Lore and Legends of the Dezzyverse

Author: Dezzy Parrish

  • Alithea

    Alithea

    The Solomani Confederation’s Propaganda Machine

    After the Solomani Rim War, the Solomani Confederation spiraled into infighting and chaos. Terra had fallen to the Third Imperium in 1002 and the Confederation lacked a capital. The High Command of the Solomani Confederation was operating from the Home system in Aldebaran Sector since the Imperium pushed into the Solomani Rim sector in 998, towards the end of the war.

    The Solomani Party shifted it’s leadership to Home in 1001 when the 3rd Imperium liberated the Vegan Autonomous District. The Confederation harbored few illusions that the Imperium would overrun Terra. When Terra did fall and the war ended in armistice, the Solomani Confederation suffered a political crisis that nearly fractured it into a hundred pocket empires.

    The Solomani Cause also suffered a crisis of confidence in the first few years following the armistice. After all, how could the Solomani Humans be the the greatest branch of the greatest species in the galaxy if they couldn’t protect their own cradle? The Party, Movement, Confederation and Cause could only try desperately to hole itself together for the following decade or so.

    SolSec Turns Inward

    Solomani Security shifted it’s principal effort from enforcing the Party’s agenda outword to maintaining Party control within the Confederation itself. Because the Confederation Navy and Ground Forces had been crippled in the last year of the Rim War, using force to bring any disobedience back into line was impractical. However, even though the conventional military was rebuilding, SolSec had a well-developed and relatively lightly used resource. Propaganda.

    As the Confederation and the Solomani Party recovered from the Rim War, SolSec used the news and media apparatus of the State to mend the divisions that started to develop. The Subsectors and systems which the Imperium had subdued became “the Occupation”. Terra didn’t fall, it was “Under Occupation by Imperial Invaders. Interstellar History classes in Primary and Secondary Schools and State-sponsored Universities placed an emphasis on the rise of the Rule of Man, and the Interstellar Wars period, where Terran forces overcame a technologically and territorially superior Vilani Empire. Patriotic lesiure media was supported and promoted. The Solomani Hypothosis was pushed forward in educational cirriculum. Solomani Security used the tools of influence to minimalize the effect of losing Terra to the Imperium.

    “State Media” is well known and crude as the sole means of Propaganda. Instead, SolSec provided capital and material support to media corporations, local, regional, and Confederation-Wide. Simultaneously, they suppressed dissenting media outlets. SolSec stopped short of a full-blown crackdown on dissent. But a crackdown was not necessarily, the strategy of capital support was wildly successful. The Armistice was re-characterized from being a defeat, to being a story of heroic survival against an overwhelming enemy. The fractures in the Confederation was healed, and the Party was able to recover.

    Attention Returned to the Occupied Region

    In the years between 1014 and 1116 3i (5534 and 5636 AD) the Solomani Confederation Armed Forces were not nearly strong enough to challenge the Imperium’s occupation. However, after the Confederation’s political situation had stabilized, SolSec turned its attention to the Occupied Region. The strategies employed to indoctrinate the population of the Confederation were proven successful and revised for use in the Occupied Region.

    SolSec was able to, through several shell companies and investment firms, engineer control of a sector-wide media corporation in Diaspora Sector. The corporation, Neo Londra Media (LIC), was reorganized and registered under the name Alithea (LIC). Alithea spent several years improving it’s journalistic reputation to be comparative to the Imperial Interstellar News Service (IINS) and the Journal of the Travellers’ Aid Society (JTAS). Though not nearly as old, nor accomplished as the IINS or JTAS, Alithea gathered a lot of popularity and social momentum as “new” media, rebellious, popular and hungry. Especially in contrast to the “stodgy conservatism” of the older media corporations.

    With indirect support from SolSec, Alithea went through a rapid expansion towards the Rim over it’s first 25 years. Either by expanding it’s own network of companies, or by acquiring new assets. By the end of the 1050s 3i, Alithea was present throughout the old Solomani Sphere, covering the Solomani Rim, Old Expanses and Diabei sectors with the occupied systems in Alpha Crucis and Magyar sectors.

    The Solomani Sphere

    The Solomani Sphere, the region within 50 parsecs of Sol has, for centuries, been “culturally Solomani”. For centuries, the Imperium allowed a large amount of self-rule for the systems in the “Solomani Autonomous Region”. Until the Rim War, the Autonomous Region paid governmental lip service to the Emperor and the Third Imperium. Paying Imperial Taxes and permitting routine Imperial operations without hassle.

    SolSec was able to take advantage of this, promoting the Solomani Sphere as a ethnic and cultural state through the mechanism of Alithea. Of course, Alithea is careful not to cross over into treasonous rhetoric when promoting the Solomani Sphere as a region, nor endorse the Solomani Supremacy Movement in the Imperial Occupation. Still, the promise of a “Solomani Sphere” is very popular among the people in the Sectors of the former Autonomous Zone. Alithea’s support of this interpretation of history takes advantage of this popularity. In the sectors where Alithea is active, the Solomani Cause is very sympathetic among the citizens (at least the human citizens, it’s doubtful that Hivers subscribe to “Solomani Humaniti are the destined masters of the Galaxy”)

    How Alithea Functions

    With the speed of news limited to the speed of mail ships, it’s not possible to manage every system from the Alithea Headquarters in Iusea. Even communication between Alithea HQ and the Confederation Capital takes nearly 30 weeks. Alithea breaks down it’s editorial voice into broad strokes, allowing local stations broad control of the journalism and investigations they provide to their audience.

