Traveller Needs a "What is Charted Space?" Book

[actionman]

Felbrigg Napoleon Heriott, creator of the superb "Behind the Claw" podcast.

Mongoose should hire Felbrigg to be on their Let's Play team.

 

[actionman]

Of course the starting place would be the Third Imperium wouldn't it. We got a great history of it, but so little detail on how it actually works which probably would have doubled or more the size of the Third Imperium book. The closest was that Gurps: Nobles book but even that was perfunctory in many spots.

Things would be a lot easier if Mongoose would discard the idea that the Imperium only rules the space between the stars and state that the Imperium is an empire, its noble fiefholders rule planets, and beneath them the planetary governments are allowed autonomy to a greater or lesser degree. Imperial nobles can intervene, but they usually don't because managing the affairs of a planetary population is better left to the planetary government, and when planets joined the Imperium most of them were able to negotiate keeping their governments and a degree of autonomy. Imperial noble planetary fiefholders are responsible for 1) enforcing Imperial law, 2) ensuring the flow of tax revenue, 3) ensuring trade is not impeded, and 4) ensuring that planetary or interplanetary conflicts don't become too destructive. It could be explained on one page. The tax revenue must flow.