The "Verse" for Traveller - Here it is.

[BloatedBlowfish]

Happy 4th of July!

I present for your Traveller and Browncoat pleasure a project I've spent entirely too much time on, namely The Firefly/Serenity 'Verse mapped out for use with Traveller.

Stats for the obsessive minded:
TOTAL: 5 feature Systems (9 total sectors), 12 Suns, 76 planets, 163 moons.

Cheers,
B.B

 

[bartlebyfosco]

Very cool. I am still trying to grok it but I appreciate your doing this.

 

[BloatedBlowfish]

I'm including some stats from the .pdf and the Sector data. I could add that to the pdf, now that I think about it. *slaps head*

This is my first time trying something like this, so go easy on me.

Kalidasa Suns:2 Planets:19 Moons:34
Red Sun Suns:3 Planets:15 Moons:30
White Sun Suns:3 Planets:16 Moons:31
Georgia Suns:2 Planets:16 Moons:42
Blue Sun Suns:2 Planets:10 Moons:26

Suns:12 Planets:76 Moons:163

Suns/Proto-stars are in CAPITALS

***
Kalidasa

Salisbury 0922 0412000-0 Ni Po 010 Un M III
Zephyr 1021 0832000-0 Ba 005 Un F V
New Kasmir 1023 E553600-5 Ni Po
Angel 1025 0330000-0 Ba De 014 Un M V
Oberon 1028 0531000-0 Ba 010 Un K III K V*
New Hall 1029 E683400-5 Lo Ni 501 Al G V
Heaven 1122 0844000-0 Ba 002 Un G V M D
Vishnu 1123 0430000-0 Ba De 010 Un M V
PENGLAI 1127 0000000-0
Beylix 1227 X450000-0 Ba De R
Six Sigma 1228 0100000-0 Ba Va 001 Un F V K V
Ghost 1321 0822000-0 Ba 011 Un K V M V*
KALIDASA 1325 0000000-0
Zeus 1421 0430000-0 Ba De 010 Un M V
Sho-Je Downs 1424 0733000-0 Ba 024 Un G V
Djinn's Bane 1429 0300000-0 Ba Va 001 Un M III
Delphi 1522 B474700-A Ag 413 Al F V M V
Verbena 1526 C857600-5 Ag Ni 611 Al F V
Constance 1527 D753500-5 Ni Po 613 Al G V
Whittier 1528 B474700-A Ag 413 Al F V M V
Glacier 1625 C664800-9 213 Al G V

***
Red Sun

St. Albans 1814 D560600-6 Ic
Harvest 1816 0931000-0 Ba 010 Un K V
Lazarus 1817 E753600-5 Ni Po 623 Al F V
New Melbourne 1913 B474700-A Ag 413 Al F V M V
RED SUN 2014 0000000-0
Triumph 2018 E753600-5 Ni Po 623 Al F V
Jubilee 2111 0830000-0 Ba De 002 Un M V [M V]
Jiangyin 2115 E753600-5 Ni Po 400 Al G V [M V]
Greenleaf 2116 C664800-9 213 Al G V
HEINLEIN 2118 0000000-0
Silverhold 2120 D653600-5 Ni Po 113 Al K V M V
Anson's World 2313 E553600-5 Ni Po
Anvil 2314 B753600-8 Ni Po 720 Al G V K V M V
HIMINBJORG 2315 0000000-0
Aesir 2316 C753600-7
Paquin 2318 E653600-4
Moab 2414 0810000-0 Ba 001 Un M V
Brisingamen 2415 D872900-7 Hi In

***
White Sun

QIN SHI HUANG 1014 0000000-0
Albion 1016 E454600-4 Ag Ni 520 Al M III G V*
Santo 1115 E753600-5 Ni Po 602 Al G V
Ariel 1212 A767799-B Ri
Londinium 1215 A787899-C Ri 111 Al F V
Rubicon 1216 0624000-0 Ba 023 Un A V F V*
Dukkha 1219 0311000-0 Ba Ic 002 Un M V
Osiris 1313 A787999-B Hi Cp 503 Al G V [K V]
Liann Jiun 1314 0733000-0 Ba 024 Un G V
WHITE SUN 1315 0000000-0
Gonghe 1317 0610000-0 Ba 000 Un M V M V
Valentine 1318 0733000-0 Ba 024 Un G V
Bernadette 1414 C500500-9 Va
Sihnon 1415 A887899-C Ri 513 Al G V [F V]
Ra Amiran 1511 0300000-0 Ba Va 001 Un M III
Bellerophon 1613 A667699-C Ri
Persephone 1615 A755800-A 100 Al M V
LUX 1616 0000000-0
Pelorum 1617 0830000-0 Ba De 002 Un M V [M V]

