Vital Visitor Information?

[Woas]

While slowly fleshing out the 22 systems of my small, humble Traveller "Universe" (if you can call a single sub sector an whole Universe :wink I wondered what kind of info would characters looking to visit a system get from say, just a ships computer library or some news source?

Searching the Traveller Wiki and clicking on different worlds, it seems the descriptions are just short blurbs of recent history anywhere from one or two sentences long to a paragraph or more. Do any of you have any check list of things to note?
I'm building a wiki eventually for my game so my players can look at it all between games, or maybe if there is a laptop at the table then during the game too and thinking of a "Visitor Information" template so would appreciate the suggestions.


For example, right now I have world write ups organized as such:

<Name of System> <UWP>

<UWP Details - specific gravity, atmosphere; specific population, major government(s), extrapolated* law restrictions>

<History/Current news. This is sort of like the descriptions for any given world in the Traveller Wiki. A paragraph on what/why the colony was founded, any major events, etc.>

<Visitor Information. Stuff like the Capitol, starport status... this is actually where I am looking for ideas. What sort of stuff might a visitor want to know? Maybe how long the planets 'day' is compared to a Standard 24 hour day?>

* Since a Law Level 7 in the UWP can mean different things, I take the time to figure out what the system really bans. So I write it out like: 7-7-3-2-2-8, correlating to the 6 categories on page 176.

 

[rust]

In my setting the descriptions include, for example, the predominant re-
ligion (if any), major industries and major or famous export goods, fa-
mous native flora and fauna, important tourism or sightseeing locations,
famous people born on this planet, and stuff like that.

I take care to include only some few such informations in each descrip-
tion of a planet, in order to avoid a fixed pattern and to make the des-
criptions different and therefore more interesting.

 

[SSWarlock]

And don't forget to occasionally include some information that is just plain wrong/obsolete.

 

[pasuuli]

And don't forget to occasionally include some information that is just plain wrong/obsolete.

Oh, that's just cruel. Maybe we shouldn't let you run MGT for Game Night at the McKienzie's...

 

[Woas]

I'm still a little perplexed about pirate bases. Should those be privy to character/player knowledge or something the referee keeps secret and notes off to the side on my own copy of the subsector map where they are located?

 

[Solivagus]

I'm still a little perplexed about pirate bases. Should those be privy to character/player knowledge or something the referee keeps secret and notes off to the side on my own copy of the subsector map where they are located?

Personally I lean towards a mix: some bases being totally hush-hush and known only to referee and maybe players whose characters last term was spent in a suitably seedy career (pc's who changed careers might have some out of date info of bases that are now abandoned), and bases whose existance is generally known but whose exact location isn't (works best in a system with a planetoid belt and/or high population). Plus maybe one base per subsector which is openly acknowledged but which the Navy has yet to take action against (due to politics or too heavily defended).

 

[RedBeardSean]

I would use Wikipedia entries on various nations as a guide.

And don't forget to occasionally include some information that is just plain wrong/obsolete.

...also a Wikipedia trope.

 

[Woas]

What about determining creatures on a planet? Surely every system is not going to have advanced multi-cell lifeforms on it. IS there a way you guys decide where life developed or is this issue more just whatever seems appropriate to specific systems?

 

[rust]

I use the tables from GURPS Space 4e for inspiration, but change the
results when something else would fit my campaign better.

 

[Woas]

Can you extrapolate any more than that without? I don't have the book.

 

[rust]

There are some few things you can extrapolate, mostly by looking at
the kind of atmosphere a planet has.

For example, if a planet has an oxygen atmosphere, there is almost cer-
tainly at least primitive life on that planet which produces and repleni-
shes that oxygen - otherwise the oxygen would rapidly disappear into the
planet's geochemistry.

 

[Woas]

Another question I have. How do you suppose a planets temperature change its travel codes? How strict are these trade codes? I realize they are linked to the trade goods system but can they be fudged a bit based on actual planet conditions?

For example I rolled up a planet that after using my own rule to determine where in the system's habitable zone the planet fell ended up being Icy (after DMs the roll was a 0) world. The planet is size 4 with an atmo of 2 an a hydrograph of 4. In my mind I am picturing something like a Hoth world, since the planet is a huge ice ball. But going down the travel code, the planet is not: Non-agriculture or poor.