    • Alithea Headquarters
      • The central HQ of the megacorporation in Iusea system, Iusea Subsector, Diaspora Sector. From here, Alithea sets it’s editorial agenda from secret instructions received from SolSec on Home.
    • Sector Offices
      • Each of the Sectors that Alithea operates in have offices that manage editorial content for the sectors they cover
        • Diaspora – Iusea System
        • Solomani Rim – Jael System
          • The systems in Magyar Subsectors Voyage and Swan and the systems in Alpha Crucis Subsectors Orichalc and Denebola are under the direction of the Solomani Rim Sector Office
        • Diabei – Mgg System
          • The systems in Magyar Subsectors Clown and Anise are under the direction of the Diabei Sector Office
        • Old Expanses – Hindahl System
    • Subsector Stations
      • These offices have a more direct editorial control over the local offices, assigning reporters to stories of interest, or commissioning editorial opinions and essays.
    • Local Affiliates
      • In systems with a population of 6 or greater (millions of inhabitants) and a Tech Level of 5 Alithea maintains local affiliate stations.
        • Alithea supports it’s local affiliate stations to the limits of the systems ability to bear. For example, a TL 5 system can’t support a world-wide consumer computer or satellite network, but it can support AM band radio broadcasts so the Alithea affiliates enjoy the best broadcast equipment for transmission, and TL 14 infrastructure.
      • In systems with a Balkanized government Althea maintains a Local station in each of the balkanized states.

    Stories that weren’t time sensitive are sent up the network to Headquarters and distributed out from there (after approval and possible spinning by SolSec.)

    Alithea’s Editorial Voice

    Alithea is active in the Occupation Region for a primary purpose. Prepare the region for “liberation” by the Solomani Confederation and thus restoring the Solomani Sphere. To this purpose, Alithea promotes stories that feature confirmation of the Solomani Hypothesis, and the Solomani Cause.

    A more clandestine purpose is to foster the development and communication with sleeper cells of SolSec. This network of sleepers were preparing the civilian population to collaborate with Confederation forces in the event they take control of their system. In some cases, the network of sleepers would conduct sabotage, espionage, and guerilla operations in support of a Confederation invasion.

    The propaganda spread works to normalize the Solomani Calendar (especially in historical documentaries, pre-third Imperium events are dated in A.D.). Furthermore, news stories featuring Noble decadence and corruption are enhanced and spread throughout the Occupied Region. Dates are sometimes “adjusted” or ignored to preserve the immediacy of scandals. In addition to scandals, Alithea also gives attention to a steady stream of conspiracy theories and stereotypes of non-Solomani humaniti.

    Finally, Alithea affiliates advertised services and products that supported the propaganda and editorial direction. The products and services were presented to appeal to the target audiences. While still working within the boundaries of local system law levels, there was a definite “disaster preparation, personal defense, and ancestry exploration” (which almost always returned results heavily weighted toward Solomani ethnicity). Of course few of these products and services were lucrative advertisers, but the investment companies that laundered SolSec funds more than made up for any lack of operations budgets.

    The Rebellion War

    Emperor Strephon’s assassination in 1116 3i was the event that SolSec had been waiting for. Alithea had been very successful in it’s mission, which was evidenced by the Confederation’s rapid advances in the Solomani Rim, Old Expanses and Magyar, closing like a vice towards Diaspora. However, as the Rebellion War ground on, with multiple factions splintering off and pressing claims for territory, the early gains stagnated. By 1121 3i, the war had ground to a halt. Worse, the Confederation had exhausted nearly all of it’s resources in wars in the Occupation region.

    As the Hard Times dawned in 1125, the collapse of Interstellar commerce and trade had all but bankrupted Alithea as a corporation. Without SolSec funding, Alithea was incapable of enduring the Imperial Collapse. At the same time, the media companies developed, were robust enough to reform into regional networks. However, without Alithea, or SolSec, these regional networks no longer present a coorinated propaganda message and many dissolved into the mouthpiece for warlords and pocket emperors.

  • Diggy out the Hole

    Diggy out the Hole

    The Rise an fall of Klaarg Tordenzme

    Dwarves in fantasy roleplaying, especially in the modern sense, have become stereotypes. Loosely based on Gimli from Lord of the Rings, it’s a common shorthand, found in several fantasy settings beyond Middle Earth. Dwarves are short, bearded, stocky, gruff, capable of holding grudges across generations, masterful artisans and miners. Some sources describe Dwarven women as having beards, (like Xindi and Xandi on the masthead), others describe Dwarven women as lacking facial hair (like Disa from Rings of Power) and often Scottish coded. Part of this image is Dwarves living in extensive Clans.

    So widespread is this stereotype is that it’s common parlance. When the GM mentions a character is a Dwarf, the players will most often draw up powerful mental images of that character based on the previous description. While this “short”-hand is useful (see what I did there?), it can lead to confusion at the table as players make assumption about their Dwarven companions.

    Dwarves in the Dezzyverse

    In my campaigns I “reskin” dwarves just to shake up player assumptions. This is mostly just retitleing the names of dwarven things. I prefer to use the terms a people would use for themselves, as opposed to the terms that others would use for them. In the case of my campaigns, they call themselves Svakk as a people. (Indeed, calling them “Dwarf” might start a brawl) Though the Svakk refer to themselves most commonly by the name of their Klaarg (which is their word for “clan”). “Xandi of Klaarg Tordenzme” for example. The languages of the Svakk are collectively called Klaargspek, though like their cultural identities, most Svakk refer to their languages by the name of their Klaarg. “Tordenzme Klaargspek” or “Sohnrodt Klaargspek”.

    Even divided among dozens of distinct Klaarg, the Svakk people are tightly bound together, Klaargspek is understood even through different dialects spoken in different Klaarg. Klaargspek also shares a single runic alphabet, the Vaalbek.

    The Doom of Klaarg Tordenzme

    Once, Klaarg Tordenzme stood among the strongest and most wealthy Klaarg among the Svakk. Indeed, the grasp of Klaarg Tordenzme had stretched beyond the halls and citadels of the mountain realms, Tordenzme was a force within the kingdoms and empires throughout the lands, from sea to ocean. The heart of this mighty realm was their city of Dohrgraign. Deepest of the delves beneath the mountains, in this age, Dohrgraign was was the only city to make peaceful contact with the dark realms of the Underworld.

    Exotic and expensive trade passed through Dohrgraign, under the leadership of Theigns from Klaarg Tordenzme. Roads from the farthest realms stretched to the Grand Gate that led deep into the Underworld, a league-and-a-half below the surface world to the City of Dohrgraign. For centuries Klaarg Tordenzme stood among the greatest of these ancient empires.