***
Georgia

MURPHY 0116 0000000-0
Hera 0117 C784800-9 Ag 610 Al K V [K III]
Aphrodite 0215 E753600-5 Ni Po 400 Al G V [M V]
Shadow 0216 X670000-0 Ba De R 113 Al G V [F V]
Di Yu 0314 D753500-5 Ni Po 613 Al G V
Prophet 0316 0822000-0 Ba 011 Un K V M V*
Daedalus 0318 E454600-4 Ag Ni 520 Al M III G V*
Meadow 0412 E300000-0 Ba Va 410 Al F V G V
Kerry 0414 D000500-C Ni As 821 Al M II
Ithaca 0514 0100000-0 Ba Va 001 Un F V K V
Ezra 0515 C753600-7
GEORGIA 0516 0000000-0
Boros 0518 C753900-6 M Hi Po 213 Al A V G V*
Athens 0519 E753600-5 Ni Po 206 Al F V M V M V
Regina 0616 D753600-7
Three Hills 0714 E553600-5 Ni Po
Elphame 0716 E753600-5 Ni Po 623 Al F V
New Hope 0816 E683400-5 Lo Ni 501 Al G V

***
Blue Sun

Miranda 0102 E454600-4 Ag Ni 520 Al M III G V*
BURNHAM 0103 0000000-0
Shenzhou 0302 D753600-8 Ni Po 720 Al G V K V M V
BLUE SUN 0505 0000000-0
New Canaan 0507 B474700-A Ag 413 Al F V M V
Meridian 0604 E753600-5 Ni Po 206 Al F V M V M V
Muir 0607 0631000-0 Ba 005 Un K V
Deadwood 0703 C000500-C M Ni As 821 Al M II
Fury 0708 C753900-6 M Hi Po 213 Al A V G V*
Highgate 0709 C000500-C M Ni As 821 Al M II
Dragon's Egg 0710 D653600-5 Ni Po 113 Al K V M V
Beaumonde 0804 D872900-7 Hi In

 

[RYXlord]

This is fantastic work! Very charming and well presented. As a Traveller and a Firefly fan, it's a delight to see. You should be proud!

 

[BloatedBlowfish]

This is fantastic work! Very charming and well presented. As a Traveller and a Firefly fan, it's a delight to see. You should be proud!

Thank you so much for the very kind words, I'm glad you like it.

 

[G'Naakbusters]

You madman!

 

[BloatedBlowfish]

Yep, I said that a couple times to myself. 8)

 

[Valkyrie]

You know we have all at least considered it. As we all tend to at least plan to misbehave some time or another. Thanks for this

 

[Valkyrie]

Now w need to just add details for at least the known worlds of the verse, or does this already exist somewhere?

 

[BloatedBlowfish]

Your very welcome!

I can't tell you the amount of searches I've done over the last 6 months on The Verse and it as a Traveller sector. Must of done 300 searches via the Wayback Machine alone, and then the just the sheer amount of "wish it existed" comments all over various forums wanting it.

Coming into this, I had zero experience with the UWP, and well the hardest part was trying to match the scant details for the 70 or so planets that were never shown in Firefly/Serenity to the UWP.

***
To answer your question:
The Verse in Numbers 2.0 gives all the Astronomical data for the system, and the Arc in Numbers shows the planets "placement" in each system. Combine this with the Firefly/Serenity RPG - and what planetary data that is available is found therein and at the Firefly Fan Wiki.

The Celestial Navigation Chart by ShadowTek, (image provided), is the reason this document exists.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Just out of curiosity, what are you using instead of jump drives?

 

[BloatedBlowfish]

Just out of curiosity, what are you using instead of jump drives?

Remember that there are no x-boat routes here, due to all of the Automated Cortex Relay Stations throughout the system for communication. This is basically a local solar system map, so the maneuver drive is all that you would need.

At least that's what I've been using.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Remember that there are no x-boat routes here, due to all of the Automated Cortex Relay Stations throughout the system for communication. This is basically a local solar system map, so the maneuver drive is all that you would need.

At least that's what I've been using.

Then I must have missed the scale of the map somewhere.

 

[WHULorigan]

Basically, "The Verse" was a Super Star system (or several Very Close multiple Star Systems) that don't require FTL for travel between them. Ships seem to have had a High-thrust Reaction Rocket/Jet system for Planetary orbital interface and landing, and a secondary high efficiency / high-speed impulse manoeuvre system for Interplanetary travel.

