Traveller Friday 3: Lets talk about Core Sector! The Nobility!

[Micky]

After a bit of a long break from Traveller spent out in the Outer Rim territories, I came back recently to the game and with eyes on getting back to work on, maybe even finishing, a sector book I started last year on Vland Sector. One written in the same stylistic vein as my favorite Mongoose Traveller book, the Third Imperium. While I love playing RPG’s one of the most enjoyable parts of them for me is writing, creative writing and doing setting detailing which I did for years as member of a large and still very passionate online fanbase for 30+ years officially dead but still very much alive TSR D&D setting called Mystara.

The Vland sector book was part subsector sourcebook and part history book I was ready to jump back into writing about what is my 2nd favorite area of Charted Space, the coreward sectors and writing a long overdue treatment on the history of the criminally overlooked and under detailed Vargr while of course coving the Vilani. The goal being to fully explore the true war that destroyed the Ziru Sirka, the vast centuries long, sectors wide conflict coreward against the numerous, battle capable, and just as advanced technologically Vargr, that soaked up most and destroyed many of the First Imperium’s best fleets while, just as importantly, taking up the Imperium’s attention focused coreward against the Vargr threat and away from the upstart Terrans. With the Vargr War raged far to coreward and with the Vargr slowly driving back the Vilani rimward, the Terrans fought a mere fraction of the strength of the First Imperium and thus the true story of how one world could defeat an empire of 1000’s could finally be told.

But a funny thing happened on the way back to working on that again. Finding the Signals From The Core podcast that, along with finding KS: Singularity which I was really excited for had dropped during my time away from the game, rekindled my true love of the Traveller setting, at its very core, the Core Sector. However, one thing became very clear listening to the podcast, which I was probably dimly aware of before, knowing but not truly understanding. While the Core Sector is rife with incredible roleplaying and adventuring opportunities which can be more dangerous than facing off against an oversized idiot Aslan with an attitude in some dusty frontier starport. Where even the simple elements of life as a Traveller character are different, more challenging than on the Imperial fringes. Yet is also where a Traveller can hope and dream to achieve riches and the power that comes with it (or vice versa). It is where politics, commerce, crime, and high culture all collide, but the problem is there is the immense amount of heavy lifting needed for a GM to make the setting work for players as it could. Unfortunately, there is little detail regarding the very things that could make Core Sector so interesting and unique as a potential setting for players. So, I decided that instead of returning to Vland Sector and snuggling with my beloved, yet unloved by Vargr, it was off to Core Sector and take up pounding thy keyboard like the teen spirited rabbit I am, with an attempt to write a good, interesting, and perhaps even helpful Core Sector Campaign guide that others might find some inspiration or ideas to take from in their games.

In its current form it has four sections in various stages of work, the first and most important section covers the nobility of Core Sector. The first thing to hammer out, of course, is determining just who are the known nobles of the sector. Once we know those then we could address the ‘important’ nobles that are not known, have not been named or detailed. Sorting out any discrepancies between editions, and other issues, along the way, and there appear to be some. The goal of the nobility section of the Campaign Guide is to have name, bio info, and campaign worthy hooks and plots for every Duke and the same kind of information on at least 1 or 2 lesser nobles in each subsector. Nobles that characters can have dealings with, as high playing patrons, or to run afoul of during their journeys and now have as enemies. I probably could do more as one of the fun parts of writing the Vland sector book was detailing nobles and important figures like fleet admirals, imperial bureaucrats and the like. Like any good Traveller fan knows, creating characters with a great backstory is a large part of the fun of Traveller.

Anyhow finally to the point, did I say I love writing, I have gone through my collection of Traveller and come up with the following list of the nobles of Core Sector from current and past editions. I don’t think I’ve missed any but I’m putting out a Signal GK for any true hard core Traveller Grogs to see if I missed any canon (or even good fandom works like Encyclopedia: Dagudashaag) Core Sector nobles from any book, any edition of the 1005 (or MGT) era of the Third Imperium. For Nobles per subsector, I used the Travellermap resource which uses T5 formulae to generate nobles based on certain criteria and with one particular exception, which I discussed at some length in the main body of the guide, it seems a good system. Here is what I have come up with. Did I miss any?

In the odd chance I didn’t miss any, I’ll take suggestions of ideas for things you think might be interesting to see covered in a Sector campaign guide. At this moment the Core Sector Campaign Guide is sort coalescing around 4 main sections: the Nobility of Core Sector, the Imperial Bureaucracy (Core Sector), and general campaign setting (‘Travelling’ in Core Sector). The final section is looking at published adventures, tweaking those already set in core, and suggestions for moving other adventures to Core and giving them the unique Core Sector flavor.

(A) Apge - 27 Worlds (43 Nobles per Travellermap/T5)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Subsector Duchess Azabaka Ashushashmi (MgT2: The Third Imperium)
• Viscount of Niizediju (unnamed) (The Third Imperium)

(B) Perite - 32 Worlds (58 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

Subsector Duke Dagalu Kiinlarsuush Rikhummi (and unnamed wife, the Duchess) (The Third Imperium, Core Adventure 1)


(C) Amerios - 32 Worlds (54 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

No known or mentioned canon nobles.


