the formulas are tweaked by hand. I keep intending to make it more sophisticated, but so far all I've managed is a little rearrangement of what you see on the right side: crew and power consumption. Rather than ape what's in the mongoose books, for instance, in future designs, power will be laid out more in a chart. I have also made three separate templates: starships, smallcraft and stations, with some of the manufacturing stats in formulas (for TL 10) on the station tab. I'll use them when I redo the all ships in the big booklet, since I've already found a number of errors in some of the ships I've done. (The dangers of hand entry).

The sector spreadsheet I've been using for The Beyond is a little more involve, at least on the reporting tab, where I compute all sorts of things. I'll probably post that was well when I'm done tweaking it. Still a lot of manual steps, though. I should really program everything, but its been a couple of decades since I've written any serious code, so it's likely to be excel formulas for now.
 
Beautiful update, Geir. Forgive me if I've missed your response on this elsewhere, but will you be taking this to Joshua Bell at Travellermap to present it as an alternative for the sector? It's far superior and more consistent with canon.
 
paltrysum said:
Beautiful update, Geir. Forgive me if I've missed your response on this elsewhere, but will you be taking this to Joshua Bell at Travellermap to present it as an alternative for the sector? It's far superior and more consistent with canon.

Thank you!
Well, I had some communication with the T5SS list as I started this, but when I sent them another note, yesterday... and still today, well, that email list didn't survive the move to a new server. I've let Joshua know and he informed the admin, but these things can take time in the current environment...

So, I am hopeful to at least have it out there as another alternative. Now that I found the old dot map that more or less matches, I'm a little more encouraged that it could be accepted as canon. Or at least could be with modifications.
Not sure what the process is beyond Marc Miller having the final say.

In the meantime my edit continues. Everything was checked three times before I posted it, but still... lots of typos and a few brainos. You can't edit your own stuff very well, because you know what you think you wrote. Erg.
 
Geir said:
You can't edit your own stuff very well, because you know what you think you wrote.

Tell me about it. A writer cannot see the forest for the trees...when it comes to his own work.
 
@Geir
Thanks for the insight into your design process. Right now, I do ships by hand, too, using a text editor and the calculator my OS provides. Oldschool, but it works. Looking for something fencier, though.
 
Here's an interim post as I edit my 61,000+ (and growing) sector document
(I was thinking of adding some "patron encounter" - like stuff too, but one thing at a time)

Meanwhile, I've also been playing with starship design and an updated template (and also character generation, since I watched Seth Skorkowsky's video on it - okay, so I can't stick to one thing at a time...)

Anyway, here is the post:

https://geirbloodaxe.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-class-b-starport-design-while-im.html

But since it's short, I'll just include it in it's entirety here as well (not like I'm fishing for views, though I certainly don't mind them):
-----------------
I'm continuing to edit my compilation of these blog entries and of some things that didn't fit nicely into the subsector-by-subsector posts and I'm also working on a few new items.

The T5SS mailing list seems to have suffered an accident when its server moved, so my appeal to try to get this version of The Beyond considered as a replacement for the current "In Review" mess is currently on hold. Though I did find that the dot map from the Megatraveller supplement Solomani and Aslan actually matches my revisions pretty well, so there might be hope of appealing to some version of canon...

Anyway, in the meantime, I've updated my Excel templates for starships, small craft, and space stations and used the later to build a TL 11 Highport.

Gateway Highport
The Gateway Highport has been in operation since 631 in orbit around the planet Gateway. It is the headquarters of the Gateway Consortium, a Corellan League corporation specializing in commerce between the League and its neighbors along the trailing and rimward frontier. Gateway Highport is the oldest of the six Class B starports operated by the consortium and though many sections have seen considerable renovations in recent decades, some sections show the effects of nearly five hundred years of use.

The Highport is a sprawling station, with a cylindrical central hub connected by a spine to two docking terminals, a freight terminal and a small shipyard. Smaller additions are grafted on to these five main modules in a seemingly haphazard manner.