The non-poor I suppose I could understand. Maybe there are goodies locked up in all that ice and the place does have some viability. The non-non-agriculture one I don't. That code states that a Na world are too dry or barren to support their populations through conventional food production. The planet is a huge frozen ball of grit and ice! What is conventional food production first of all? Putting seeds in the ground and watering them or advanced TL 12 automated greenhouse hydroponic farms? I suppose it depends on the TL of the planet...
Perhaps I could introduce my own trade code: Co and Ho <hehe> for cold and hot or maybe IZ and OZ for inner habitable zone and outer habitable zone?

Anyway do you guys do anything differently when it comes to a planet being in the extremes of a system? Or perhaps there is already some procedure that I am missing...

 

[rust]

Unfortunately there are a number of cases where the trade code system
as it is does not make much sense. In such cases I just choose the tra-
de code I consider the most plausible for the setting I have in mind.

 

[qstor]

The old program Heaven and Earth can help generate systems using the UWP but it has some bugs.

But it does indicate whether there are indigenous lifeforms on the planet.

Mike

 

[tjoneslo]

<Visitor Information. Stuff like the Capitol, starport status... this is actually where I am looking for ideas. What sort of stuff might a visitor want to know? Maybe how long the planets 'day' is compared to a Standard 24 hour day?>

A little late to the discussion. When I make these write-ups, I try and have two pieces to this information. First would be to write something from the perspective of the planetary ruler. Why do I (supreme first citizen for life) want visitors to come to my fine world. For example, Best Groats in the subsector, free land for the taking, a class A starport on the major trade routes, etc. It may be that I don't want visitors (Visas for travel off the starport are difficult to obtain). Feel free to make something up that might make sense or not.

The second half is a report from the Travellers' Aid Society. Something from an independent observer, think Ford Prefect from Hitchhikers guide. It can confirm, deny, or be something completely different from the previous information.

 

[Woas]

Thanks for all the feedback, its been a great help for me. Next question (I'm full of them...)

How do you guys utilize other planets in a system? In the world creation section it states that the main planet is the one most worthy of colonization and the other planets in the system are up to the referee. Do you often include other planets as potential homes for the population of a system. For example if you roll high, say 7-10 on population for a system/main planet do you filter some of that population off to other areas in the system? I assume the answer is mostly subject to what seems right, etc. I'm looking for a general feel.

The reason I ask is cause I'm getting this feeling (and realize, I haven't started a long lasting campaign. Just two one-off adventures so far so this can very well be a self-made issue) that once someone jumps to a system, it seems it could get boring having just the one place to go to.
What I mean is that if ships are always going to be somewhere within the Jump limit (what is it, 100 diameters?) of a specific planet of a specific system, since the other planets are of no consequence, what purpose is there to scoot around the system away from that main world... how are space pirates supposed to spring out if their secret hiding asteroid if nobody every has to fly by it... or rendezvousing with a smuggler way out on the fringe of system colonization since everyone's sensors will show that two ships are sneakily scooting away from everyone probably for nefarious reasons...

 

[rust]

While I usually do not design major colonies on secondary planets in
a system, there are almost always mining and research outposts, mi-
litary installations, belter bases in the asteroid belt, and so on - pro-
vided the system's technology level allows this, of course.

As for pirates, I do not use them in my setting, but a secondary planet
in a system with a low technology level (and therefore a government
unable to do anything about pirates on a neighbouring planet) could be
a good idea for a pirate base, from where the pirates could prey upon
the trade in other systems.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Mongoose hasn't released a book yet to design the rest of the star system, so at this point, if you don't want to go with a different Traveller system, you will have to figure it out on your own.

Here is a suggestion:

Class A starport - Assume 2-3 off-world outposts
Class B starport - Assume 1-2 off-world outposts
Class C starport - Assume it has a 50% chance of one off-world outpost
Class D -X starport - No off world outposts.

If the world is Low Population, there are no off-world outposts
If the world is High Population, increase outposts above by 1d3. (still have none on Class D-X starports though).

These outposts will be most common on moons of gas giants and asteroids, although any other planet could have an outpost. These outposts will have a population of 1d6, but always be lower than the mainworld.

Just assume they are mining outposts and you should be good for starters.

If you want to get into system design stuff, then I suggest you pick up the Classic Traveller CD and take a look at Book 6; it isn't perfect, but it is something.

Several people are working on system generation stuff for the OGL, so right now it is a race to see if they or Mongoose get something out first.

 

[Woas]

My thanks Rikki Tikki! Your system is very quick and easy, two of my favorite things!

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

You is very welcome.

I like QAD (Quick and Dirty) myself.