Traveller Sandbox: Identifying Interstellar Threats...

Good Afternoon, All:

Step Six in the process of developing a sandbox setting for the Traveller Sandbox Experiment is to define a number of worlds as Interstellar Threats, or locations where setpoint adventures focused on aggressive attackers can take place. These worlds are home to the ubiquitous pirate dens, rogue colonies and other aggressors that occasionally harass their interstellar neighbors. In terms of gaming experiences, these worlds exist to provide plenty of options for themed random encounters and widely known bad guys in the Beta Quadrant. These are, in essence, the monster lairs of a Traveller campaign setting.

In addition to identifying the worlds of origin for these interstellar nuisances, this section also allows me the chance to create a list of potential encounter types, in a manner similar to the Encounter Scenarios I've created for previous settings here on In Like Flynn. As an interesting side note, in the original sourcebook for fantasy sandboxes that inspired this experiment, An Echo Resounding, lairs often had a 33% chance (5+ on 1d6) of attacking a nearby site (a settlement or resource) between sessions. I think that keeping this element may add to the feeling of a living, breathing setting in the minds of the players. I'll probably devote a post to that at the end of Step Six.

Now, in adapting the fantasy sandbox building methods suggested in An Echo Resounding to a science fiction setting as we have been doing so far, the elements attributed to Lairs locations can be easily implemented here, with a new table implemented to reflect an interstellar setting. In essence, the Lair Natures table should become the Interstellar Threats table.

First, though, we should identify our candidate Interstellar Threats. This is perhaps the best opportunity so far for freehand selection. Aside from those worlds that have Pirate Bases, of course, the Referee is pretty much able to select systems as they please. I would suggest that the general thought process focus on the following points:

1. Interstellar Threats should be within two parsecs of one or more Cultural Hubs or Resource Worlds. After all, if the threat doesn't impact people, then it won't get attention on an interstellar scale.
2. Non-aligned worlds, or worlds aligned with a different polity than the ones they are attacking, make for great systems from which to launch an Interstellar Threat.
3. You probably should consider worlds with a Class D or Class C starport (although other types work as well, I suppose), because those have a rough frontier feel and less traffic, which allows Interstellar Threats to propagate.
4. In general, you definitely want a world with TL 9 or higher, if one is available. That's to make sure the bad guys can repair their vessels using local tech, when push comes to shove. Of course, if they are using a Low Tech world as their headquarters, then that may be the reason they're raiding nearby worlds.

First, I look to see if there are any Pirate Bases that have been generated for Beta Quadrant. Sadly, I didn't find any (aside from the one we gave to Mudhava), which makes me question my UWP generator, but that's beside the point. For now, I'll let that go and move forward with evaluating worlds for possible Interstellar Threats. Ultimately, I think I want to make sure that at least 75% of the Resource Worlds and 50% of the Cultural Hubs are covered by Interstellar Threats. It would help if I could look at a map that has all of them marked so I could make some judgement calls... And lo and behold, thanks to TravellerMap.com, here one is:



Looking at that, I begin to put together some options:

• Aseramachi (Segin 2214 C300678-8): Because it is in a great position to strike on the worlds of the Litha League, as well as the majority of the worlds on the short Orvil-Heujava Main.
• Bastet (Segin 1908 C558534-5): Because it can strike at Abrakos, Sutekh and a number of other great worlds. The low Tech Level tells me this is a more temporary base camp, and that the Interstellar Threats require external sources for all repairs and starship supplies.
• Daruma (Segin 2605 D7CA211-A Amber Zone): Because it is a Class D starport within two parsecs of both Koyane and Suijin, and has a wide host of other targets, too.
• Djinn (Segin 3212 C658311-9): Because it is within two parsecs of a number of great worlds to hit, including Milamapar.
• Fujin (Segin 3103 D410200-8 Amber Zone): Because it is a Class D starport within two parsecs of Kangiten (and even Chedenoma, Minamoto and Ninigi) and three parsecs of Jizo.
• Loko (Segin 2207 C69A316-B): Because it is a great place to attack three different target worlds (Abrakos, Gleti and Jengu).
• Lutasas (Segin 3118 C759848-8): Because it is within two parsecs of Umikeo, Malen and four other great worlds to plunder.
• Mantis (Segin 2712 C500343-8): Because it is the only non-Jurisdiction world within two parsecs of Tabaldak.
• Pakhet (Segin 2111 C620300-B Amber Zone): Because it is in a great position to do privateer work against Ghandi and Mami Wata, in addition to a few other non-Empire worlds.
• Qetesh (Segin 2003 C100348-B): Because it has a great location, with a lot of smaller targets to hit, as well as Nayame.
• Sadyra (Segin 2319 C9B9300-9 Amber Zone): Because it is two parsecs from Desa and three from Tesla, although Seshalama (Segin 2417 DA79422-8) may be better for Tesla.

Okay, that looks like eleven different worlds (or twelve, if we decide to go back and include Seshalama.) That's plenty of potential adversaries to build into the campaign setting to start with, and a lot of job opportunities for a military or mercenary campaign. Now that we've identified the Interstellar Threats for Beta Quadrant, in my next post, I'll create the Interstellar Threats table, and I'll start making some notes about our future antagonists.

More Later,
Flynn

Best Wishes for a Merry Solstice...

Good Afternoon, All:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2013, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical disability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishee.

Legal Disclaimer: By accepting this agreement, you are accepting these terms.

This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.

This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Sincerely,
(Name withheld for legal, social and cultural considerations.)

Traveller Sandbox: Sample Exploration Site Write-Ups...

Good Afternoon, All:

Before moving on to Lairs, I wanted to wrap up the Expedition Sites discussion with write-ups of our three example worlds. As always, each example is fleshed out in the form of Library Data entries on the three worlds in question. Note that the write-ups are written with a few specific goals: maximize the potential for flavor and adventure, yet remain concise so as to avoid overloading the reader with extraneous details.

Mudhava (Segin 2414 E526330-6): The early history of world of Mudhava paints a colorful picture of being a port of call for privateers, corsairs and interstellar raiders. Even now, several popular adventure holovid series refers to the world by its old nickname, "Mud Haven." Originally settled by followers of the exiled Asuran military commander Rajesh Mudhava, its markets became known throughout the Beta Quadrant as a site where anything can be bought or sold, if one is determined enough. Late in life, King Rajesh I, as Commander Mudhava had come to be known, contracted Mirandan Fever, which slowly drove him insane. Realizing his predicament, Commander Mudhava used his pirate fleet to capture several prominent medical researchers and set them to finding a cure. According to rumor, the researchers were nearing a success when the most senior captains under Commander Mudhava mutinied against their leader and slaughtered him and most of his supporters, including the researchers. In the end, privateers loyal to Mudhava overturned the mutineers, and returned leadership of the world to Mudhava's eldest daughter. The old pirate base lies abandoned on the outskirts of the Mudhavan colony, and is believed to be cursed by superstitious locals. Several efforts have been mounted to reclaim the base and its contents, but each have met with their own unusual series of deadly accidents, perpetuating the belief that the site is cursed.

Prishiboro (Segin 2810 E596568-5): Until three decades ago, the world of Prishiboro was called Izanagi, formerly a colony of the Koyone Shogunate. During the Jengu-Koyane War, the Jengu Fleet captured the planet after bombarding Izanagi's capitol city, Kojiki, from high orbit, and renamed the garden world Prishiboro. Today, only scavengers and off-world raiders risk travel into the irradiated and wartorn city in search of lost riches to recover. In recent years, nests of mizuchi, lethal parasitic creatures common to Prishiboro's jungles, have infested the ruins of Kojiki, making such excursions even more dangerous. The Emishi Faction, the current theocratic rulers of the Koyane Shogunate, once hailed from Izanagi, and only plotted and performed a successful coup against their psionic overlords after their world was taken by the Jengu and the former rulers known as Fujiwara Clan did nothing to recover their sacred homeworld. The Emishi have sponsored several small expeditions into the ruins of Kojiki that have returned empty-handed, but few know the object of their quest.

Tajimamori (Segin 2608 X410244-8 Red Zone): This star system is noteworthy for an astrographic hazard called the Tajimamori Effect. Early explorers to the system reported an unusual form of electromagnetogravitic (EMG) interference that causes significant disruption of unshielded and weakly-shielded electronic systems. Over time, the Tajimamori Effect has become increasingly stronger. Despite official claims by the Koyane Shogunate that this is a natural phenomenon, conspiracy theorists believe that the EMG interference is a byproduct of military weapon research conducted at a secret base hidden within the system. The planet of Tajimamori itself, which appears to be at the center of the disturbance, suffers from high levels of radiation, frequently attributed by scientists to the unstable anomaly. Referee's Note: This system is the home of an malfunctioning Progenitor portal device (known conveniently as the Tajimamori Portal), as well as a Progenitor Ansibular Star Chart (aka the Tajimamori Map), which experiences near-instantaneous updates despite the great distances involved. This requires data to be transmitted by some means that is far faster than that transmitted at the speed of light. The exact details of how this occurs has completely eluded scientists to this point.

