Traveller The Spinward Marches Query

[Hopeless]

Okay I wanted to ask your thoughts on a few campaign ideas I've been thinking about.

Now the backdrop is that humanity has spread through the stars mostly thanks to a series of extra stellar gates that allow almost instantaneous travel between the stars, however there's actually very few gates compared to how many star systems there are out there.

Jump drive was developed as a separate means of travelling between star systems but it never matched the es gate network in usage.

Unlike the gates the jump drive requires a recharge which is done during the refuelling of ships, the charge is stored in capacitors and can be restored depending on whatever power usage is required before jumping since the ship has the fuel available which would otherwise be used only for the other systems aboard the ship and of course the main drive for purposes of travelling into and out of the star system they're currently within since microjumping is much more dangerous the closer they are to the system's star let alone the pull of the other planets, gas giants within that star system.

Now the game I'm planning is set 14 years after that gate network blew up leaving the Marches stranded since they have no means of contacting anyone outside of the Marches, any exploration by jump drive of the nearby systems have found no alternative means to reach the other side of the great rift that separates the Marches from the rest of human occupied space.

So what I wanted to ask is how would you deal with a campaign setting where what we would call common knowledge of today is pretty much mythical or even dubious by the future of this setting.

What questions would you ask before generating a character for this game for example?

How would you see this future setting work in your Traveller game?

 

[rust]

Your setting idea is very similar to the Far Avalon setting, I think you
could find a lot of useful ideas there:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=63419

 

[RichardP]

With only 14yrs since loss of the gates, they still have library data etc from the Imperial core. People will be alive who remember the jump gates, some will have even been to the core or have stuff from the core.

But the 14yrs is enought for most people to have put the core out of their mind, stuff will be locally produced now, after a period of restructing of industries to be self supporting. Anything that came from the core and can't be built in the marches will be starting to show its age (no new parts, comsumer goods with limited lifespane will ber failing). People from the core now stuck in the marches will probably be resigned to staying here now (some exceptions).

Cheers
Richard

 

[Rick]

You might be able to adapt some of the TNE background for this setting as well. I'm sure someone would have brought up the possibility of exploration missions to try to find the way back, as well as scavenging whatever tech they could find to either copy or keep vital systems running. Would inject a bit more tension if there were 2 or more 'pocket empires' that were rivals for the resources.

 

[Liam Devlin]

And the TL-15 powerhouse worlds of Rhylanor, Mora, Glisten, Trin, compete with TL13 Lunion & TL12 Regina (The 6 Duchies). Yes, Far Avalon has a similiar theme! And the Spinward States from TNE gives an excellent look at how the powergrabbing goes on.

 

[Hopeless]

Your setting idea is very similar to the Far Avalon setting, I think you
could find a lot of useful ideas there:

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=63419

Yep when I originally posted a thread on this idea this was mentioned so I picked up a copy.
Just picked up the lbb agent book and looking at picking up the psion and scout books to add to the scoundrel and high guard books I've already bought.
Not so sure of the fighting ships book but hopefully I'll be able to get my idea off the ground and running.
My original inspiration was the Lost Fleet series, but have to say I've been wondering if my idea would work better a little differently.

A secret I'm planning on revealing at some point if the campaign gets off the ground is to reveal that contact with the otherside of the rift was actually lost over a century ago when the current regime assumed control over the Marches following a bitter war with an AI enemy that weakened the Solomani Empire's elite Sol Guard who were all but slain by the usurpers who villified the guardians of the Solomani Empire.

The only means to access the otherside of the rift was a gate that was damaged in the final battle of the 13th Nanotech War.

When the Gates blew the Empire discovered one gate was missing the "Home Gate" had apparently been removed from its hidden location and rumours start being whispered about a mysterious warship haunting the Spinward Marches.

So far the game I've planned for the start is limited until the players generate their characters.

The only one completed so far is a former scholar who served as a scout for one term and has recently lost an uncle after his lab ship was almost destroyed by pirates with a suspected link to the Empire.

The others so far include a Sword Worlds Marine who has currently served valiantly in the war against the Empire following the destruction of the Gates but has yet got far enough to explain why he's going to end up with the scholar and former scout.

Another is a Psion Adept from Beck's World whopse yet to reveal whether she's a renegade psion, an Imperial operative, a Theocratic operative (My campaign variant of the Zhodani) or another option after all one thing I've learned is that players can surprise you!