    Then came the Doom of the Tordemzme, a prophecy delviered to Klarg Tordenzme that was defied, causing catastrophe. Over nine years of what the chronicles named “The Fall of Dohrgraign”, the city suffered endless misfortunes that resulted, finally in the gates being sealed from the outside world. Few detailed records survived the Fall and in the eight centuries after the Sealing, the city itself was lost to memory, fading into myth, a distant curse and reason to shun the descendants of Klaarg Tordenzme.

    Eight hundred years ago, during the reign of Theign Haaldbarg, a mysterious prophet known as the Black Vizier was recieved at court. The hooded and robed figure did not bow, nor show deference to Theign Halldbarg, speaking directly and openly their warning.

    “Trespass no further into the dark below the stone on which your thy city stands. Else the greed of Klaarg Tordenzme will become Dohrgraign’s downfall.”

    Insulted, Theign Haaldbarg ordered the Black Vizier thrown in chains. Yet, when the guards attempted to seize them, the Black Vizier vanished with a clap of thunder that felled all within two or three strides of the figure.

    Afterwards, the Black Vizier appeared again and again, and always delivering disaster where it stood. It is difficult to tell exactly when Theign Haaldbarg sealed the city, but there was one last evacuation towards the surface. History records that a foul miasma had arisen from the Wyrmansklovt and spread throughout the city, bringing horror and death. What few citizens of Dohrgraign still remained were commanded to flee to the surface.

    It was following this last escape from the Underworld that the tunnels connecting Dohrgraign to the surface collapsed. In the centuries which followed, the city that grew around the Grand Gate withered and fell into ruin and Dohrgraign was ultimately lost.

    The Doom of Klaarg Tordenzme was used by the klaargs for centuries as a warning against hubris. The few Tordenzme communities that survived the Doom have been marginalized by other klaargs as “cursed” based on this myth.

    The Year of Rage

    In the “current” year of my D&D campaign, it has been roughly ten years since the events detailed in the published adventure Out of the Abyss. With the incursion of demons, a small struggle between the Demon Prince of Undeath and the Patron Deity of Dohrgraign, the Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain has caused lost passages to open once more as demons and the holy dead battled one another.

    The Year of Rage also corrupted the ambient magic of the Underworld. Mortals adventuring in the ruins of Dohrgraign risk Torment and corruption. The cursed city drew the Demon Prince to it. Dohrgraign had been a tomb for eight hundred years by the time the Year of Rage brought demons into the Underworld. The Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain was not only the God of hidden treasures and secret knowledge but he is the Keeper of the Dead. Dohrgraign is one of his holy places under the mountain, and after eight centuries, it has become a secret as well.

    The Crossroads of the Underworld

    Dohrgraign was not a naturally occurring space. It was carved from the stone of the underworld by Klaarg Tordenzme over centuries. Following the seams and veins of ore, the Tordenzme miners uncovered the passages and caverns used by the civilizations below the surface. The closest of these caverns became the Gatehouse of Dohrgraign, another nearby cavern (a much larger cavern) would develop into the settlement known as Genzhymyl.

    In the present day, Genzhymyl has grown into a thriving trading center. It is independent from the competing realms in this region of the Underworld, The Empire of Llolth, the Azhgov Clan, and the various Goblinoid, Kuo-Toa, and Orcish communities that have settled in this area over the past several centuries. With the newly unblocked passages, Dohrgraign is once again able to be discovered.

  • Where Were You When…

    Where Were You When…

    Using Setting Events in Life Path Character Generation

    Many of my favorite Role Playing Games feature a Life Path character creation mechanic. I dig this because it creates characters with a backstory that is determined from the dice. It also results in a variety of character ages. Of course, this works best in games and settings where the adventurers experience moderate advancement over their careers. In games where experienced characters are exponentially more capable than beginning characters (like Dungeons and Dragons (as the most prominent example), having a variety of starting capabilities results in the most powerful characters pushing the least experienced characters (and their players) out of the spotlight.

    Emergent Storytelling

    At it’s core, Life Path character generation creates characters with personal milestones in their life. Most games also encourage players to develop connections between their characters, developing relationships before play begins. So instead of a group of strangers meeting around the table of a local tavern, it’s a crew of friends, acquaintances and allies being called together. All the characters have connections with at least one other character and can speak up for another. The characters aren’t risking their lives and fortunes for strangers, but for buddies.

    This style of character gen also develops NPCs as background Allies, Enemies, Rivals and Contacts shared by more than one character. So when the Evil Ninja Clan shows up to collect on one character’s debt, a second character might have some influence with the Evil Ninjas, or a third character hates the Evil Ninja Clan for killing their childhood pet, etc. Ex-romantic partners could be shared among characters. Because this is all determined by dice rolls compared to a chart, the GM can tailor some direction of their setting by altering the Life-Path charts.

    Events in the Setting

    In many published campaigns, there is lore that too often fades into the background. Life Path character generation can help to give those lore events context. Maybe no one was directly involved when the Fire Nation invaded 12 years ago. But all characters were alive then, and probably remember when and where they were when that happened. Maybe the old veteran was in one of those early battles, maybe the brash young kid was only 7 years old and had to flee with their family. Point is, there is an event fixed in history, and it’s a big enough event that everyone knows where they where when they learned about it.

    This helps to make the setting feel alive. Things happen and your characters experienced them. Or their families were affected by them. Incorporating history in the Life Path, gives everyone a shared touchstone and brings the players into the setting. Their characters become part of the campaign’s fabric. their histories meshing with the history of the campaign.

    Counting Backwards

    The nature of Life-Path character gen (at least in Traveller’s long history of editions) usually results in a twelve-to-sixteen year character background broken into four year terms. The Life-Path starts at age of majority (usually 18) and moves forward term-by-term. This forward progression builds an intuitive history for the character. Second Term follows First Term and the events of the first term affects the various die modifiers of the second. However, due to the randomized nature of the character generation process, it is not possible to predict with complete certainty how many years or terms a life-path will last before the character is mustered out and begins their career as an Adventurer.