Now that we are done with Exploration Sites, we are free to move on to the next stage of the Traveller Sandbox Experiment: Lairs! Soon, we'll know have a much stronger idea of what's terrorizing some of the outlying star systems, or at least Travellers who happen to be in the area. This sounds like fun to me!

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: The Exploration Site Challenges Table...

Good Afternoon, All:

All Exploration Sites must still possess their wealth after all this time, or they wouldn't be useful for purposes of gaming. Therefore, something must be standing guard over that valuable, or at least preventing people from exploiting it. It's hard to catalogue all of the possibilities that exist in many Traveller Universes, but I will at least try to hit the most common elements in my efforts below. The reason I decided to create a separate table for Exploration Site Challenges is because sites require more active interference, and so I aimed for more problems and complications on a personal level rather than on a world level.

Inspired by the Ruin Obstacles table in An Echo Resounding, I offer the following table for determining Exploration Site Challenges. As always, please note that it contains what I believe to be common Traveller tropes for exploration site challenges, based on character creation rules and other system elements found in the core rulebook. Your Traveller Universe may be different from mine regarding those underlying assumptions. If you come across an entry that doesn't seem to fit your needs, please feel free to change it for your own personal setting development.

Table: Exploration Site Challenges

d66	Exploration Site Challenges
11	Alien Invaders
12	Anti-Psi Cultists
13	Bounty Hunters
14	Cannibalistic Locals
15	Crime Syndicate
16	Dangerous Parasites
21	Deadly Spies
22	Dueling Rakes
23	Enemy Terrorists
24	Enigmatic Conspirators
25	Feuding Families
26	Fierce Predators
31	Fleeing Traitors
32	Game Wardens
33	Government Interference
34	Harsh Conditions
35	Hidden Evil
36	High Radiation
41	Illegal Poachers
42	Infected Mobs
43	Life-Hating AI
44	Living Planet
45	Man-Eating Monsters
46	Occupation Forces
51	Progenitor Defenses
52	Psionic Adepts
53	Raiding Offworlders
54	Ravenous Pests
55	Religious Zealots
56	Resistance Fighters
61	Secret Assassins
62	Sovereign Guardians
63	Stealthy Saboteurs
64	Unscrupulous Smugglers
65	Vigilant Psi-Warriors
66	Referee's Choice (Something Unusual)

Using the table above, I generated an Exploration Site Challenge for each of the three Exploration Sites we're using as examples. Here's what I came up with:

For Mudhava (Segin 2414 E526330-6), I rolled "Stealthy Saboteurs". Our exploration site was a Pirate Base, and is valued by patrons for the Scientific Research found within it. Adding saboteurs into the mix works in this instance. One of the biggest challenges that adventuring PCs will face in exploring this site will likely be rivals from among the surviving members of the original corsair band. They cannot find the treasure they believe is in the base, and thus they will sabotage the efforts of any other treasure hunters, hoping to keep them from obtaining the valuables hidden within the base. There's probably a lot of traps and ambushes, etc., that will plague explorers. This reminds me of a kobold warren in fantasy games, so this scenario works for me.

I generated "Dangerous Parasites" for Prishiboro (Segin 2810 E596568-5). As a reminder, our exploration site was a Wartorn City, and is valued by patrons for the Sacred Reliquary found within it. This could be lots of fun, as my initial idea reminds me a lot of the scenario from the movie Aliens. There are nests of these creatures throughout the ruins, and they tend to enrage any creature that they infest. This lets me add in some flavor from the movie Cujo, too. Oh, yes, this will definitely be run as a horror scenario.

Rolling for Tajimamori (Segin 2608 X410244-8 Red Zone) produced a result of "High Radiation". In this particular case, our exploration site was a Secret Base, and is valued by patrons for the Treasure Map found within it, with the added complication that there are Electronic Disruptions occurring in the system. This particular hazard creates another challenge for explorers, particularly if I put in situations that threaten to compromise suit integrity in addition to electronics complications. This is a situation where the environment is the enemy, more than anything else. (There will definitely be other challenges, too, but the big one will be the environment.) The flavor is distinct from our first two examples, so I'm good with how this has come together.

In our next post, I'll put all of this together into some world write-ups, then we can move into the next stage of the Traveller campaign setting development process: Lairs! Oh, yes, we're going to have a lot of fun with the active antagonists that will rear their ugly heads in that section of the development.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: The Exploration Site Traits Table...

Good Afternoon, Fellow Travellers:

In order for an Exploration Site to be useful in terms of gaming, it must have something of value that attracts attention from patrons, who will then hire the player-characters to recover that valuable thing. In many Traveller Universes, these valuables are often Ancient artifacts, weapons, starships or information. I like all of those, but I also think there are other items of value that could draw the attention of a patron or even a player-character.

Inspired by the Ruin Traits table in An Echo Resounding, I offer the following table for determining Exploration Site Traits. As always, please note that it contains what I believe are common Traveller tropes for exploration site traits, based on character creation rules and other system elements found in the core rulebook. Your Traveller Universe may be different from mine regarding those underlying assumptions. If you come across an entry that doesn't seem to fit your needs, please feel free to change it for your own personal setting development.

Table: Exploration Site Traits

d66	Exploration Site Trait
11	Abandoned Equipment
12	Advanced Technology
13	Ancient Artifacts
14	Artificial Intelligence
15	Biomedical Technology
16	Communication Tower
21	Damning Evidence
22	Deserted Facility
23	Diaspora Relics
24	Exotic Livestock
25	Experimental Equipment
26	Hidden Treasures
31	Imprisoned Aliens
32	Inspiring Artwork
33	Legal Documents
34	Life Support Systems
35	Lost Heirs
36	Luxury Goods
41	Military Equipment
42	Military Records
43	Operational Battlestation
44	Power Source
45	Psionic Techniques
46	Rich Resources
51	Sacred Reliquary
52	Scientific Research
53	Survival Cache
54	Symbol of Sovereignty
55	Top Secret Reports
56	Treasure Map
61	Unclaimed Spaceport
62	Unusual Starship
63	Useful Location
64	Weapons Cache
65	Willing Recruits
66	Referee's Choice (Unusual Valuable)

Using the table above, I generated three site traits, one each for the three Exploration Sites we're using as examples. Here's what I came up with:

For Mudhava (Segin 2414 E526330-6), I rolled "Scientific Research". This may seem a little strange on a Pirate Base, but let's see what we can come up with. Perhaps the leader of the Pirate community held a strong desire for a cure to a rare but lethal disease found on a number of the frontier worlds of Beta Quadrant, and actually supported localized medical research through raiding nearby worlds in order to get that cure. Although the Pirate Commander never announced success before his death, rumors abound that his researchers had come very close to a cure before their untimely death. Patrons will likely seek characters out in order to raid the Pirate Base site for the Scientific Research that the scientists had gathered.

I generated "Power Source" for Prishiboro (Segin 2810 E596568-5). At TL 5, I'm not sure that's going to be a good choice, so I roll again and get "Sacred Reliquary". Suddenly, I've got pictures in my head of Izanagi (now known as Prishiboro) being the origin of the religious cult that wiped out the psionicists on Koyane. Perhaps it was the loss of their homeworld and the sacred reliquary that motivated them to move against their psionic overlords. Patrons could easily hire characters to penetrate the depths of the city lying in ruins, hoping to seek out the sacred relics and return them to the patron. And on top of that, I've got more history for the Koyane Shogunate. Excellent!

Looking at Tajimamori (Segin 2608 X410244-8 Red Zone), I came up with "Life Support System". Okay, so we've got a Secret Base generating Electronics Disruption, and the trait about the site that makes it valuable to a patron is its Life Support System. Nah, I don't like it, so I reroll and get "Treasure Map." This is more like it! Since one might think that the advanced technology being developed at the Secret Base would be a patron's goal, let's now assume that the site, upon discovery, has been moved. Perhaps there's records that indicate where the tech has been moved to, or perhaps it isn't secret weapon technology after all, but it's research into teleportation or something like that, and the map shows where the facility's personnel have gone. The equipment left behind continues to generate the disruptions... Oh, this could go on for quite a bit. I like this result, as it gets my blood pumping with neat ideas. After a little thought, I decide that the Secret Base is researching a Progenitor portal device that opens wormholes to distant locations, like a Stargate or a Sherman Ring. Activating it has caused some torsion of the local space-time continuum, which is the source of the Electronics Disruption. One of the items used to attempt to activate it is a Progenitor star chart hologram that demonstrates vast sections of space, and several patrons want it bad for their own nefarious purposes. This carries a hint of the Zhodani Core Expedition star map artifact, so it appeals to my "Inner Traveller Canonista".

More fun is coming together behind the scenes with these details, which in turn inspires me in creating world write-ups. Still, we are not done yet. We still have one more substep in this process to go: Exploration Site Challenges. Next post, we look at these Challenges and see where that takes us.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: The Exploration Site Origins Table...