(D) Shinkan – 34 Worlds (69 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

No known or mentioned canon nobles


(E) Sanches – 35 Worlds (68 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Subsector Duke Prince (Consort) Dresden Paulo Alkhalikoi and his family; Princess Lydia Aelia Alkhalikoi and their two sons. Prince Varian and Prince Lucan. (Gurps: Nobles)
• Duke of Alekvadin Ernst Vohdk Okhotnikov (MGT: Travellers’ Digest #8, Core Adventure 1) and his son and ducal heir Arvinen Elios Okhotnikov (Core Adventure 1)
• Count of Alekvadin Blaine Tukera (Gurps: Nobles)

(F) Mekee – 27 Worlds (43 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Vacant office of Subsector Duke/Duchess (previous unnamed Duke killed in duel. Unnamed ducal heir exists but has not elevated yet) (Third Imperium)
• 6 of 8 Counts (Counties) sharing subsector ducal duties (Third Imperium)

(G) Core – 42 Worlds (80 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Emperor Strephon Aella Alkhalikoi and his family; his wife Empress Empress Iolanthe Alkhalikoi and their daughter, Grand Princess Ciencia Iphegenia Alkhalikoi (setting canon)
• Count of Ase (unnamed) (Core Adventure 2).
• Baroness Olga haut-Pettetzwaller of Siduka (Core Adventure 1)
• Baroness Bedaan haut-Wyaulia-Ktosi, Imperial Trade Representative (Core Adventure 2)
• Sir Evin Brand, Imperial Knight of the Order of the Sylean Main (Core Adventure 2)

(H) Kaskii – 24 Worlds (41 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

No known or mentioned canon nobles


(I) Bunkeria – 34 Worlds (51 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

No known or mentioned canon nobles


(J) Cemplas – 39 Worlds (56 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Subsector Duke Ian Ashan and his family; his wife Hypathia Haldene Tukera, and their children Vanessa Haldane-Tukera Ashran and Branford Haldane-Tukera Ashran (Gurps: Nobles)
• Exiled unnamed Subsector Duke ????? (Third Imperium, Singularity)
• Countess Vandia Tranard of Bendo (Core Adventure 2)

(K) Chant – 41 Worlds (77 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Subsector Duke Maglato Otorre (Singularity)
• Baron Shreyloki haut-Eilerfaust of Elinz (Singularity)
• Baron Dino haut-Yelmon of Kamodoo (Singularity)

(L) Dingtra – 36 Worlds (66 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Subsector Duchess ? (and Duke) (unnamed) (Third Imperium)
• Countess of Kamsii (unnamed but said to be a matriarchal family member of the family of the ruling Subsector Duke/Duchess) (Third Imperium)

(M) Cadion – 31 Worlds (50 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

No known or mentioned canon nobles


(N) Ch’naar – 34 Worlds (54 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Subsector Duchess Colyere Hajesta daMae (Third Imperium)
• Count Rolfo Menderis of Gidekis (Third Imperium)

(O) Dunea – 39 Worlds (72 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

• Subsector Duke Halaris Olchetomi (Third Imperium)
• Count Olecraz Shaaraanan of Shaaram and his son and heir Levi Shaaraanan (Singularity)
• Dame Yolanda Thirriaminim of Dindakhara (Singularity)

(P) Saregon – 39 Worlds (67 Nobles)

Canon nobles of the subsector –

Subsector Duke ? (unnamed) (Third Imperium)

For the statistically inclined...

• The Emperor of the Third Imperium (known-canon)
• The Archduke of Sylea (known-canon)
• The Sector Duke of Core (unknown)
• 16 – Subsector Dukes (4 are named in MGT2: The Third Imperium, 2 are named by Gurps:Nobles, 1 is named by MGT2: Singularity, 2 are mentioned but unnamed by The Third Imperium, 1 is unfilled pending elevation of an unnamed heir per the Third Imperium, and 6 have no canon mention of a Subsector Duke.
• 77 – Counts (3 explicitly named)
• 58 – Viscounts (1 mentioned but unnamed)
• 59 – Marquis
• 103 – Barons (4 explicitly named with one not given a planetary fief)
• 88 – Baronets
• 546 – Knights (2 explicitly named with one not given a specific planetary fief)

 

[Sigtrygg]

You need to grab GURPS Traveller Nobles...

 

[Terry Mixon]

Sounds great!

 

[Micky]

You need to grab GURPS Traveller Nobles...

a new copy that is.... mine fell apart at the binding for being used and abused for this project. It's pages are all over my desk in fact.

While helpful for the nobles section, it had some that were 'new' and were not in the Third Imperium book. It's real benefit was in part 2. The Imperial Bureaucracy has been something barely touched upon by Mongoose outside of the Imperial Navy sourcbook and starports and the SPA in that MGT1 book. Which has in interesting detail that I think gets missed. That Gurps book as you know, did go quite a bit into the bureaucracy. Some of it really good, some of it... less so.. and fabulous fodder for fiddling.