    Game Masters should establish the starting in world date of the campaign. That serves as present day, and its only during the wrap up phase that players can map their character’s life path onto the history of the setting. As explored in O God, Thy Sea is so Great, news in settings that lack direct Faster than Light travel, will take weeks and months to spread out through interstellar polities.

    One of my favorite sector maps in Traveller. It graphically illustrates how news travels through the Imperium

    The above map depicts how the news of Emperor Strephon’s assassination spread through the Imperium along X-Boat routes and priority Jump-6 courier routes. It is a great example of what a civilization-wide event looks like in a setting the size of Traveller’s Charted Space.

    Not All Setting Events Spread This Far

    Which also shows something important. Not every important event is earth-shaking like the assassination of the Emperor of the Third Imperium. There are plenty of potential events that are important regionally, but not universally. These can also, when incorporated into a campaign and character generation, help to define a character’s life-path.

    Consider a localized event, say a recent supernova of a star. It could even have led to the destruction of an inhabited system. The result is hundreds of millions, or billions of refugees spreading to nearby systems and the sudden pressure of a refugee crisis in those systems. The evidence of that event, that is, the electromagnetic eruption caused by a supernova still only spreads at the speed of light. So it would still take 3.26 years for the nova to spread to the nearest parsecs. Roughly one Traveller Term.

    In those four years, the stress on the surrounding subsector, would be evident, but beyond the sector, it would still take decades for the crisis to become anything more than a JoTAS story. Maybe a reclassification of Amber or Red Zones. Characters whose homeworlds are in the local region would definitely have the event featured. Characters from outside the region wouldn’t. And as a result, the scope of the setting can be enhanced.

    Of Course This All Fills a Session Zero to Overflowing

    Life-Path character generation’s biggest drawback is the amount of time necessary to create a character. Especially when creating a group of characters. Going through multiple terms, rolling for skill advancements and Events simply eats up time at the table. Adding another layer where the GM offers Lore details that might be at best, optional, can easily extend a Session Zero to second Session Zero point Five.

    Which is a delay to playing the campaign, ya know, the point of creating all these characters in the first place. So, add campaign lore events to Session Zero only as much as is fun for everyone. What you want, as a GM and a Player, is to generate excitement and anticipation. When the exercise becomes tedious and boring, it’s time to wrap up character generation and start adventuring among the stars!

  • Mysteries of the Mind

    Mysteries of the Mind

    Psionic Potential Among Sentients

    In Traveller, there are mechanics for characters to realize Psionic Abilities. As a phenomenon, Psionics are widespread in charted space. It’s pretty safe to deduce that unless psionic abilities are specifically defined as being absent with a given species, at least some portion of the population has psionic potential. Still, with the exception of the Ancients (who are not around in the setting), the Droyne (who are what the surviving Ancients became over the last 300,000 years), and the Zhodani (who the Ancients kept as “pets” the longest, do we see a pattern?), Psionics are rare.

    Because Psionics are rare, they’re often misunderstood by society at large, and feared. We’ll get further into this later on, but except for the Zhodani Consulate, and a handful of minor pocket empires, Psionics are actively suppressed in most every polity in Charted space.

    Mechanically, during character creation, it is very rare for a player to make a character with these abilities. In Traveller, the events necessary that gives the player an option to develop their character’s Psionic Potential are rare enough, that most often, the dice are “massaged” to make it practical to develop a psionic character. Because of this, Psionics are often ignored in most Traveller campaigns, except in instances when it is in the hands of the antagonists.

    The other factor that works against the wider popularity with Psionics is how relatively weak they start, and how long it takes for them to develop into reliable, powerful abilities. As mentioned, just getting Psionics is difficult in the first place. When a player does get an opportunity to add Psionics to their character, they have to pursue their character’s training through character generation. Otherwise the character’s abilities are often not worth the resources needed to use them.

    Psionic Mechanics

    To use a character’s Psionic abilities, the character needs to spend time to activate an ability. This can be somewhat complicated and variable, Psionic abilities count as a Significant action so long as it takes less than six seconds to activate. If it takes more than six seconds, the ability will take multiple combat rounds, counted in multiples of six seconds (a psionic ability that takes 1d6 x 10 seconds will take 4 combat rounds if only a 2 is rolled (20 seconds / 6 seconds per round = 3 rounds + 2 seconds, activating on the 4th combat round), spend a resource (the Psionic points cost) and make a Psionic skill roll. During play, this combines to making a player commit a lot of effort into using their character’s Psionic powers without any guarantee of success. If the attempt fails, the player has essentially wasted up to several rounds, their psionic resources and added the natural disappointment of failing a skill check.

    Compared to simply making a mundane attack or performing a simple skill check, Psionics are inefficient and suboptimal options. Worse, the Player is losing a lot of spotlight just to do attempt a single act while other characters enjoy multiple combat rounds of attempts to take the spotlight.

    Psionics in the Traveller Universe are Secondary.

    Psionic characters, even Zhodani, aren’t “Jedi Knights”, they don’t walk into firefights with a lazer sword and deflect incoming fire back into the enemy. They don’t tear capital ships out of orbit, crush armored vehicles or see the future unfold like a movie. Traveller isn’t that sort of environment and Psionics aren’t a stand-in for “spellcaster class”.

    This means Psionic characters need to cultivate some non-psionic skills to function in the game as a well-rounded character. Psionics, because they use a Psionics Skill Check, often at high Difficulties, are unreliable. Most abilities are best used outside of combat situations, either as pre-combat buffs, or as out-of combat abilities. Taking 1d6 x 10 seconds out of combat to activate an ability is much less intrusive than 5 rounds in combat for a trick that will likely fail half-the-time.

    Fortunately, this applies to NPCs and Antagonists as well, even the dreaded Zhodani Thought Police aren’t face-melting, teleporting bogeymen who can kill with little more than a thought. Even the most powerful psionic antagonist with a dose of Special Psi Drug on board, has a limited number of Psionic Strength Points. Even with a high Psionic skill, they still need to make an activation roll most of the time. The time requirements don’t change. Attack abilities like Assault still only affect one person at a time, and Teleportation is still limited by elevation and distance.