Good Afternoon, All:

Every exploration site was created for a reason. In the published Traveller Universe and those inspired by it, the mysterious sites that the players get to explore are often created by sentient beings, either recently or in the great and distant past (generally speaking, the Ancients). On other occasions, they are natural structures such as cave systems that have been exploited by sentient beings for a given purpose. Aside from extensive animal lairs, I agree with that concept.

With a nod to the Ruin Natures table in An Echo Resounding, I offer the following table for determining Exploration Site Origins. Please note that it contains what I believe are common Traveller tropes for exploration site origins, based on character creation rules and other system elements found in the core rulebook, but your Traveller Universe may be different from mine regarding those underlying assumptions. If you come across an entry that doesn't seem to fit your needs, please feel free to change it for your own personal setting development.

Table: Exploration Site Origins

d66	Exploration Site Origin
11	Abandoned Colony
12	Ancient Site
13	Animal Lair
14	Arcology
15	Asteroid Ship
16	Cavern System
21	Communication Center
22	Corporate Headquarters
23	Crashed Starship
24	Foreign Consulate
25	Frontier Outpost
26	Government Facility
31	Isolated Spaceport
32	Medical Center
33	Mining Colony
34	Naval Base
35	Noble Estate
36	Outlying Settlement
41	Pirate Base
42	Planetary Defense Silo
43	Prison Complex
44	Psionic Institute
45	Religious Temple
46	Research Facility
51	Scout Base
52	Secret Base
53	Space Station
54	Temporary Encampment
55	Terraforming Plant
56	Tourist Resort
61	Trading Post
62	Training Center
63	University Campus
64	Wartorn City
65	Wildlife Preserve
66	Referee's Option (Unusual Site)

Using the table above, I generated three possible site origins, one each for the three Exploration Sites we're using as examples. (One of these is a Red Zone, so we can use that table, too.) Here are the three worlds I've chosen to explore:

Mudhava (Segin 2414 E526330-6): Starport Class E (Frontier); Medium (Low-G); Very Thin (Tainted); Wet World; Low Pop (9,000); Self-perpetuating Oligarchy; No Law; Pre-Stellar Tech. No Bases. Trade Codes: Low Pop. Non-aligned.

Prishiboro (Segin 2810 E596568-5): Starport Class E (Frontier); Medium (Low-G); Dense (Tainted); Wet World; Mod Pop (200,000); Colony/Captive World; High Law; Industrial Tech. No Bases. Trade Codes: Agricultural World, Garden World, Low Tech and Non-Industrial World. Jengu Alliance.

Tajimamori (Segin 2608 X410244-8 Red Zone): Starport Class X (Interdicted); Medium (Low-G); Trace; Desert World; Low Pop (300); Representative Democracy; Mod Law; Pre-Stellar Tech. No Bases. Trade Codes: Low Pop. Koyane Shogunate.

When considering Mudhava (Segin 2414 E526330-6), I generated "Pirate Base". Okay, we have a noble family reigning over nine thousand people, with no true laws in place regarding offworlders, at least. Perhaps the only way they survive as a colony is through trading with pirates. Although there are no bases in the UWP, I may go back and add a Pirate Base to represent the use of this system as a port of call for pirates, given their status here. A pirate base provides a great source for adventures and exploration, due to the accumulated treasures of starships and outlying colonies that could be help in storage here. Perhaps a collector could hire the party to recover a stolen item... hmmm, the seeds are already coming to me. Heck, this even suggests a nice background detail: Among interstellar pirates, Mudhava is known colloquially as "Mud Haven."

For the garden world of Prishiboro (Segin 2810 E596568-5), I rolled "Wartorn City". Noting that Prishiboro has a Government code of 6 (Colony/Captured World), this fit perfectly with the concept that perhaps this planet has recently changed hands from the Koyane Shogunate to the Jengu Alliance during the most recent war between these two polities. My imagination ran with that idea: The world of Izanagi originally belonged to the Koyane Shogunate, but after capture during the Jengu-Koyane War (or whatever I call it later), it was renamed as Prishiboro by the Jengu Alliance. (Both names come from a primary god of their pantheon, and each lost their wife, though by different means. It seemed a nice tie-in to use the two names in conjunction.) The system originally had a much larger population and a better starport, but after a planetary bombardment by the Jengu fleet, the best places to land a ship are now abandoned parking lots. The primary city was destroyed, but the ruins of the city are now scavenged by survivors of the planetary assault as well as off-world raiders. I'll likely need a good MacGuffin to bring player-characters to this world, but the opportunities for exploration look pretty good, just on this small bit alone.

For the desert planet of Tajimamori (Segin 2608 X410244-8 Red Zone), I came up with an Exploration Site Origin of "Secret Base". Because it's a Red Zone, I also came up with a reason for that status, which turned out to be "Electronics Disruption". (Okay, originally, I rolled "Wildlife Preserve" but that didn't fit the UWP.) Now I can combine those two, and come up with an idea like the following: Travel inside the system of Tajimamori is dangerous due to unusual electromagnetic-gravitic interference that disrupts unshielded and even poorly-shielded electronic systems. While the Koyane Shogunate claim that it is due to a natural phenomenon, the truth is that the system is actually a secret military base researching weapon technology, which is generating the interference. Ah, the joys of exploring a secret military base in search of advanced weapon technology brings a cackle to my lips... I mean, it prompts interest in writing a cool adventure or two for future player-characters in this setting.

Already, these three worlds are shaping up for some very interesting opportunities for exploration, but we're not done yet. We still have two more sub-steps in this process to go: Exploration Site Traits and Challenges. Next post, we look at Traits and see where that takes us.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: Identifying Exploration Sites...

Good Afternoon, All:

Step Five in the process of developing a sandbox setting for the Traveller Sandbox Experiment is to define ten worlds as Exploration Sites. These worlds contain ruins, abandoned colonies, and similar sites that can serve the need for exploration-based adventures in Sci-Fi games. In terms of gaming experiences, these worlds exist to provide plenty of options for greedy merchants, adrenalin-junkie mercenaries and similar entrepreneurial spirits to pursue within Beta Quadrant. These are, in essence, the Dungeons or Ruins of a Traveller campaign setting.

Using the fantasy sandbox building methods suggested in An Echo Resounding and adapting them to a science fiction setting as we have been so far, the elements attributed to Ruins locations can be easily implemented here, with new tables to reflect an interstellar setting, of course. Ruin Natures should become Exploration Site Origins. Ruin Traits would transform into Exploration Site Traits. Ruin Obstacles could conceivably use my System Challenges table, but I think there's enough interesting challenges unique to Exploration Sites that I could probably create an Exploration Site Challenges table. I'll have to wait and see how that last one pans out, though.

First, though, we should identify our candidate Exploration Sites. While I have made a big deal about Red Zones over the last few posts, those are not the only source for Exploration Sites. Looking at the map and identifying any backwater sites far from any of the worlds we've currently outlined as Cultural Hubs and Resource Worlds could point us to other potential candidates. First, I should create a list of Red Zone worlds from the UWPs I've already generated. Once we look that over, we'll expand our search as we see fit to cover other star systems.

Looking over the UWPs for Beta Quadrant, I see the following worlds are noted as Red Zones:

Thoth         1702 X410200-8    De Lo           R  703 Se M0 V M3 V*
Tajimamori    2608 X410244-8    De Lo           R  304 Ks M4 V* M8 V
Malsumis      2814 X410232-8    De Lo           R  123 Tj (K6 V M2 V)
Hibrea        3115 X300355-8    De Lo Va        R  300 Na M9 V

Interestingly enough, there are only four Red Zones in Beta Quadrant (right now), and three of them are claimed by an interstellar polity. Given the relative duplicative nature of each of these worlds, it appears that something in this sector makes worlds with physical characteristics of 410 highly desirable for worlds to Interdict. However, after searching through the list of UWPs, there are easily a dozen or more inhabited worlds with those characteristics. This, of course, makes sense. These worlds are roughly Mars-like, which makes for fine worlds to choose for settlements when an Earth-like world isn't present in the system.

So, I've got to find six other worlds that should be included as Exploration Sites. Looking at the map again, I start to contemplate options. First, I look for interesting isolated worlds (with a Class D Starport or worse), to give player-characters an excuse to travel across Beta Quadrant. These worlds seem like good options:

• 1820-410 (Segin 1820 X410000-0): Because it's isolated in the spinward-rimward corner of Beta Quadrant.
• 3120-300 (Segin 3120 X300000-0): Because it is isolated in the rimward-trailing corner of Beta Quadrant. Let's make the party travel, because that's how sandboxes work best.
• Mirasen (Segin 3209 E540337-5): Because it's in a small cluster near a non-human homeworld, and I want more excuses to deal with a non-human race.
• Mudhava (Segin 2414 E526330-6): Because I wanted a second Exploration Site in Litha Subsector (Subsector G), and it has one of the worst Starports in the subsector.
• Prishiboro (Segin 2810 E596568-5): Because it has one of the worst Starports in Koyane Subsector (Subsector D), and it's a Garden world. This lets me add more wilderness elements to any adventures that happen on that planet.
• Tefnut (Segin 2005 D410204-8): Because it's fairly isolated at the end of the short main it sits on, buffered by an uninhabited world, and because I wanted a second Exploration Site in Gleti Subsector (Subsector C).

