"Tribalism" in Traveller

[rust]

Moved from the "French Military Success" thread, where it might have
been slightly off topic ... :wink:

One subject touched upon there was tribes and tribalism and what they
could mean within the Traveller framework, and here is an example out
of my current setting and campaign.

In my Anuira setting the colonists come from different planets, each with
a mixed population, but a common basic culture (e.g. dress, food, man-
ners, proverbs ...).
However, these basic cultures of the colonists' planets of origin are quite
different from each other, the results of a different composition of these
planets' original settlers and a few centuries of unique history.

Once the various colonist groups have arrived on Anuira, they have to
deal with the problem that there is no common "Anuiran" culture and the
conflicting tendencies either to develop such an artificial common culture
almost from scratch, or to risk to become something like different tribes
that continue their original homeworlds' cultures - perhaps even to beco-
me different nations that "balkanize" the planet.

I think this is another interesting task for the characters as the leaders of
the new colony, to define what is "Anuiran" and replaces previous cultural
customs and to decide where the differences are valuable enough to pro-
tect them - and to find the means to turn this into a "policy".

Now all I have to do is to find out how to turn this into a few interesting
and challenging adventures ...

 

[Madarin Dude]

Well there are a number of ways to look at that situation. I can tell you from experience about it living as an ex patriot in the middle east and the far east and how the different ex-patriot communities get along. Certain different communities will mix and get along due to shared values but there will be others that are rivals or enemies due to different values or situations. So you might make a compatibility chart to see which ones get along.

Another thing to think of is the kind of people each culture will send there. One might send there intellectuals there and another might send the dregs of their society there. So although they are both similar cultures they are different kinds of people. Another thing is that very different cultures might find each other interesting and might get along even though they are quite different.

An excellent sci fi book on the subject is O Pioneer by Fredrick Pohl there is a planet with 6 alien races inhabit peacefully. There is distrust and camaraderie and one is secretly trying to take over. A great read.

 

[rust]

Thank you very much for the very interesting ideas and the book tip.

A compatibility chart could indeed be a very useful tool for my campaign,
I will make one as soon as I have fully detailed the various background
cultures of the colonist groups (and, an idea I almost forgot: their religi-
ons, another most important factor, I think).

 

[Madarin Dude]

I will give you a real example of tribalism. In China Americans and Australians are at odds with each other. While both are similar cultures there is a different kind of person going from each place.

We had a vote for putting on a play for our Chinese hosts. I (an American) had a few things I brought to the table and some of the Australians there shot it down. They had their plan on this so what ended up happening the Americans did not participate neither did the French and the British ex pats there were split. It got to the point where the Australians would not talk to me directly but by proxy through a British girl there.

This kind of petty politics can be interesting and you can find examples to look at in other places in large cities with segregated neighborhoods etc.

 

[rust]

Thank you for the example.

Different groups of colonists refusing to cooperate, or even actively
trying to undermine each other's development projects for the colo-
ny, would indeed make a good way to add more colour to the set-
ting, and also to give the characters additional opportunities to use
their social skills.

Plus, it would help to balance the characters' ability to use the colo-
ny's resources as they please, because they would have to build a
kind of "coalition" of groups supporting their project, which would
also be a way to introduce "politics" into the setting.

 

[Dave Chase]

Another example is those with a common background (experiences) will some times join together to 'tease' or stand up to an uncommon experienced individual or group.

I have often times seen different service members of Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine talk and joke with each other more easily than with some one who is not in or have not service in the military.
But if you put several members of each service in the same room/area they will slowly seperate into their same groups.
And yet again, if you put a non military group into the same room, the military service groups will slowly move together opposite of those nonmilitary ones. (Known as group dynamics)

(The above has also been noticed/observed with similar cultures.) Middle East (as labeled by the general world) are different from each other in general everyday things and can easily tell you which group the others belong to by their actions and such. But if you would put Westerners in the same area, most of those from the Middle East will stick together because of the more culture similarity and most Westerners would probably not be able to tell you any of the subtle differences between those cultures (speaking purely in generalization as an example, not as a given truth.)