    Even the guy in Black Zhodani Noble Battle Dress with a TL 16 Psi Blade (an elegant weapon from a more civilized age) isn’t the same as our favorite Dark Lord of the Sith (though, Citizens of the Imperium stats up a convincing facsimile of that dude). Even a Psionic Master so equipped will be in a whole world of ouch once shot with a PGHP-13 and the attacker rolls a 5 on the DD Dice (that’s 50 points of damage, enough to burn through the Armor Value of 27 and still have 23 points of damage incoming into the Dark Lord’s tender fleshy bits.

    Psionics Institutes and the Hard Times

    Ever since the Psionics Suppressions of 800 – 820 3i, the Psionics Institutes of the Third Imperium had been forced underground, hiding in the High Population worlds where the volume and speed of life served to mask the Institutes’ various cells. The biggest threat to the Institutes during the period following the Psionics Suppressions have been the Third, Fourth and Fifth Frontier Wars against the Zhodani Consulate.

    The inevitable propaganda that comes with war, even war at the edge of Empire vilifies “the enemy” and their strengths. In the case of the Zhodani, this strength was Psionics. The same strategies to defend against insurrection and espionage from the Zhodani Consulate proved effective against uncovering the cells of the Psionics Institutes. Worse, for the Institutes, war propaganda spreads much further than the theater of conflict and a century of wars against the Zhodani rooted anti-psionic worries deep in the Imperial bureaucracy.

    At the outbreak of the Rebellion War, only six years after the armistice that ended the Fifth Frontier War, many of the earliest conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Emperor Strephon orbited around “mind control”. Zhodani plots, secret societies of telepaths, Dulinor himself being a secret psionic master, the “psionic illuminati”, and the list goes on. All of these theories enflame paranoia and fear against anyone who demonstrates, or are accused of demonstrating psionic abilities. Only the relative chaos of the Rebellion War prevented a second Psionics Suppression under Emperor Lucan (though, in the core of Lucan’s faction, the paranoid Emperor pursued endless programs of oppression of any number of perceived enemies and traitors).

    By the beginning of the Hard Times in 1125 3i, The Black War period had both created swathes of territory beyond the reach of a faction’s core, and decimated the High Population worlds where the Psionics Institutes had endured for so long. The Institutes and the communities they educated were caught between witch-hunts by majority populations traumatized by war and the sudden freedom to operate more openly than they were allowed to for centuries. The result was a patchwork of disconnected psionic communities isolated on islands of civilization.

    Some of these communities enjoyed a mutually beneficial arrangement with the non-psionic population, a symbiotic relationship where the gifts of the mind often meant the difference between which side of the survival margin the world would fall. Other communities succumbed to paranoia and fear, driving out anyone suspected of psionic ability or training like witches from antiquity, complete with inquisitions and executions. Yet other communities found themselves vulnerable to the predations of psionically empowered tyrants who used their gifts to elevate themselves into a psionic dictatorship. Like most of the worlds suffering through the Hard Times, each new system presented new problems and opportunities for Travellers.

  • Only Human

    Only Human

    Electric Head, Cannibal Core, the Television Said..

    Most Tabletop Roleplaying Games feature humans as the dominant species in the setting. The reasoning is straightforward, Players, being humans themselves, can most easily identify with their characters when they are human as well. It also saves on lore-overload. With humans, whether they’re from Earth, Corellia, Rigel IV, or Vland do not require an essay explaining what they are. Roll up a character, and get playing, no need to wonder about why your Vulcan has green blood, or your Wookie looks suspiciously like Bigfoot. Also, with a human-centric setting, all the gear is easily designed and described. No trying to explain the kinesthetics of a laser rifle made for Hivers when your lasgun looks pretty much like the rifles and carbines that exist today on the real world.

    A group of Hivers suited up and packin’ Hiver-heat!

    Impact of a Human Universe

    Human centered universes are scaled and designed to be convenient for humans. If Humans are the default species, the habitats and furnishings are familiar. Even if it’s a “space-chair” that floats it’s a chair that is designed for bipedal mammals with arms, legs, feet and hands. No need to slow the game down describing it and making the player describe how their character takes a seat. Buildings and vehicles are scaled for 1.75 meter tall 68 kg operators and passengers. Computers are designed with keyboards for manipulative digits and the ability to communicate through voice. Doorknobs are made for people with opposable thumbs.

    It’s why most of the aliens in Star Trek and Star Wars are near-human. Even Wookies, at 2.2 meters tall are human enough to pilot a YT-1300 Stock Light Freighter. All of the bumpy headed aliens of the Star Trek Universe are compatible enough that a member of one species can be disguised as a member of one of the other species. Of course, the practical reason for this is that the actors are themselves humans and it’s cheaper and more practical to throw a rubber mask on and spirit-gum some extra hair and be an alien on screen. Just look at what was needed in Return of the Jedi to operate and act Jabba the Hutt. Poor guy only got to leave his couch of perpetual indulgence after the Special Editions were released and computer graphics could be used to let the big ‘ol slug slither around Mos Eisley.

    It’s fun to speculate what a Hutt civilization, or a Tholian civilization would be like. It’s a nice place to visit as a role-player. Stepping out of the familiar into the alien, is a fun exercise, but not something many players would want to deal with week in and week out for the length of a long campaign. Being unable to pass through a door because it’s scaled for a Jawa is a challenge, Not being able to pass through ALL the doors in the city because it’s all scaled for Jawas is just tedious.

    There is Infinite Diversity in the Human Condition

    The danger of the default-human setting is that everyone starts to look, sound and act like the culture the players and game masters live in. Even a setting that presents itself as highly diverse, like Star Trek is mostly causation, especially in The Original Series. If the game master isn’t careful, the distant world of Efate can start to feel like Los Angeles, or Dallas or Tampa Bay.