As you can see, this part involves a lot more thought on my part, but I like that, as it gives me a better chance to personalize the setting to fit my personal needs as a Referee setting up adventure opportunities. Now that we've identified the Exploration Site for Beta Quadrant, in my next post, I'll look at the next sub-step in the process. It's time to create the Exploration Site Origins table!

More Later,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: The Red Zone Reason Table...

Good Afternoon, All:

In any Traveller campaign, some worlds are denoted as having Red Zone status. Whatever the reason behind that status might be, you can bet that Referees can use it to create interesting adventures, and player-characters can find some excuse to visit the place just to see what's there. In order to assist the weary Referee, I've provided the following Red Zone Reason table to help provide playable explanations for this particular status code. As always, your Traveller Universe may be different from mine regarding certain underlying assumptions. If you come across an entry that doesn't seem to fit your needs, please feel free to change it for your own personal setting development.

Table: Red Zone Reason

d66	Red Zone Reason
11	Astrogation Hazard
12	Automated Defenses
13	Cultural Study
14	Dangerous Parasites
15	Displaced Species
16	Electronics Disruption
21	Extreme Gravity
22	High Radiation
23	Infectious Cannibals
24	Jumpspace Rupture
25	Life-Hating AI
26	Local War
31	Man-Eating Monsters
32	Military Stronghold
33	Naval Shipyards
34	Political Prisoners
35	Power-Draining Predators
36	Primitive Species Preservation
41	Progenitor Site
42	Psionic Wildlife
43	Psionics Institute
44	Ravenous Pests
45	Religious Fanaticism
46	Research Station
51	Secret Project
52	Sovereign Estates
53	Space Creatures
54	Terraforming Failure
55	Trade Embargo
56	Treaty Clause
61	Unexploited Reserves
62	Virulent Pandemic
63	Weapon Testing
64	Wildlife Preserve
65	Xenophobic Elder Race
66	Referee's Choice (Something Unusual)

Wow! That took longer to put together than I thought. I hope it helps, though. I know I'll be using it in future posts here, as well as for my Traveller campaigns in general.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: Red Zones, An Overview...

Good Afternoon, Fellow Travellers:

In most Traveller Universes, dangerous worlds are denoted by either an Amber Zone status or a Red Zone status. Per the core rulebook, any world with an Atmosphere code of A+; a Government code of 0, 7 or 10; or a Law Level code of either 0 or 9+ should be considered for Amber Zone status, whereas Red Zone worlds are given out at the discretion of the Referee. Today, I'm going to take a few minutes to chat about my thoughts on Red Zones.

Per the core rulebook, a Red Zone is defined thus (quoted under Fair Use):

"Red Zone
The Travellers’ Aid Society travel zone classification for a nation, world, or system which is dangerous to travellers. In general, the imposition of a red zone classification indicates the location is quarantined, interdicted by higher authority, or at war. Quarantine indicates that a dangerous disease is present, and the danger of war is self-explanatory, but interdiction requires further discussion. Interstellar governments often find it necessary to restrict access to worlds or systems for political or military reasons, and do so by publishing interdictions. Enforcement of interdiction varies with the reason for the restriction. Interdiction may be imposed on a world if it is a military base or other sensitive installation, for the private reservations belonging to powerful families desiring seclusion, for developing societies which the government has elected to allow to evolve in isolation, or for valuable resource areas being saved for later development or exploitation."

I feel that any world with a population and a Class X Starport is an Interdicted World, and so I will assign it a Red Zone status. Class E Starports are basically little more than a flat piece of ground, which can be accomplished with any pasture, parking lot or other reasonably flat planetary surface. In my opinion, every world can qualify for at least a Class E Starport, so Class X Starports reflect worlds where visitors are not welcome at all. That, to me, makes it a Red Zone, especially when there's a local population. (This is only my opinion, by the way, and may or may not reflect the opinion of others. I'm okay with that. We're talking about my Traveller Universe and its underlying assumptions, after all.)

I also feel that extremely high Law Levels make a world very dangerous for visitors. At Law Level 12+, the risk to personal freedom is so great that characters should really think twice before going there, because they may never return if they suffer a run-in with the local law enforcement. After all, when a world would be classified as Extreme Law under MegaTraveller rules back in the day, it's the kind of place that tourists get thrown in prison for years for nothing more than looking at someone funny. This, too, is worthy of being called a Red Zone. Fortunately, there are no Extreme Law worlds in Beta Quadrant, but several exist in other quadrants of Segin sector.

Traveling to a Red Zone is easy. Just plot a Jump for that system and hope your Astrogator did his job correctly today. Things only get difficult on your arrival into a Red Zone system. Remember, Red Zones aren't just travel advisories. These systems are under active interdiction or quarantine by some force, one which is able to support the interstellar recognition of that status. Therefore, the aggressive enforcement of that policy is something that should be expected. (The only possible exception I can think of is that of an astrogation hazard, such as an intermittent pulsar or an abandoned interplanetary mine field, in which case one could assume that only radio buoys exist in the system to broadcast the reason it is considered a Red Zone.) I believe that in an average Traveller Universe, an Interdicted or Quarantined system (i.e. Red Zone) generally has the following features as a result of aggressive enforcement:

• The major planetary bodies useful for refueling (ice worlds, water worlds, and gas giants, for example) are all monitored by a network of satellites, which record transponder signals of ships coming and going from these planetary bodies, issue warnings about the nature of the Red Zone, and potentially direct defense systems, as needed. The destruction of any satellite in the network is noted, investigated and potentially dealt with.
• Defense systems, including missile sites, "killer satellites" and drone fighters, provide immediate support for the satellite network, and information gathered over the course of any confrontation is radioed to a more centralized location in the system.
• A squadron of cruisers or possibly larger war vessels patrol the system, based from a centralized location near the subject of Interdiction or Quarantine.
• The cruisers are often augmented and reinforced by system defense boats.
• Jump torpedoes (or, if your Traveller Universe doesn't use them, specialized couriers) report regularly with the nearest Naval base of the enforcing authority. If reports are late, more warships are sent to the system to investigate.

These systems are not infallible, but should make things very difficult for star-farers up to no good. Using a false transponder might help somewhat, at least in misplacing the blame later, while jamming signals or disabling a ship's transponder merely removes a source of information for the authorities to pursue later. Jumping into a system with enough fuel to jump out without refueling will save a ship from confronting the authorities while trying to fill up the tanks. Having a man on the inside could help open holes in the defensive arrays, offering windows of opportunity to enter and exit the system stealthily. Sadly, the likely target of any intentional travel into a Red Zone is generally the one that is the most patrolled. While it is possible to Jump from within the 100-diameter limit of a planetary body, normal Traveller rules indicate that you can't jump INTO the 100-diameter limit of a planetary body, so going in is always harder than leaving. And even if you are successful, word will likely get out soon. This is why ne'er-do-wells (like the player-characters) are generally coerced, paid or lured into making such runs for other, more powerful parties. After all, who would pursue the third party when the authorities have the PCs to chase down for disobeying the Red Zone status of a given system?

And now that I've covered some of my basic thoughts on Red Zones, I think I'll include a new random chart in the next post, which provides reasons for the existence of a Red Zone.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: Sample Resource World Write-Ups...

Good Afternoon, All:

Before moving on to Exploration Sites, I wanted to wrap up the Resource World section with write-ups from our selection of example worlds. Each example is fleshed out in the form of Library Data entries on the three worlds in question. Note that the write-ups are written with a few specific goals: maximize the potential for flavor and adventure, yet remain concise so as to avoid overloading the reader with extraneous details.

Note: I made a quick check of the worlds in Segin sector, and found only two that returned results of being a homeworld to an alien species. One of these is Amaterasu (Segin 3110 B688735-A), which is located in Beta Quadrant. The other, for the idly curious, is Baduhenna (Segin 2322 C867AB9-9), located in the Heremod Unity of Delta Quadrant.

Jizo (Segin 2901 A7978AA-A Amber Zone): Settled by a radical group of Apocalyptic social scientists, Jizo has grown significantly in the centuries following its settlement. Based on meticulous calculations and hyperextensive socio-political analysis, the Jizo colonists believed that the galaxy would collapse into chaos and warfare in the "near future". In the face of that fear, the people of Jizo established the Ksitigarbha Institute. Ever since its founding, the Institute's sole mission has been to preserve the technical and historical knowledge that mankind had accumulated, so that it would not be lost in the predicted interstellar apocalypse. Although the cataclysmic event has yet to come to pass, the Ksitigarbha Institute is now the greatest repository of knowledge and information in Beta Quadrant. The Thulians, a scholarly alien species from Amaterasu (Segin 3110 B688735-A), have become enamored with the collection of data at the Ksitigarbha Institute, and have practically taken the planet by storm. Driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, many well-to-do Thulians make a pilgrimage to Jizo at least once in their lifetimes.

