Traveller/2300AD; Same universe, different reality

Avollant

Banded Mongoose
This post is in response to someone asking about an alternate universe. After giving it some thought, I realized how 2300AD could be reimagined as an alternate version of Traveller—but without the Vilani. In fact, it's easier than I initially expected.

In the MegaTraveller edition, there's a module called "Nightfall", which mentions an alien civilization that predates the Ancients and was studied by them. Similarly, in 2300AD, the Nyotekundu module refers to a now-extinct alien civilization called the Medusae, who fought a war for survival against a mysterious enemy.

If we assume that the Medusae's enemy and the civilization from Nightfall are one and the same, it's possible that during their conflict, something occurred that prevented the rise of the Grandfather.

Now, as for Traveller, there's nothing stopping you from including races like the Sung, Xiang, Eber, Ylii, and even the Pentapods, by treating them as minor races within this particular region of the Third Imperium. As for the Kaefers, I would remove them from the standard setting and instead use them as a template for an invader originating from beyond the borders. Their disappearance could be explained either by extermination at the hands of the Ziru Sirka, due to the threat they posed, or by self-destruction in one of their numerous nuclear wars (they had three, after all).

Regarding 2300AD, it's worth noting that the Vegans aren’t actually from Vega, but from a nearby star. Therefore, they could still exist within the 2300AD universe—mankind simply hasn’t encountered them yet.

By the way, in my Kaefer 2.0 document, I proposed a theory about a third race that may have aided the Kaefers... perhaps the Vegans are that race?

Your thoughts?
 
Well, in terms of timeline, you could progress from Twilight: 2000, through 2300AD and into Traveller’s far future Charted Space setting. The main barrier, I think lies in the different technology assumptions between 2300AD and Traveller. I agree that the Alien species from 2300AD could easily be ported over into Traveller though. I’m not sure why you needn’t keep the Vilani though.
 
This post is in response to someone asking about an alternate universe. After giving it some thought, I realized how 2300AD could be reimagined as an alternate version of Traveller—but without the Vilani. In fact, it's easier than I initially expected.

In the MegaTraveller edition, there's a module called "Nightfall", which mentions an alien civilization that predates the Ancients and was studied by them. Similarly, in 2300AD, the Nyotekundu module refers to a now-extinct alien civilization called the Medusae, who fought a war for survival against a mysterious enemy.

If we assume that the Medusae's enemy and the civilization from Nightfall are one and the same, it's possible that during their conflict, something occurred that prevented the rise of the Grandfather.

Now, as for Traveller, there's nothing stopping you from including races like the Sung, Xiang, Eber, Ylii, and even the Pentapods, by treating them as minor races within this particular region of the Third Imperium. As for the Kaefers, I would remove them from the standard setting and instead use them as a template for an invader originating from beyond the borders. Their disappearance could be explained either by extermination at the hands of the Ziru Sirka, due to the threat they posed, or by self-destruction in one of their numerous nuclear wars (they had three, after all).
If Grandfather doesn't exist, then neither do the Vilani or any of the other human races that Grandfather created and seeded worlds with.

Same goes true for the Vargr. That frees up a good amount of space to put the 2300 stuff to work. Sol Sector and the Vargr Extants would be damn near empty.
 
Well, in terms of timeline, you could progress from Twilight: 2000, through 2300AD and into Traveller’s far future Charted Space setting. The main barrier, I think lies in the different technology assumptions between 2300AD and Traveller. I agree that the Alien species from 2300AD could easily be ported over into Traveller though. I’m not sure why you needn’t keep the Vilani though.
and the vilani...
 
If Grandfather doesn't exist, then neither do the Vilani or any of the other human races that Grandfather created and seeded worlds with.

Same goes true for the Vargr. That frees up a good amount of space to put the 2300 stuff to work. Sol Sector and the Vargr Extants would be damn near empty.
Grandfather? A children's story to keep them from misbehaving.

I have removed Grandfather and no one has ever complained. Might not be Classic 3I, but that usually ends right after session 1 anyway.
 
Grandfather? A children's story to keep them from misbehaving.

I have removed Grandfather and no one has ever complained. Might not be Classic 3I, but that usually ends right after session 1 anyway.
What did you put in place of the Vilani and the Zhodani? Did you take Minor Races from those areas and develop them into something?
 
The Ziru Sirka does not have to be a transplanted human empire. The Ziru Sirka could be an empire of a different alien race - I would be tempted to look at for some interesting candidates...

Take out transplanted humans and you still have Aslan, Hivers, K'kree and a host of minor races.
Adding the 2300 races - the Kafer, Ylii and the Pentapod deserve major status

To which I would definitely add some races from Star Frontiers/Alternity/d20Future...

As the centuries progress towards the 57th there are also the possibility of human cyborg civilisations, uplifted wolves, apes, dolphins, a recognition of the octopus as being a long lost Pentapod wormhole experiment...
 
Grandfather? A children's story to keep them from misbehaving.

I have removed Grandfather and no one has ever complained. Might not be Classic 3I, but that usually ends right after session 1 anyway.
how do you explain the Vargr, the Zhodani, the Vilani and a lot of the rest of the setting? just out of interest (never know when I might come across an idea to steal...)
 
The 57th century is plenty of time for humans to had colonised far and wide. The original Spinward Marches says the Impeium is the third human empire to have ruled over this region of space (which is never retconned and yet contradicts later canon).

So you have 32 centuries for two previous human empires - the Vargr could be uplifts of a previous empire that along with other uplifts set out on their own away from human authority. The Zhodani could be a dissident sect of humanity that have established their own empire, I have read examples of people having the Zhodani as cyborgs/transhumanists rather than psionics.
 
The 57th century is plenty of time for humans to had colonised far and wide. The original Spinward Marches says the Impeium is the third human empire to have ruled over this region of space (which is never retconned and yet contradicts later canon).
Or this could be just another case of Traveller and quality control almost never appearing together.
 
In this case I think it was because it was before they had the outline of Third Imperium history pinned down, even the nature of some of the major races were still in flux.
 
In this case I think it was because it was before they had the outline of Third Imperium history pinned down, even the nature of some of the major races were still in flux.
Probably true, but "they've" (The different Traveller people over the years) had about 40 years to fix it, and no one ever has. Most of what I have seen these companies do is copy and paste from previous additions, including things they knew beforehand were wrong in the new additions. Like I said, it is a quality control issue.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever done a book-by-book comparison of exactly how much is copy and pasted and where the original text came from? Some of these copy-and-paste jobs seem to be copying material from decades ago. I wonder if the original writers are getting paid every time someone copies and pastes their material. Random thoughts...:P
 
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