    The contrasting issue is also a danger. It’s all to easy to lean on stereotypes of “exotic” human cultures. Every desert planet starts to feel like Algeria or Egypt. The primitive worlds start to look a lot like aboriginal and tribal cultures as portrayed in the pulps. As GMs I’m not saying that every world needs to have a unique culture with roots going back centuries. But if you’re designing the next world the PCs are visiting, recognize when you’re shortcutting the humans that live there as someone else’s real culture. If you spend the time to look at your setting elements, you’ll also find it really easy to change the people of the place enough to make them unique without diving into worn out stereotypes.

    Humans are highly adaptable, and as a species, we can make tools to survive in every climate imaginable, including space. Over the course of generations, populations of humans living in different climates will evolve physical characteristics that help them survive in the climate where they live. Furthermore, the humans that have evolved in one climate are able to have children with other humans from other climates and the genetic mix gives humanity a near infinite variety. You can use this for your player characters and your npcs in a campaign. It’s easy for a band of eight characters to be visually and culturally unique from one character to the next.

    More Human Than Human

    with apologies to Rob Zombie

    There has been an unfortunate standard set in tabletop role playing games over the decades of making humans the “default” species, and as such not giving them bonus or disadvantageous abilities or modifiers. Humans are characters that were played as rolled. Which, while balanced, didn’t excite players. Especially when other species could see in low light, or have superhuman agility or strength or inherent weapons like claws or fangs.

    But this really doesn’t need to be true. Humans have adapted several exceptional abilities based on their environments. People from high altitudes have developed expanded lung capacities and efficient oxygen consumption, people from cold climates have evolved heavy bodily hair, people from climates that experience excessive exposure to sunlight develop elevated melanin deposits in their skin. The list goes on and on.

    Game balance is a bit over-rated. Character abilities do not need to be a zero-sum balance. Depending on a character’s origins, it could be justifiable for human characters to have resistance to environmental toxins, or radiation, or prehensile lower extremities. Even tails. Just look at science fiction. Humans have a broad variety of almost superhuman abilities and crippling vulnerabilities. A people who evolve in orbital freefall might have exceptionally long limbs, flexibility and dexterity, but suffer incredibly under 1G pressures. People who evolve on distant dark worlds may develop the ability to see deeper into the infrared spectrum but become colorblind.

    Cat-Girls and Dog-Faced Boys

    Body modification is commonplace in several science fiction settings, for that matter, body modification is pretty common in the modern world. Human characters can begin game play modified to present as aliens, anthropomorphic animals, or any other unique combination. With enough cyberware, aesthetic surgeries, or biochemical therapies, a character’s identity can have infinite diversity.

    Again, most of this is cosmetic, but in some cases, being a modified human character can come with some abilities or modifiers, as mentioned above. Players and GMs can use some of the alien species from published settings. Aslan and Vargr from Traveller, Lyrans, Kzinti and Gorn from Star Trek, and the Lepi from Star Wars as guidance for what benefits or modifiers a character might employ on their character sheet.

    Jaxxon, the Green Space Bunny and acquaintance of Han Solo

    Humaniti in Traveller

    In the 3rd Imperium of Traveller, humans are the majority species. Humaniti is so widespread in Traveller that there are 3 branches of humans that would be conisdered “Major Species”. Two of these species, the Vilani and the Zhodani are humans originally from Earth. 300,000 years earlier an advanced alien empire, the Ancients abducted groups of humans from Earth and brought those humans with them as they traveled among the stars. They seeded two human colonies in systems favorable to human development, Vland (where the Vilani evolved) and Zhodane (where the Zhodani evolved). The Ancients had also taken other species from Earth (and other planets, the Ancients were not shy about seeding forms of life on different planets just to see what happens) which in the case of Terran wolves, is where the Vargr originated). The humans who were left on Earth, evolved into the Solomani.

    In the current era of My Traveller Universe (3i 1125, the beginning of the Hard Times) the 3rd Imperium has Solomani populations towards the rimward sectors, Vilani populations towards the coreward sectors, and the majority of the Imperium is populated by people of mixed Vilani-Solomani ancestry. The Zhodani, being the people of a rival Empire are rare as Imperial Citizens, but in the spinward and coreward sectors (“behind the claw”) Vilani-Solomani-Zhodani ancestries are uncommon, but not unheard of.

    What does this mean? In this case this is an clear indication that humans are one species with several sub-species. The distinctions of Vilani, Solomani, Zhodani, and any of the hundreds of minor sub-species of humaniti are cultural and ethnic at best. For most characters, “human imperial citizen” commonly refers to the Solomani-Vilani ancestry, but there is nothing stopping a player from describing their human character having an ancestry that is regionally distinctive.

    As mentioned, several ancestries of the human species have developed interstellar empires, and have distinctive cultures and subcultures. The Traveller source material, especially the Alien Modules can provide deep dives into the three major cultures, Solomani, Vilani, and Zhodani. Vilani and Solomani cultures have blended over centuries into the society that is described in the 3rd Imperium. At the Rimward border of the Imperium, the Solomani have carved out what could be described as a Solomani ethno-state.

    The Solomani Sphere

    In the long history of Traveller, one of the pivotal events was the Solomani Rim War (3i 990 – 1002). In this conflict, the 3rd Imperium attempted to reassert authority over the worlds of the “Solomani Autonomous Region”. The war resulted in a contested victory for the 3rd Imperium when the Sol system was conquered. The Solomani Confederaion was unable to retake the homeworld of humaniti, and the 3rd Imperium was eager to bring an end to the war by 3i 1002. For the next 114 years, the occupied worlds of Diabei, Diaspora, the Old Expanses and the Solomani Rim were a powder-keg of ethnic conflict.

    The Solomani Confederation, previously the Solomani Sphere is distinct from the 3rd Imperium. Like most interstellar empires, the Solomani Confederation does not have a single cultural expression, but it does have a common, shared mythology. The Solomani Hypothesis, that theorises (with strong evidence in support) humaniti developed and evolved on Terra (Earth) first, and was spread into the stars first by the Ancients and then by their own technology.