Nyame (Segin 2202 B887797-8): Nyame, of all the systems in the Beta Quadrant, is the only world to produce a naturally occurring anagathic, the Zumbi Plant, which significantly inhibits the aging process if ingested regularly. All efforts to grow the Zumbi Plant outside of its native environment in the equatorial jungles of Nyame have failed. The highest castes of the local social structure consider the Zumbi Plant an exquisite spice in their meals, and the differences in longevity and wealth distribution between disparate social castes has led to a high degree of hatred between them.

Umikeo (Segin 2919 C969776-6): Umikeo is Beta Quadrant's biggest exporter of fissionable materials, which makes it a valuable world to many of the local interstellar polities. Unaligned, the various nations of this planet entertain diplomats from many worlds and polities, all of whom seek a portion of the radioactive exports that Umikeo produces, but no outside agency has been successful in establishing an official presence on the planet. Recently, interstellar journalists have begun to paint a picture of a powerful elite that rules Umikeo in secret, but so far, such allegations have proven to be unfounded.

With these examples complete, we can now move on to Exploration Sites, the "dungeons" or "ruins" of an interstellar Sci-Fi sandbox. But first, I think I'm going to talk a little bit about Red Zones, because there's a good chance that the fun stuff has been designated a Red Zone if it has been discovered.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: System Challenges and Resource Worlds...

Good Afternoon, All:

As I've noted previously, in any Traveller campaign, no major system exists without some kind of obstacle or challenge facing its citizens, and more importantly, visitors to that star system. In this sub-step to creating Resource Worlds for our Traveller Sandbox Experiment, we will set about to create a System Challenge for each of these worlds. While An Echo Resounding utilizes a different Obstacles table for Resource and Cities, in reviewing the differences and thinking about it a bit, I don't really see a good reason to use a different table in this setting. With that in mind, I'm going to stick with the System Challenges Table I created earlier, and let's see how this works out for us.

For Jizo (Segin 2901 A7978AA-A Amber Zone), I came up with "Alien Invasion". While I could create an army of alien invaders in their interstellar flotillas surrounding this world, Jizo is ultimately the "Biggest Library in Beta Quadrant". Perhaps a race of knowledge-seeking aliens have become so enamored with the collection of data that they have practically taken the planet by storm. I believe that I will go back and determine if any of the worlds in Beta Quadrant are homeworlds to an alien species. If so, they just became scholars, because I picture them swarming to Jizo in droves. The primary route from that system to Jizo would become filled with encounters with this information masters. Also, I could play around with their purpose for acquiring this information. Yes, I think this will work nicely for providing adventure material.

The world of Nyame (Segin 2202 B887797-8) is filled with "Rampant Xenophobia". Since the Cultural Hub of Jengu, another world with a medical bent, already has "Rampant Xenophobia", I think it would help the setting if I chose something else. Grabbing the dice again, I rolled "Class Hatred". Now we're getting somewhere. Nyame now has a Caste-based culture, where Social Standing is significantly important in one's daily interactions. Characters with Social Standing scores more than two apart can't interact socially without causing problems for both characters. In addition, the Castes despise each other, with the differences intensifying the further apart the Castes' Social Standings are. I like this, as it gives me a space to explore interpersonal conflicts and exaggerate the significance in having different Social Standings.

For Umikeo (Segin 2919 C969776-6), I generated "Secret Society". Umikeo is a balkanized world, so the thought occurs to me that it might be interesting if there's a Secret Society, a "New World Order" of sorts, that attempts to exert control over the world's various governments, essentially becoming a secret ruling oligarchy over the planet. These secret rulers are extremely resistant to changes from external sources, and have enough control to make life hard for any offworlder that tries to upset their well-balanced apple cart.

Next time around, I'll combine these sub-elements together into three world write-ups, and then I can move on the next major step in setting development: Exploration Sites. Now, I may also throw in some thoughts on alien races and their homeworlds, but it depends on the number of alien species as to whether this is a footnote or a complete post of its own.

More Later,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: The System Resources Table...

Good Afternoon, All:

In any Traveller campaign, some worlds are known for their resources. While other systems possess resources of a similar nature, these Resource worlds have a great abundance or proliferation of a specific resource. As such, these worlds are often coveted by interstellar polities for the goods and services they provide as a result of their natural resources.

With a nod to the Resource Types table in An Echo Resounding, I offer the following table for determining System Resources. As always, I've included what I believe are common Traveller tropes for system resources, based on various elements found in the core rulebook. However, your Traveller Universe may be different from mine regarding those underlying assumptions. If you come across an entry that doesn't seem to fit your needs, please feel free to change it for your own personal setting development.

The usual disclaimers exist here: Some results require specific Trade Codes in order to fit the world in question, while others cannot exist on worlds with certain Trade Codes. Likewise, some require the presence of a specific type of base or starport, or perhaps the lack thereof. Ultimately, if you feel the description doesn't fit the UWP, then feel free to generate another System Resources result.

Table: System Resources

d66	System Resources
11	Advanced Electronics
12	Advanced Gravitics
13	Agroproducts
14	Anagathics
15	Biochemicals
16	Cloning Facilities
21	Computers
22	Consumable Products
23	Crystals and Gems
24	Cybernetics
25	Defense Systems
26	Energy Production
31	Information Archives
32	Interstellar Shipyards
33	Live Animals
34	Luxury Consumables
35	Luxury Goods
36	Machine Parts
41	Manufactured Goods
42	Medical Supplies
43	Petrochemicals
44	Pharmaceuticals
45	Planetary Vehicles
46	Polymers
51	Precious Metals
52	Radioactive Materials
53	Rare Ores and Metals
54	Recreational Intoxicants
55	Robotics
56	Servants (Or Slaves)
61	Spices
62	Terraforming Equipment
63	Textiles
64	Weapons Manufacturing
65	Wood/Timber
66	Referee's Option (Exotics)

Now, I need to come up with three systems to detail using this table. From our intial list in the previous post, I'm going to select the following three worlds for development as examples:

Jizo (Segin 2901 A7978AA-A Amber Zone): Jizo is a large world, having a diameter of roughly 11200km. Jizo has a dense nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere that bears a taint that requires the use of a filter mask. The surface of Jizo is roughly 66%–75% surface water (or similar fluid), similar to that of Terra. Jizo has a general population of 900,000,000 local residents. The people of Jizo are governed by a charismatic dictator. Visitors will find that Jizo is extremely oppressive and restrictive, with little or no personal freedom granted to the general public. Jizo has an excellent Class A starport, with extensive shipyards capable of constructing new starships and overhaul existing vessels. Jizo has Early Stellar technology, with stable Jump technology that opens up nearby star systems. Important installations and facilities on Jizo include a Naval Base, a Scout Base and a Consulate. Jizo has been designated as an Amber Zone by the Explorer's Society. Travellers should exercise caution in any dealings or activities involving this world.

Nyame (Segin 2202 B887797-8): Nyame is a large world, having a diameter of roughly 12800km. Nyame has a dense nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere that is otherwise perfectly breathable. The surface of Nyame is roughly 66%–75% surface water (or similar fluid), similar to that of Terra. Nyame has a general population of 80,000,000 local residents. The people of Nyame are governed by an impersonal bureaucracy. Visitors may find Nyame moderately restrictive, as most personal firearms are regulated or restricted by local authorities. Nyame has a good Class B starport, with shipyards capable of constructing new spaceships and overhaul existing vessels. Nyame has Pre-Stellar technology, with the ability to reach other worlds in the same star system, although terraforming or full colonization are not within the culture’s capacity. Important installations and facilities on Nyame include a Naval Base and a Scout Base.

Umikeo (Segin 2919 C969776-6): Umikeo is a large world, having a diameter of roughly 14400km. Umikeo has a standard nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere comparable to that of Terra. The surface of Umikeo is roughly 66%–75% surface water (or similar fluid), which qualifies it as a Water world. Umikeo has a general population of 40,000,000 local residents. The world of Umikeo is balkanized, with several local factions or regional governments controlling a portion of the world's resources and population. Visitors may find Umikeo moderately restrictive, as most personal firearms are regulated or restricted by local authorities. Umikeo has a routine Class C starport, with limited shipyards capable of performing major repairs. Umikeo has Industrial technology, including the development of fission power and more advanced computing.