The last player hasn't gone beyond a brief background of a Sword Worlds scholar which wasn't helped that he isn't willing to generate the character online like the others have.
I suspect I'm going to suggest he try an agent but its wait and see until we next meet up.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Hopeless]

You might be able to adapt some of the TNE background for this setting as well. I'm sure someone would have brought up the possibility of exploration missions to try to find the way back, as well as scavenging whatever tech they could find to either copy or keep vital systems running. Would inject a bit more tension if there were 2 or more 'pocket empires' that were rivals for the resources.

And the TL-15 powerhouse worlds of Rhylanor, Mora, Glisten, Trin, compete with TL13 Lunion & TL12 Regina (The 6 Duchies). Yes, Far Avalon has a similiar theme! And the Spinward States from TNE gives an excellent look at how the powergrabbing goes on.

Interesting I'll have to take a look at some point, thanks for the reply!

 

[Hopeless]

Still waiting on tne book but have got thinking about another point.

Since the gates took out most of the advanced worlds it left barely a handful of naval bases.

Narval for the Theocrats, Maccene for the Imperials, I'm not so sure with the Darrians (renamed the Aryan Alliance in my campaign and are the most advanced of the spinward marches empires) and most of the Sword Worlds was destroyed since they had a gate in almost every system (Gates are depicted as x-boat routes for those with access to the spinward marches map) but thanks to the character generation so far I have designated Bronze as having been a secret Sword Worlds base where they were storing mostly obsolete spaceships to avoid losing what little fleet they had left.

My question is just how much of a military would be left if most were located in a system where there was a gate before the destruction?

As I currently see it, the Sword Worlds survivors rose up and retook a corner of the Marches but couldn't match the Aryans (see above) however the Aryans made the mistake of fighting a war on three fronts and an unofficial truce lies in placfe between the four warring empires as they try to rebuild their forces.

The Theocrats lost most of the forces in the Marches save for those at Narval I'll probably going to have to shell out for the new Zhodani book to get a better idea of what their dominion is actually like since as it stands they have almost no chance of surviving.

The Aryans have a mostly AI controlled fleet, what caused them problems is that their flagship went rogue and is out there somewhere. Might bother with the Darrian book but I have a better idea of whats happening with them so it might not be necessary.

The Sword Worlds, well yes definitely have to get that book if only to get a better idea about them since they are largely unchanged as a result save for losing most of the worlds in their sub-sector. Look at them to be a mix between the klingons and nietzcheans I suppose which is why I think the book would be a good buy.

The Empire I suppose they're initially the bad guys of the campaign well at least not as bad as some of the others but the players won't know that for a while since it looks like the game will start at Fulacin and head initially to Kinorb before I see where they want to go next.

I am wondering about the Sector Fleet though, but I don't see that as a major issue, but am wondering if I'm going too far with this or as a friend once told me, Keep It Simple Stupid!

Anyway what do you think?

 

[rust]

My question is just how much of a military would be left if most were located in a system where there was a gate before the destruction?

I think this is basically your decision, just choose whatever you think fits
your campaign best.

A thing to keep in mind when doing this is that the decisive factor for the
size and function of a fleet is the economy. Any fleet will soon become
rather useless without a good shipyard, and a good shipyard requires a
trade route to an industrial planet of the right technology level to get the
materials and spare parts needed to repair or build ships. The industrial
planet in turn probably requires both raw materials from a resource pla-
net for the industry and food from an agricultural planet to feed the wor-
kers.

The protection of the shipyard, the industrial planet, the resource planet,
the agricultural planet and the trade routes between them is vital, this is
what most of the fleets will be used for - and if a power lacks shipyard or
industrial planet or resource planet or agricultural planet, it will have to
conquer one or to accept to become a more and more minor power.

So, if you take a close look at the economic facts of your setting, you will
see at least approximately how big the fleets theoretically could be and
how much of them is needed as a minimum to keep any power "in the ga-
me" by protecting its vital resources - and what each of the powers could
be tempted to do (= conquer, destroy ...) with any "surplus" warships to
improve its position in this game.

 

[Kromodor]

Adding something as a side note:

Keep in mind, players will always question your setting in-game or out of the game.

Some will think there are too much military, other will think there are too few military.

Some will think law is responding too slow, other will wonder why it responds so fast.

You can see where I'm heading. A GM can only handle so much. Neat pickers will always find "plot holes".

My advice is to have that player feedback, but use it to enrich the game play in actual game. Not to "repair" the setting because it "would make sense". Make a story that made it this way. So that the current setting/world is a byproduct of a global event or something similar.