    The term”Solomani” gets overused in the Confederation. One major reason stems from the Solomani Hypothesis; because humaniti originated on Earth, the Solomani are the original humans and are thus superior to all other branched species of humaniti. The Solomani Party is the political organization that governs the Confederation. The Solomani Cause is the political strategy that promotes Solomani humans outside of the Confederation. The Solomani Cause has also been the rallying point surrounding the “liberation” of Terra from the 3rd Imperium and further restoring the Solomani Sphere to it’s pre-3i 990 extents. The Solomani Movement is the Cause as a factor in politics outside the Confederation.

    Aren’t the Solomani the Bad Guys?

    It’s somewhat of a debate in the Traveller community as to whether or not the Solomani Confederation are the “bad guys” of the Rim. The veneration of the Solomani Hypothesis and the Solomani Cause gives some “supremacist” overtones, or at the very least a classist society with Solomani Humans in the position of privilege. The Solomani Party being the dominant political faction (indeed, the only legal faction) within the Solomani Confederation leans hard towards authoritarian govenrments with some really bad associations throughout history.

    It’s been pointed out that the Solomani Confederation isn’t monolithic, in the same way as the Emperor isn’t a monolith in the Third Imperium, the Hive Federation, or the 29 Clans in the Aslan Hierate are monolithic for those empire. The Solomani Confederation covers about six sectors, and contains about 2,000 inhabited systems. If you think about the current diversity of cultures, ethnicities and governmental bodies in our one star system, the idea that the Solomani Party holds and iron-fisted grip on society throughout the Solomani Confederation is farcical. Even if a given Traveller campaign portrays the Solomani Party as oppressive, it’s not the Empire from Star Wars, or the Mirror Universe Terran Empire of Star Trek. Remember the distances involved and times to send communications from one system to another that we explored in this blog.

    The Solomani of the Confederation aren’t jackbooted thugs checking for “genetic purity” at ubiquitous checkpoints. The Solomani Confederation, like all the major empires of Traveller is best described as a “tribe”. It’s a nationalistic tribe that promotes the Solomani Cause, but that’s not much different than the 3rd Imperium promotion the Emperor, or the Zhodani Consulate promoting Zhodani Psionic Society. They’re not “supremacist” but their cultures promote their own Empires.

    In My Traveller Universe, the Solomani Confederation are antagonists, at least in the rimward areas of Diaspora sector. In the Rebellion War, the Solomani Confederation launched the “Second War of Solomani Liberation” to liberate the Sol system, and reclaim the systems of the Solomani Sphere. The Imperial Occupied Region covers the four rimward subsectors of Diaspora sector, ,as well as the majority of the Solomani Rim sector. The further rimward in Diaspora one goes, the more Solomani Confederation operations one will encounter.

    During the Hard Times, in Diaspora, the Occupied Subsectors are aligning much closer to the Solomani Confederation. The vision of a re-established Solomani Sphere is clearer than it’s been in a century. The Solomani Confederation has not suffered nearly as badly as Lucan’s 3rd Imperium and the stability offered by the Confederation Navy has helped these systems weather the Black War and the Imperial Decline. It’s not an example of the Evil Empire winning, it’s an example of how a portion of the vast 3rd Imperium is keeping back a second Long Night.

  • You Got Battletech in my Traveller!

    You Got Battletech in my Traveller!

    No, you got Traveller in my Battletech!

    Two of my favorite games over my long gaming career are Traveller and Battletech. I’ve been playing both for over 40 years. Since I’ve recently moved to a new city, on a new coast of the US, and The 50th Anniversarry of Traveller is right-around-the corner. I’m starting a new campaign. With Battletech enjoying a renaissance, I’ve been throwing a healthy amount of Big Stompy Robots in my Science Fiction Adventure in the Far Future.

    The setting for this campaign leans more toward the Third Imperium than the Inner Sphere. Specifically my favorite era in Traveller’s Third Imperium, the Hard Times. I talked a bit about this back in June. The elevator pitch is, the Hard Times are a relatively brief period in the Third Imperium that takes place at the end of the Rebellion War. Technology and society are skidding towards a second Long Night in the Shattered Imperium of Megatraveller.

    How These Lego Bricks Fit Together

    Battletech’s setting features giant, piloted robot war machines called Battlemechs. They run between 20 and 100 metric tons and are powered by big fusion engines. They’re a lot more on the “space-fantasy” side of science fiction, but there’s a heavy layer of gritty over them. Sort of like Star Trek, there’s a whole glossary of technobabble that sounds enough like engineering and “science!”

    In Traveller terms, Battlemechs become practical around Tech Level (TL) 10. Fusion Power is practical here, which makes powering these war machines possible. The Inner Sphere setting ranges from a rough TL 10 or 11 in the classic Battletech era (between 3025 to 3062) to TL 12 at the height of the Star League (2750). The Clans were around the high end of TL12 and entering TL 13 so far as their engineering went, though the cluster of worlds from where they were exiled didn’t have the resources to fully exploit that level of development. Battlemechs as a practical war vehicle phases out by the time a civilization reaches TL 14, which is where fusion technology reaches it’s technological limits and more exotic power sources become commonplace.

    The average Tech Level of the Third Imperium during the Megatraveller Setting (Imperial Year 1116) was TL 12 with the maximum TL at 15 (and a couple of places like the Darrian Confederation boasting TL 16). The Hard Times sourcebook for Megatraveller goes into detail about how the average Tech Level of the Third Imperium slides backwards. Which is a great parallel to the decline experienced by the Inner Sphere through their many Succession Wars.

    Hey, Why Not Just Use the Battletech RPG Books?

    There’s nothing wrong with Mechwarrior 1st edition, 2nd edition and Catalyst Games’ A Time of War, and Destiny games. I’ve run and played them (except Destiny) over the years, but my preference and love stays with Traveller. I’ve internalized the system a lot deeper than I have the Battletech systems (which is saying a lot, because I’ve internalized Battletech down to my frakkin’ bones!) For me, it’s the life-path character generation system in Traveller. I also talk about it in more detail in this essay, long story short, Traveller Character Generation tells a story through the dice better than using a point-buy system or laying templates over one another. Rolling up a Traveller almost always has a surprise in the character that makes it exciting to play on Session 1.