For Jizo (Segin 2901 A7978AA-A Amber Zone), I generated "Information Archives". This immediately conjures mental images of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, and I consider a "galactic library" of some sort. Borrowing a little in concept from Asimov's great works and taking some extreme liberties, perhaps the world was settled by a group of pseudo-scientific survivalists who feels that the galaxy will erupt into chaos and warfare in the near future, based on the calculations of the first colonial leader. In order to protect their offspring, the settlers of Jizo founded the Ksitigarbha Institute to preserve the technical and historical knowledge they felt would be lost in the coming interstellar apocalypse. Although the event never came to pass, the Ksitigarbha Institute is now the greatest repository of knowledge and information in Beta Quadrant. (Oh, this also gives me the chance to create a Librarian-Explorer career path, so characters can be adventurers akin to the Librarian.)

With Nyame (Segin 2202 B887797-8), I rolled "Interstellar Shipyards". Given that neither the Tech Level nor the Starport of this world supports that Resource, I decided to generate another entry: "Anagathics." While the Tech Level for Nyame does not support anagathics (which require TL15 to manufacture synthetically), I can always assume that a plant native to Nyame produces a natural anagathic, which I'll call the Zumbi plant. Being a natural source of anagathics, the Zumbi plant is highly prized. However, it only grows in one region of one planet, and does not survive transplantation elsewhere. Thus, the world of Nyame is highly prized in interstellar society.

For Umikeo (Segin 2919 C969776-6), I generated "Cybernetics", which does not fit the Tech Level of this world. A second roll came up with "Radioactive Materials", which lends itself to the thought that Umikeo is a world rich in fissionable materials. Although this isn't as much of a problem with higher tech worlds, most systems require fissionable material to produce energy. That demand makes Umikeo a viable resource, and highly desirable by interstellar polities, including the Chimalmat Group and Heremod Unity to rimward in Delta Quadrant, as well as the major polities of Beta Quadrant.

The second sub-step for creating Resource Worlds is to determine the System Challenges that the players will have to address when they set about operating on these worlds. We'll attack that with our next post, and then we should be able to wrap this step up and move on to Exploration Sites, the "dungeons" or "ruins" of an interstellar Sci-Fi sandbox.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: Identifying Resource Worlds...

Good Afternoon, All:

Step Four in the process of developing a sandbox setting for the Traveller Sandbox Experiment is to define a number of eight to ten Resource Worlds that the various "Powers That Be" of Beta Quadrant can fight over and exploit. These provide key locations for potential conquest, as well as exploration, espionage, diplomacy and other active missions to obtain and maintain control over the resources represented by these star systems.

Using the fantasy sandbox building methods suggested in An Echo Resounding and adapting them to a science fiction setting as we have been so far, the elements attributed to Resource locations can be easily implemented here, with new tables to reflect an interstellar setting, of course. Resource Types should become System Resources. Resource Obstacles could use the same System Challenges table I'd created previously, or I could modify it to better suit the role of these star systems as resources.


First, though, we should identify these Resource Worlds. Since Resources are best identified through the Trade rules in Traveller, that's probably the best place to look for features that would help us identify Resource Worlds. Since Resource are worlds that generate resources, those Trade Codes that grant bonuses in the Current World category for Freight Traffic should probably start us off well. That's Agricultural, Garden, High Population, Industrial and Rich Worlds. (Amber Zones also give some big bonuses, too, strangely enough.) Under Speculative Trade, it depends on the trade good type, but the following Trade Codes also grant bonuses occasionally: Non-Agricultural, Water World, Asteroid, High Tech, Desert and Ice-Capped. These additional tags occur much less frequent than those under Freight Traffic, so let's restrict our search criteria to only Agricultural, Garden, High Population, Industrial and Rich Worlds.

Looking over the UWPs for Beta Quadrant, I see the following worlds qualify:

Isis          1706 C655422-7  S Ga Ni              511 Se M8 III K1 V*
Bastet        1908 C558534-5  S Ag Ga Lt Ni        722 Se G4 V* M4 V
Abrakos       2108 A66876B-9    Ag Ga Ri           812 In K6 V M3 V*
Chancun       2201 C98657A-6  S Ag Ga Ni        A  100 Na M3 V M9 V*
Nyame         2202 B887797-8  A Ag Ga Ri           802 Ja M1 V M3 V*
GLETI         2205 C664976-6  S Ga Hi              503 Ja F1 IV G3 V* K6 V
Futsunushi    2704 EA7857A-5    Ag Ga Lt Ni     A  523 Ks G2 V
KOYANE        2706 A5699EF-B    Hi              A  712 Ks F7 V* M3 V
Suijin        2806 C688672-6  M Ag Ga Ni Ri        901 Ks G8 V
Prishiboro    2810 E596568-5    Ag Ga Lt Ni        201 Ja G8 V
Jizo          2901 A7978AA-A  M Ga              A  900 Ks K5 V
KANGITEN      3001 C664AFD-7    Ga Hi           A  722 Ks G7 V* M9 V
Amaterasu     3110 B688435-A    Ga Ni              921 Ks F2 V
Orvil         1813 C667368-6  S Ga Lo              115 Na F7 V
Lugh          1915 C676640-5  S Ag Ga Lt Ni        111 Ll F0 V
Misdariva     2012 B766537-8    Ag Ga Ni           512 Na G9 V K0 V M3 V*
2013-678      2013 X678000-0    Ba Ga Lt           001 Na K6 III K1 V*
Litha         2016 A7678A9-A  N Ga Ri           A  711 Ll F1 V
Gbadu         2112 C844563-5    Ag Ga Lt Ni        920 Ja G1 V* [G6 V]
Ghandi        2113 BA67879-6  A Ga Ri           A  725 Na K8 V
Melody        2119 B767565-7  S Ag Ga Ni           803 Na F2 V
Desa          2120 B561877-6  N Ri                 201 Na K5 V* K8 V
Hulene        2213 B754644-6    Ag Ga Ni           912 Na K2 V
Saki          2219 D68A772-5    Lt Ri Wa           613 Na F9 V
Tukirka       2220 C685478-5  S Ga Lt Ni           722 Na G4 V* K4 V
Mami Wata     2311 B784879-6    Ga Ri           A  914 Ja G0 V* M9 V
Kotera        2515 X587246-0    Ga Lo Lt           801 Na G4 V
Tesla         2517 C685634-4  M Ag Ga Lt Ni Ri     901 Na K3 V* [M7 V]
Tabaldak      2813 A6878CE-9  M Ga Ri           A  701 Tj M6 V
Umikeo        2919 C969776-6  S Ri                 403 Na G9 V
Shanan        3016 C578340-6  S Ga Lo              110 Na G0 V
Malen         3018 C983773-5    Lt Ri              804 Na K5 V
Milamapar     3113 B569879-6  M Ri              A  501 Na K7 V* [G1 V]
Polondo       3211 C895311-6    Ga Lo              912 Na M0 V
Djinn         3212 C658311-9  M Ga Lo              900 Na F2 V

Interestingly, there are no Industrial planets in Beta Quadrant (and maybe six over the entirety of Segin sector.) If I remove the Cultural Hubs from the list above, we end up with a list of 28 worlds. That's way too many. Okay, so let's look at a smaller list, choosing those that have the highest Freight Traffic total modifiers, aiming for a level that brings us down to 8 to 10 worlds (in this case, all with a +2 total or higher on the Freight Table for Current World). This brings the list down to:

Desa          2120 B561877-6  N Ri                 201 Na K5 V* K8 V
Nyame         2202 B887797-8  A Ag Ga Ri           802 Ja M1 V M3 V*
Mami Wata     2311 B784879-6    Ga Ri           A  914 Ja G0 V* M9 V
Tesla         2517 C685634-4  M Ag Ga Lt Ni Ri     901 Na K3 V* [M7 V]
Suijin        2806 C688672-6  M Ag Ga Ni Ri        901 Ks G8 V
Jizo          2901 A7978AA-A  M Ga              A  900 Ks K5 V
Umikeo        2919 C969776-6  S Ri                 403 Na G9 V
Malen         3018 C983773-5    Lt Ri              804 Na K5 V

That's more like it! Looking at this list, there's one Resource world in Subsector C, two in Subsector D, two in Subsector G and three in Subsector H. Not a bad distribution, all things considered.

Now that we've identified the Resource worlds for Beta Quadrant, in my next post, I'll look at the next sub-step in the process. We're going to build a System Resources table!

More Later,
Flynn

Public Service Announcement: 30% Discount at Lulu.Com

Good Morning, All:

In lieu of today's post on the Traveller Sandbox Experiment, I'd like to post the following Public Service Announcement regarding a great discount at Lulu.com. This is your chance to pick up any of those Old School supplements that you've been longing to get, and you could even complete your collection of Samardan Press items, if you want. You'll find the details below:

Between Friday (Nov 23) and Tuesday (Nov 27), Lulu is offering 30% off anything site-wide by using coupon code DELIRITAS. Also, when purchasing calendars with this coupon, you will save 51% instead of 30%. Make a book or calendar today to take advantage of these great deals.

How does this promotion work?
This promotion is good for anything on the Lulu.com website. Browse the site for your next remarkable read, use the savings to purchase copies of your own book, or purchase one of our other great products or services. If you purchase Calendars with the savings codes above, you will save 51% off listed price!