The Gateway Shipyard technical meets the minimum qualifications for the Third Imperium's Starport Authority criteria for a Class B installation, but it rarely produces new shipping beyond a few small craft and bulk cargo haulers plying the route between Gateway and the nearest gas giant and its moons. Most of the capacity is used for maintenance overhauls of leased as additional internal docking capacity.

The Consortium's headquarters offices are fairly small, supporting a staff of barely 300 executives and staff focused on day-to-day operations. Major shareholders rarely visit the facility and board meetings are generally held on Atlantis, a much more pleasant world seven parsecs distant.

Gateway.png
 
And now for something a little different: Vehicles

I'm still working on editing and adding material to The Beyond book. I finished the background section edit pass (with a lot of rounding out of articles on governments, organizations, and races - I suppose I should put that out too...).
The email alias for T5SS is still not there, so if someone has an alternate suggestion to lobbying for this version of the Beyond, I'm all ears.

This is a "beta" of my vehicle design template. Trying to make the left look like the format in the books and the right is a worksheet to add components. Mechanically it works, but I don't like it, since there's still too much copying from right to left.

Here's the blog post:

https://geirbloodaxe.blogspot.com/2020/04/fancy-gbikes.html

(and again, the guts of the post is essentially copied below)



Aeon Flyer Stinger G/Bike series
The Aeon Flyer Consortium specializes in high-performance stylish grav vehicles that are as much status symbol as transport machinery. The Stinger series of g/bike has been the premiere g/bike model line for more than two centuries.

The entry level SZ-100 is an old design, but the base unit costs more than twice as much as a typical g/bike. Among serious enthusiasts and celebrities, owners of the SZ-100 are considered to be posers and pale imitations of true Stinger riders. However, there exists a considerable subculture of SZ-100 riders who have heavily modified their bikes, improving the electronics and automation to the point where the vehicle can compare with a more advanced model in all but speed.

The most current top-of-the-line Stinger model is the SZ-580Z, which carries a base price of more than Cr 200,000. The SZ-580Z is capable of supersonic flight and comes standard with an advanced autopilot and a sophisticated customizable personality unit. The vehicle can literally fly itself and can be instructed to perform complex tasks autonomously. Enthusiasts are loath to admit it, but the autopilot's skill is superior to most riders, and only a machine is capable of avoidance maneuvers at supersonic speed. The rider is more passenger than driver in most circumstances. The ability to exceed the speed of sound in most atmospheres is academic, as local regulations tend to limit supersonic flight to well-defined corridors and many jurisdictions require autopilot control and velocities below 200 kph in urban areas.

All Stingers come equipped with a gravchute ejection system. Recommended rider attire is rated as a vacc suit, though most riders ensure their suits and helmets are suitably stylish, which often precludes carrying all but a minimal supply of oxygen. Common upgrades include the computer and entertainment systems and hull modifications to ensure that the vehicle uniquely stands out.
StingerG-Bikes.png
 
Re:lobbying - There are basically two paths.

The T5SS (I'll poke again re: the mailing list) will respond best to corrections. A small, carefully considered list of reported problems paired with suggested fixes is easiest to review and consider. Done incrementally, over time, these can add up. In contrast, a large manifesto is simply too much effort to review given the volunteer nature and limited attention span of reviewers. There is a similar pending review of some Magyar rework. In that case, we have an established trust relationship with the proposer, and it is based on research of existing publications, but is is still sizable so has not gotten traction. As a colleague observed at work regarding code reviews, review effort grows super-linearly with the size of the change.

The other approach would be to get a new vision published, either through Mongoose or FFE, with the understanding that this is a complete replacement. There is a seeming conundrum here, in that both publishers will ask the T5SS for opinions. But this differs from the previous approach in that reconciling with previous data is not required. If we tacitly admit to it being a fresh look at the location, and an exciting new setting backed with a full supplement's worth of content for players, the review approach will be focused on setting consistency rather than matching previous data.

FWIW, I've personally wanted to see a supplement revisiting the Beyond/Vanguard/Far Frontiers sectors. I have a lot of attachment to Far Frontiers and I don't think it needs much revising, but the existing data on it is hard for modern audiences to acquire, being spread across FASA books and other fanzines only available through FFE PDFs. I have no personal attachment to BEYO/VANG so if a publisher OK'd a high-quality supplement paving over those, I'd be a fan.
 