One way that these extremes are overcome in a short time frame than natural 'head butting' and fist-a-cuffs is to have some short term emergency where it's a 'do or die' situation
OR
You have an outside element that is more 'threatening' and 'menancing' to the groups as a whole so that they have to work together.

Military also does some things like this to basic trainees to develop the group mindset.

Extreme stress shared or similar experiences shared will help develop some type of bonding between different groups. Sometimes it only develops a large amount of respect even if they still don't like each other.

In your water world setting, the new 'monster' could be an outside threat that causes some bonding to take place.

You mentioned on the other forums that the creature stopped following the Players because it would cross into anothers area. This might make for a great diseaster to happen.

Mating season and the base's location happens to be the mating grounds.

One of the creatures dies (or is killed) and the others fight for control of the open area. The base has more creatures (monsters) around and are looking for a snack or are so aggressive that they attack anything that moves.

The players (or hunters) attack and injury one instead of killing it. It remembers them and comes back for payback when it's healthy again.
OR
The players (or Hunters) kill one and it's mate seeks revenge.

All of these are situations that should put the base and the surrounding area in extreme danger. Daily or slowly at first builds up to daily and lasts for 30+ days.

Then those that survive will either leave or bond. Most likely if they survive due to their own luck and efforts they will bond. Sometimes getting safed from the outside, only stresses the groups further and they don't recover into a single group mindset.

Just some thoughts.

Dave Chase

 

[rust]

Thank you very much for these ideas.

Your scenario with the creatures attacking the base would be a good way
to turn the small advance team of the colonists into a very tight group
that will continue to stay together and support each other even after the
main groups of the colonists arrived.

These 86 people of the advance team did not finance the colony, but they
made it and risked their lives for the project's success, and they are used
to making all important decisions for the colony together - and due to their
experience they are most likely to continue to have leadership positions
in the early years of the colony.

Under such circumstances they could well come to see themselves as a
kind of "nobility" of the colony, its "true founders", with a "natural right"
to have leadership positions and tell others what is good for the colony
and how to do it.

Yep, a good way to start the colony's "power politics", I think. :wink:

 

[Dave Chase]

:lol:
Leave it to you, rust to put a twist on the twist.



Dave Chase

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

The idea that the Firsters are the defacto nobility is also pretty common in SciFi literature.

After all, the Firsters got to pick the best places to start farming, they may have written the constitution before anyone else arrived etc.

In fact, if I was a Firster, I would want to write the Colonial Charter (or at least amend it) BEFORE anyone else arrived so that I would have an advantage (and my descendents of course).

 

[rust]

The idea that the Firsters are the defacto nobility is also pretty common in SciFi literature.

We have a slight twist in our setting: The "Firsters" are employees of
the "Investors", the main group of wealthy colonists who hired them
to prepare the colony for their arrival.

So in this case the Investors, who will also decide about the constitu-
tion, will probably expect the Firsters to do their job and then to fade
into the background, happy to be allowed to live in the colony as a re-
ward for the work they did and despite they made no financial contri-
bution to the colony.

The Firsters, however, will most probably see this differently ...

 

[JimG]

...

In your water world setting, the new 'monster' could be an outside threat that causes some bonding to take place.

You mentioned on the other forums that the creature stopped following the Players because it would cross into anothers area. This might make for a great diseaster to happen.

Mating season and the base's location happens to be the mating grounds.

One of the creatures dies (or is killed) and the others fight for control of the open area. The base has more creatures (monsters) around and are looking for a snack or are so aggressive that they attack anything that moves.

The players (or hunters) attack and injury one instead of killing it. It remembers them and comes back for payback when it's healthy again.
OR
The players (or Hunters) kill one and it's mate seeks revenge.

All of these are situations that should put the base and the surrounding area in extreme danger. Daily or slowly at first builds up to daily and lasts for 30+ days.

...

This kind of reminds me of the Larry Niven novel Legacy of Heorot

The colonists kill off some nasty predator only to discover there is an even nastier predator one step up the food chain, that now needs to find something else to eat...

 

[rust]

This kind of reminds me of the Larry Niven novel Legacy of Heorot

Thank you very much for the tip, I obviously have to read this book.

I like Niven's writing very much, and the situation described in the
book seems very similar to the one in my setting, so it could well
provide me with a lot of interesting ideas.