Create a photo book or calendar to share with family and friends:
It's fast, easy, and fun to create. You can choose from a range of sizes, cover types and free professionally designed templates. Photo books and/or calendars are a great way to save and share your digital photographs instead of ordering photo prints. Convert your digital photo albums into beautiful, high quality printed works of art to keep, sell and share with friends and loved ones. Try your hand at publishing a photo book or calendar today.

Sale starts Friday, November 23 at 12:01 AM and ends Tuesday, November 27 at 11:59 PM. Please use all capital letters when entering the coupon code during checkout. We reserve the right to change this offer at any time. Please do not reply to this email; if you need assistance please visit Lulu Support. Don't forget to become a Lulu Facebook Fan today; participate in promotions, contests, and interact with the Lulu community. You can also follow us on Twitter.

That's all the news that's fit to repost. On Monday, I'll resume my series on the Traveller Sandbox Experiment.

Enjoy,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: Sample Cultural Hub Write-Ups...

Good Afternoon, All:

Over the last week or so, we've gone through the effort of identifying several Cultural Hubs for the Traveller Sandbox Experiment, and then followed that with deeper development of three examples. Below, I'm providing a bit more of a formal write-up in the form of Library Data entries on the three worlds in question. Note that the write-ups are written with a few specific goals: maximize the potential for flavor and adventure, yet remain concise so as to avoid overloading the reader with extraneous details. It's a balancing act, but hopefully, I achieved it in the examples below. As always, your thoughts are welcome.

NOTE: Based on the concept that this sector is part of the Traveller Universe that contains the Azri Drakara Sector (aka Cepheus Sector), as well as Dracos Sector, I've elected to call this region of space the Segin sector, named for a particularly bright star (Segin, aka Epsilon Cassiopeiae) which is located just under half-way between Dracos Sector and Sol Sector.

Jengu (2407 A79A89C-B Amber Zone): The secret society known as the Penultimate Order of the Sacred Spring left Old Earth during the First Diaspora seeking a world of its own where its members might exist without persecution. After founding a colony on the world of Jengu, the Order felt free to practice their alternative healing techniques in peace. Centuries later, Jengu possesses some of the most advanced biomedical technologies in Segin sector. The people of Jengu are highly xenophobic, and their laws regarding offworlders are particularly stringent. For this reason, the Explorer's Society has identified this world as an Amber Zone.

KOYANE (2706 A5699EF-B Amber Zone): Until thirty years ago, Koyane was ruled by the Fujiwara Clan, a psionic oligarchy known for its adherence to strong traditional Old Earth values. Their dynasty fell with the Kiyohara Clan and its supporting Emishi faction encouraged anti-psionic sentiment among the populace, then overthrew the Fujiwara Clan in a religious war. The victorious Emishi quickly replaced the psionic regime with a religious autocracy, which has maintained a state of martial law to insure that psionics remained abolished on Koyane. The Brothers of Sakari, remnants of the psionic heritage of former Koyane nobility, continue to wage a sporadic war against the Emishi faction in the hopes of recovering their lost empire. The violence of these conflicts, as well as the overzealous reactions of the Emishi, have earned this world an Amber Zone status from the Explorer's Society. Despite that, Koyane has a high reputation for service industry training; in particular, personal servants trained on Koyane are rightfully prized in interstellar society.

Sutekh (1707 AADA846-B): Sutekh has always been a trade center, and much of the Sutekh Empire sprang up from the interstellar markets that supported Sutekh world corporations. As Sutekh grew in prominence, many interstellar corporations also began to locate their research and development centers on Sutekh. The world rapidly developed an infrastructure to support scientific research. The University of Sutekh is known throughout the Beta Quadrant for the quality of its science departments. Sutekh has suffered a dramatic increase in natural disasters related to unstable plate tectonics over the last century. This has raised concerns among more outspoken researchers that these events are simply precursors to a cataclysmic global event that could potentially change the very face of the planet. Conservative scientists dismiss such thoughts as paranoia, claiming that the disasters are nothing more than part of a minor geologic cycle.

To complete this step, I'll follow the same basic approach for the rest of the Cultural Hubs I identified earlier, and record them in a master document. After that, I move on the Resource worlds, which we'll begin to discuss in my next post.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: The System Challenges Table...

Good Afternoon, All:

In any Traveller campaign, no major system exists without some kind of obstacle or challenge facing its citizens, and more importantly, visitors to that star system. In identifying at least one obstacle for any given star system, the Referee continues to create an impression of the system that makes it stand out in the players' minds over the course of the campaign. In addition, knowing the challenges present in a given system also gives us inspiration for potential adventure opportunities, which encourages more entertaining gaming for our gamers.

With a nod to the City and Town Obstacles table in An Echo Resounding, I offer the following table for determining System Challenges. As before, I've included what I believe are common Traveller tropes for system functions, based on character creation rules and world generation system elements. However, your Traveller Universe may be different from mine regarding those underlying assumptions. If you come across an entry that doesn't seem to fit your needs, please feel free to change it for your own personal setting development.

The usual disclaimers exist here: Some results require specific Trade Codes in order to fit the world in question, while others cannot exist on worlds with certain Trade Codes. Likewise, some require the presence of a specific type of base or starport, or perhaps the lack thereof. Ultimately, if you feel the description doesn't fit the UWP, then feel free to generate another System Function.

Table: System Challenges

d66	System Challenges
11	Alien Invasion
12	Angry Rioters
13	Class Hatred
14	Code Duello
15	Corporate Interests
16	Corrupt Leadership
21	Crime Syndicate
22	Crushed Spirits
23	Destructive Customs
24	Diplomatic Tensions
25	Displaced People
26	Divisive Factions
31	Enemy Terrorists
32	Enigmatic Conspiracy
33	Excessive Taxes
34	Extreme Censorship
35	Food Shortages
36	Gathering Refugees
41	Global Epidemic
42	Hidden Evil
43	Homeless Poor
44	Industrial Mishap
45	Inter-Species Feuding
46	Invasive Psionics
51	Natural Disasters
52	Overly Aggressive Military
53	Pirate Haven
54	Raiding Offworlders
55	Rampant Xenophobia
56	Religious Zealots
61	Resistance Fighters
62	Secret Society
63	Spy Network
64	Unscrupulous Merchants
65	Varmint Infestation
66	Referee's Option (Unusual Obstacles)

Using the table above, I generated three possible System Challenges, one each for the three cultural hubs we have been using as examples.

For Jengu (2407 A79A89C-B Amber Zone), I rolled "Rampant Xenophobia". This is an interesting twist. Here's a star system based on a secret society devoted to healing and medicine, whose entire economy is based on the health industry, and yet a lot of the local population experience xenophobia. A holdover from the days of their foundation, many Jengu citizens were raised with the belief that offworlders do not understand their society and will even persecute Jengu given the chance, so the Jengu citizenry are taught by the world government that offworlders mean them harm and can never be trusted.

Interestingly, I generated "Invasive Psionics" for Koyane (2706 A5699EF-B Amber Zone). Relating this back to the Psionic Freedom Fighters concept, perhaps the world of Koyane has become psionophobic. While the use of psionics is not what's invasive in this interpretation, the sheer cultural paranoia about psionics is. Any unexplained situation, serendipitous success or similar occurrence could spark a "witch hunt" mentality as the "victim" accuses the unsuspecting offworlder of being a psionic.

I first generated "Pirate Haven" for Sutekh (1707 AADA846-B). I'm not that fond of a world known for academia being seen as a haven for pirates, so I chose to generate another entry here. This tim, I came up with "Natural Disasters." Now, I'm getting some great ideas. Perhaps Sutekh is going through an Ice Age of sorts, or better yet, the planet's tectonics have become unstable. Yes, that sounds good. Scientists predict that the recent increase in natural disasters within the last century are a precursor to a dramatic global event that will dramatically change the face of the planet. Skeptics denounce the cataclysmic predictions of the scientific community, claiming that the disasters are part of a minor geologic cycle and nothing more. Basically, the Referee can insert the plot of every bad SyFy Channel end-of-the-world disaster flick here.

With this step, the Cultural Hubs section is pretty much complete. I'll follow this post up with a formal write-up of the three worlds in question, and then we'll move on to designating Resource worlds. Given that this setting is likely to have a military aspect to it, these should be very interesting, indeed.

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: The System Function Table...

Good Afternoon, All:

In any Traveller campaign, any major system should be known for something it does, some function that it fulfills in interstellar society. Identifying that core function helps Referees to paint a picture of the system that makes it stand out in the players' minds over the course of the campaign. Remember, we're building a setting we can game in, and so the focus for this exercise lies in creating elements we can later use in our sessions to promote adventuring opportunities for our gamers.

With a nod to the City and Town Activities table in An Echo Resounding, I offer the following table for determining System Function. As before, I've included what I believe are common Traveller tropes for system functions, based on character creation rules and world generation system elements. However, your Traveller Universe may be different from mine regarding those underlying assumptions. If you come across an entry that doesn't seem to fit your needs, please feel free to change it for your own personal setting development.