So as a stand-in, think HEPlaR and M-Drives (or if you like T5, perhaps even a T-Drive based on the visuals in the series).

 

[Sigtrygg]

I used the jump drive as the system crossing "firefly" drive (up to 4g), while the regular m-drive had a similar capability to the regular thrusters on Serenity.

 

[NOLATrav]

This is fantastic, excellent work! I’ve been trying to use the various world building rules to kludge together a multi-star system based on the Verse but man - feel like you nailed it. Cheers!

 

[BloatedBlowfish]

This is fantastic, excellent work! I’ve been trying to use the various world building rules to kludge together a multi-star system based on the Verse but man - feel like you nailed it. Cheers!

Wow, thanks so much for the compliment. 8)

 

[RYXlord]

This has me so excited I sat down to build a Firefly as it would be if it was a ship in the 3rd imperium!

And then I thought Hey, what if I tried it using tech a little closer to the Verse's? Luckily there's mention in Starship Operations Manual that... "Some rockets have an ‘atmospheric mode’, wherein they hook fuel scoops to the reaction drive and use air as reaction mass, usually heating it before expelling it. This doubles the cost of the reaction drive, only works within a thin or thicker atmosphere or a hydrosphere and requires that the spacecraft have fuel scoops." which is how things are described in the verse. For the Pulse Drive I decided to basically keep it the same as a J-drive, but I'm imagining it probably uses the 'Real Space Transit' rules from Companion, and instead jumping several parsecs it goes several hexes instead, whatever the hexes on this map are. I was wondering if I needed to make Pulse Drives a little more powerful in general, but looking at this, it makes the jump from Persephone to Jiangyin in three weeks, which is about how long Mal took between eps 4 and 5 .

As I was building though, I ran into some trouble underestimating how hefty atmosphere rockets are. The 400ton ship chassis doesn't have room for them, even when I was cheating in reduced tonnage (which isn't normally available on r-drives). It was so bad I had to upscale the whole ship to 500 tons for the verse version. Luckilly that also gave me just enough leeway to have reaction-mass fuel tanks large enough that the ship could cost a whole extra hex on them if it was trying real hard, which really helps get over some of the 3-hex gaps on the verse map.

Designing ships with verse tech in mind is a really interesting design challenge. It's a shame things don't line up clean enough you can just use a 1:1 translation, but I suppose there's nothing stopping a Referee from just playing loose and sloppy with a 3rd Imperium ship in verse space for the sake of the story, haha.

 

[ottarrus]

We love labors of love! That's what keeps fandom going.

 

[MasterGwydion]

This has me so excited I sat down to build a Firefly as it would be if it was a ship in the 3rd imperium!

And then I thought Hey, what if I tried it using tech a little closer to the Verse's? Luckily there's mention in Starship Operations Manual that... "Some rockets have an ‘atmospheric mode’, wherein they hook fuel scoops to the reaction drive and use air as reaction mass, usually heating it before expelling it. This doubles the cost of the reaction drive, only works within a thin or thicker atmosphere or a hydrosphere and requires that the spacecraft have fuel scoops." which is how things are described in the verse. For the Pulse Drive I decided to basically keep it the same as a J-drive, but I'm imagining it probably uses the 'Real Space Transit' rules from Companion, and instead jumping several parsecs it goes several hexes instead, whatever the hexes on this map are. I was wondering if I needed to make Pulse Drives a little more powerful in general, but looking at this, it makes the jump from Persephone to Jiangyin in three weeks, which is about how long Mal took between eps 4 and 5 .

As I was building though, I ran into some trouble underestimating how hefty atmosphere rockets are. The 400ton ship chassis doesn't have room for them, even when I was cheating in reduced tonnage (which isn't normally available on r-drives). It was so bad I had to upscale the whole ship to 500 tons for the verse version. Luckilly that also gave me just enough leeway to have reaction-mass fuel tanks large enough that the ship could cost a whole extra hex on them if it was trying real hard, which really helps get over some of the 3-hex gaps on the verse map.

Designing ships with verse tech in mind is a really interesting design challenge. It's a shame things don't line up clean enough you can just use a 1:1 translation, but I suppose there's nothing stopping a Referee from just playing loose and sloppy with a 3rd Imperium ship in verse space for the sake of the story, haha.

Mongoose should add a Pulse Drive to the Exotic Technology section of High Guard. Also, you notice that the Serenity doesn't have a power plant. In the Verse, the ship's drive provides the power for the ship. So, you will have to remove the powerplant and make the drive the new source of power generation. Basically, you have the two engines on the pylons for atmospheric thrust and then the pulse drive/power plant. I love Firefly and loved playing the RPG, but it wasn't all that well written.