InexorableTash said:
FWIW, I've personally wanted to see a supplement revisiting the Beyond/Vanguard/Far Frontiers sectors. I have a lot of attachment to Far Frontiers and I don't think it needs much revising, but the existing data on it is hard for modern audiences to acquire, being spread across FASA books and other fanzines only available through FFE PDFs.
Me too - I have some of the original information, but not all. A full workup of these three sectors would be a great addition to the line-up of books (and take us to somewhere with a whole different set of political issues). I think it would be a massive job to do it properly (or at least do it justice).
 
andyl said:
InexorableTash said:
FWIW, I've personally wanted to see a supplement revisiting the Beyond/Vanguard/Far Frontiers sectors. I have a lot of attachment to Far Frontiers and I don't think it needs much revising, but the existing data on it is hard for modern audiences to acquire, being spread across FASA books and other fanzines only available through FFE PDFs.
Me too - I have some of the original information, but not all. A full workup of these three sectors would be a great addition to the line-up of books (and take us to somewhere with a whole different set of political issues). I think it would be a massive job to do it properly (or at least do it justice).

Far Frontiers is probably fine as is, but it could certainly use some consolidation. I think I have hardcopy or PDF of all the relevant material, so it could be done, but there's a lot there.

Vanguard Reaches aren't horrible (except for the Nazi world names) but since I've done all that work on The Beyond, the borders and background need to match properly. There is a question in my mind about placement of placement of the Eslyat and the borders of what I've reverted back to being the Corellan League which I have purposely sidestepped. As for level of effort, my two months of work on The Beyond is well over 60,000 words and with maps and ship descriptions comes to 200+ pages. So I'm concentrating on one sector right now, but I would love to fix up Vanguard as well (evil long-term plan is to keep pushing spinward into Fulani and Astron, though that would mostly involve fixing the UWP to remove extraneous gov and law levels, so those might only be a few days of effort.)
 
AnotherDilbert said:
You seem to have lost all ships from Nakris subsector and forward. I can't see them on your blog either:

sep07Fq.png

That is f***ing annoying. I notice the maps still show up. When I posted those images and lniked to them, all but the first had this reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaallllly long url. Probably a bug in Blogger, that they just fixed. The downside of using a free service is the quality of service: you get what you pay for. Kind of a nightmare to fix and repost them all. Since I'm revising everything to check my work, maybe I need a new thread with revisions to revision.

All is going to get redone anyway. Let me try a link to my new viper deckplan as an imgur image, since that seems to work for your posts (another free service... but):
7fSGBTz

(Doesn't show on preview, but can you click on it?)
 
Geir said:
AnotherDilbert said:
You seem to have lost all ships from Nakris subsector and forward. I can't see them on your blog either:

sep07Fq.png

That is f***ing annoying. I notice the maps still show up. When I posted those images and lniked to them, all but the first had this reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaallllly long url. Probably a bug in Blogger, that they just fixed. The downside of using a free service is the quality of service: you get what you pay for. Kind of a nightmare to fix and repost them all. Since I'm revising everything to check my work, maybe I need a new thread with revisions to revision.

All is going to get redone anyway. Let me try a link to my new viper deckplan as an imgur image, since that seems to work for your posts (another free service... but):
7fSGBTz

(Doesn't show on preview, but can you click on it?)
How about this?
7fSGBTz.png
 
Geir said:
[i_m_g]https://imgur.com/7fSGBTz[/i_m_g]
(Doesn't show on preview, but can you click on it?)

You need to use the full direct link, ending in ".png":
[i_m_g]https://i.imgur.com/7fSGBTz.png[/i_m_g]
7fSGBTz.png



In the Imgur Image view click on the image you want to publish:
hVkHBH1.png


Copy the Direct Link (or Linked BBCode to get the img-tag included):
j6YjFqi.png


Paste in the post.
 
Or I could just use my own wordpress site.
That might be less clunky:

viper.png


Not free, but I'm paying for it anyway and I have a little more control.
Giving myself a bad headache.
Subsector updated:

the-beyond-subsector-a-uwp.png
 
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