In addition, some results require specific Trade Codes in order to fit the world in question, while others cannot exist on worlds with certain Trade Codes. Likewise, some require the presence of a specific type of base or starport, or perhaps the lack thereof. Ultimately, if you feel the description doesn't fit the UWP, then feel free to generate another System Function.

Table: System Function

d66	System Function
11	Academic Institute
12	Advanced Scientific Research
13	Agricultural Producer
14	Anti-Piracy Efforts
15	Architecture and Civil Engineering
16	Banking and Finance
21	Center of Diplomacy
22	Civilian/Military Vehicle Production
23	Communication/Information Hub
24	Computer/Robotics Production
25	Displaced People Reservations
26	Espionage and Security
31	Exceptional Artisans
32	Freedom of Religion
33	Heavy Industry
34	Hive of Corruption
35	Martial Ethos
36	Media and Journalism
41	Medicine and Biotechnology
42	Militant State
43	Mutual Defense Policy
44	Personal Services
45	Prison Planet
46	Psionic Services
51	Rare Resources
52	Regional Capitol
53	Starship Production
54	Strong Cultural Identity
55	Strong Polity Identity
56	Strong System Identity
61	Tourism
62	Transportation Services
63	Vigorous Trade
64	Weapons Manufacturing
65	World Corporation
66	Referee's Option (Unusual Exports)

Using the table above, I generated three possible System Origins, one each for the three cultural hubs we're using as examples.

For Jengu (2407 A79A89C-B Amber Zone), I generated "Hive of Corruption". That doesn't fit with a Law Level of 12, so I rolled again to get "World Corporation". I interpret this to indicate that the world of Jengu is now at the mercy of a world-wide corporation, or even multiple ones. Given that the government form is impersonal bureaucracy, I'm inclined to use the multiple world-corporations concept. Given Jengu's foundation as the haven for a secret society devoted to a non-traditional approach to medicine and healing, perhaps the bulk of these corporations grew in support of that philosophy. Here's a world where health and medicine are of significant importance, from the underlying culture to the current economy.

Koyane (2706 A5699EF-B Amber Zone) received the result of "Personal Services". This normally reflects classic service industries, such as barbers, caring for children or the elderly, funeral arrangements, etc. In a world descended from Japanese culture, which an extremely high Law Level, it makes sense that a structured society based on politeness and enforced courtesy would evolve. This places an emphasis on the role of personal services, because the high level of social protocols requires a high level of customer service. This would make Koyane a great world for the training of personal servants, diplomats and courtesans, among other things. From a gaming perspective, it also creates situations where polite characters are rewarded, and impolite characters are arrested and punished severely, almost out of proportion to the nature of the crime.

I generated "Advanced Scientific Research" for Sutekh (1707 AADA846-B). Given that we discussed the concept of corporate research and development being an emphasis for Sutekh in the alternate origin story, we can salvage some of that here. In addition to growing as a center for interstellar trade, corporate interests began locating their R&D divisions on Sutekh proper. The world rapidly developed an infrastructure to support the advances that had been brought forth, producing an environment that continues to support advanced and applied scientific research. The University of Sutekh is known throughout the Beta Quadrant for the quality of their science departments.

Our final secondary step in developing Cultural Hubs for the Beta Quadrant setting is to determine the system's primary challenge. In my next post, I'll introduce another table, inspired by the City and Town Obstacles table found in An Echo Resounding. We're almost done with this step!

With Regards,
Flynn

Traveller Sandbox: The System Origins Table...

Good Afternoon, All:

Every world is populated for a reason. A few of them are the world of origin, the homeworld, for various alien races. Most published Traveller universes tend to assume that most worlds are settled by other races as part of interstellar expansion, and I personally am a firm believer in that approach. With that in mind, it helps to have some kind of clue as to the origins of the population within a given star system.

With a nod to the City and Town Origins table in An Echo Resounding, I offer the following table for determining System Origins. Please note that it contains what I believe are common Traveller tropes for system origins, based on character creation rules and world generation system elements, but your Traveller Universe may be different from mine regarding those underlying assumptions. If you come across an entry that doesn't seem to fit your needs, please feel free to change it for your own personal setting development.

Table: System Origins

d66	System Origin
11	Ancient Ruins
12	Border Outpost
13	Corporate Site
14	Criminal Haven
15	Defensive System
16	Displaced Undesirables
21	Ethnocentric Community
22	Exiled Nobility
23	Exploratory Base-Camp
24	Farming Colony
25	Government Complex
26	Interrupted Trip
31	Isolationists
32	Land Grant
33	Luddites
34	Military Conquest
35	Mining Colony
36	Naval Base
41	Outcasts
42	Personal Estate
43	Philosophic Enclave
44	Pirate Base
45	Prison Planet
46	Prospector's Claim
51	Psionic Institute
52	Rebels
53	Religious Compound
54	Research Station
55	Shipwreck Survivors
56	Stepping Stone
61	Technophiles
62	Trading Hub
63	Training Facility
64	Treaty World
65	Wildlife Preserve
66	Referee's Option (Something Unusual)

Using the table above, I generated three possible System Origins, one each for the three cultural hubs we're using as examples.

For Jengu (2407 A79A89C-B Amber Zone), I generated "Philosophic Enclave". This tells me that the original settlers of this world were united under the auspices of a specific philosophy, as opposed to a religious belief system or ethnic culture. Reviewing the Wikipedia entry on Jengu, I noted that there once existed a secret society called the Jengu cult, which focused on the worship of water spirits, honoring fishing, healing and medicine. Taking some inspiration from that, and removing the religious aspects, I'm struck by the concept of a secret society devoted to fishing, healing and medicine. Considering that Jengu is a water world, the fishing takes care of itself, and I'm left with healing and medicine. Ah hah! The original colonists of Jengu were devotees of a non-traditional philosophy on medicine and healing, belonging to a secret society of healers. Feeling pressure from more traditional medical practices on their world of origin, these settlers came to Jengu to freely practice their medical practices. This gives Jengu a potential for distinctive medical technologies either more or less advanced than others of their tech level. Nice flavor already!

I generated "Psionic Institute" for Koyane (2706 A5699EF-B Amber Zone). Assuming the Traveller norm, psionics is probably ill-regarded by the population of the sector as a whole. The original settlers of this system were psionicists, and they came to establish an institute for the exploration of psionicology in an isolated system far from other cultures. The combined factors of a religious autocracy and a high law level sparks two different lines of creative thought for me: either the psionicists became the state religion, or a religious faction overthrew the psionic regime and maintain a state of martial law to insure that psionics is abolished and remains abolished on Koyane. The Japanese kami Ame-no-Koyane (for whom the system is named) was seen as the patron of the Fujiwara clan on Old Earth. As the Fujiwara clan gained political power by marrying their daughters to emperors, I can see the psionics element remaining very strong in politics during the formative years of the system. In the Azri Drakara sector, the Covenant of Discipline is a psionic religious autocracy, which is why I think that here, I'll put the psionicists out of power. However, now I have the concept of Psionic Freedom Fighters waging their war against the oppressive religious faction in an effort to reclaim their former Empire. Cool! We've got some instant historical background for the Beta Quadrant Campaign, and a twist on the usual Traveller Universe presentation of psionics.

For Sutekh (1707 AADA746-B), I generated "Trading Hub". This is probably the most straight-forward of all three examples. As we noted earlier when considering Sutekh as a cultural center for the setting, its sister-system of Seshat (1907 B69A8A8-9) has a greater population five times the size of Sutekh's, so it is likely where the Seshat Empire originated. Sutekh was settled as a trading connection to other interstellar markets, and promptly blossomed. Numerous corporations came to the world, seeing opportunities to develop under less restrictions than existed on the homeworld. Corporate research and development pushed Sutekh's technology infrastructure ahead, as dealing with a smaller population size made such changes to the infrastructure an easier proposition. As more corporations abandoned Seshat for Sukhet, Seshat fell into a decline. As an aside, since the rules indicate that a Class A starport is necessary for starship construction and repair, I have to decide whether to change Seshat's starport to Class A to reflect its role in this story, or change the story around so that Sutekh has been the center of the empire all along (requiring perhaps a population code change from 7 to 8 and a name change on the Empire, but I'm okay with that, too.) Since we're still in the formative stages here, I think I'll bump the pop code for Sutekh up to an 8 and make it the center of the Empire.

Okay, new story for Sutekh (1707 AADA846-B): Sutekh is the capital world of the Sutekh Empire. The original settlers were primarily corporations and merchants, giving rise to a rapidly developing interstellar trade center. Not a lot of flavor, but then again, not all of the flavor of a world has to come from the System Origins.

Our next secondary step in developing Cultural Hubs for our setting is the system's core function in the campaign setting. That looks like it will require another table to be created, inspired by the City and Town Activities table found in An Echo Resounding. We'll tackle that in my next post!

With Regards,
Flynn