    I also think in Traveller. The terminology comes more naturally to me, as we’ll explore shortly. As mentioned above, I have a good feel for where Battletech fits in the Traveller Universe, and it takes more work to fit Traveller in the Battletech universe. Advice to the new GMs out there, don’t be afraid to lean on what you know, running role-playing-games can be hard, no need to make it harder on yourself.

    Some Broad Strokes

    I’ll be using Traveller for character generation, setting info, personal combat and most space combat. I’ll be breaking out the hex-maps and Battletech Minis for vehicular combat. Both systems are 2d6 based, and the systems are pretty compatible. There are some fuzzy conflicts when dealing with Traveller small space ship combat vs Battletech’s Aerospace system, but I don’t think they’re insurmountable. Also, the Hard Times campaign isn’t about dogfights at the edge of atmosphere in a gravity well. The backdrop of War is context for the adventure.

    Most of the time, the Traveller skill system is used rules-as-written. However, when on the Battletech or Aerospace battlemap, the system will switch over to Battletech: Total War with the following modification:

    • Base Battletech Piloting is calculated using the character’s skill in Traveller Drive (Battlemech)
    • Base Battletech Gunnery is calculated using the character’s skill in Traveller Heavy Weapons (Battlemech)
    • Base Aerospace Piloting is calculated using the character’s skill in Traveller Pilot (Aerospace)
    • Base Aerospace Gunnery is calculated using the character’s skill in Traveller Gunnery (Aerospace)
      • Battletech and Aerospace Piloting skill starts at 5. This is equal to Traveller Skill at Level 0 (without any Characteristic bonuses)
      • Battletech and Aerospace Gunnery skill starts at 4. This is equal to Traveller Skill at Level 0 (without any Characteristic Bonuses)
    • For every Traveller Skill level gained, the corresponding Battletech/ Aerospace skill goes down by 1.
      • Example: A character with Traveller Skill Drive (Battlemech) 2, when moving over to the Battletech combat map, will have a Battletech Piloting skill at 3. (Base Battletech skill 5 – Traveller skill level 2 = 3.
    • This can also be reversed when adapting the NPCs in a Battletech scenario to Traveller.
      • Mechwarrior Mungo Bogsbane has Battletech Piloting 4 and Gunnery 2. His Traveller skills are Drive (Battlemech) 1 and Heavy Weapons (Battlemech) 2.
    • The Traveller Skill Jack of All Trades deserves special mention. Skill Levels in Jack of All Trades offset the penalties for trying skills without having at least Level 0 in the relevant skill. The full rules can be found in the Traveller Core Rulebook Update 2022 from Mongoose Publishing. Normally, characters need to have at least Skill Level 0 in the appropriate skill to operate a Battlemech, Aerospace vehicle or the weapon systems of either. These are too complex for someone who doesn’t have training to do anything more than flip switches, click buttons and yank levers in futility as the machine does nothing (best case scenario) or crashes in a catastrophic explosion (at worst..)
      Jack of All Trades allows a character to attempt an unskilled roll at a reduced penalty. Jack of All Trades 0 allows for the roll at a -3 penalty, with each skill level in Jack of All Trades reducing that penalty by 1. Until Jack of All Trades reaches Level 3, at which point the roll is at no penalty.
      When applied to Battletech’s Battlemech and Aerospace skills, These penalties are added to the base skill level. A character with Jack of All Trades 0 can roll Piloting at (5+3)= 8 and Gunnery at (4+3)= 7. Jack of All Trades 2 can roll Piloting at (5+1)= 6 and Gunnery at (4+1)= 5.

    Gearing up for the Cockpit

    The most critical piece of equipment for a Battlemech or Aerospace Pilot is their Neural Impulse Helmet AKA “Neurohelmet”. Neuohelmets provide direct neural links to the vehicle’s computer and sensors and are what makes Battlemechs and Aerospace craft more responsive than more conventional vehicles (even at high tech levels). Indeed, the Neurohelmet makes piloting Battlemechs and Aerospace craft possible in the first place. There are so many systems and subsystems that demand constant attention that no one person, or even a small crew of people could manage it all, but a Neurohelmet allows for a single pilot to control the vehicles full functionality.

    A Neurohelmet is a TL 10 device that masses around 6 kg and costs 10 kilocredits (KCr, 10,000 credits). It is a huge, bulky, ugly, and fixes the wearer’s face straight forward. There is a window roughly the size of the wearer’s face installed that displays visual readout data into the user’s field of vision. Inside there are multiple contact leads which use the user’s own brain to move and drive the battlemech as an extension of their body. The helmet rests on the user’s shoulders, protecting the users relatively fragile neck from injury, but restricting any head movement.

    The Neurohelmet’s bulk looks like it could deflect a direct hit from an Advanced Combat Rifle round. That is if the bullet wouldn’t damage all the internal electronics connected to the user’s brain. The Neurohelmet is not armor. Not even when deactivated. Its bulk comes from the complex hardware that creates the technological miracle which allows a human to control a titan.

    At TL 11, the Neurohelmet becomes safer and smaller. It’s no longer a rat’s nest of cabling connected to a six kilo dome. It’s half the mass that it was at TL 10, while direct connection through ports from helmet to cockpit are still necessary, a lot of the connections are wireless.. There remains safety bracing that protects the neck, but the user is able to turn their head and enjoy a restricted range of motion.

    AT TL 12, the Neurohelmet is half the size of the TL 11 helmet. It still fully covers the head, but does not require bracing to protect the neck. There is still neck protection, but not to compensate for having six extra kilos on your head. Direct connections to the cockpit have been reduced to one, two or three, depending on the model of the helmet. The user has a full range of head motion.

    Cybernetic Neural Impulse Cranial Implants (“NICIs”) are also TL 12 devices, and are cybernetic augments. The NICI at TL12 replaces portions of the pilot’s skull and cannot be removed. There is a jack-port installed to make a direct connection into the cockpit. Not counting surgery, the NICI costs 500 KCr. Using a NICI to pilot a Battlemech or an Aerospace vehicle gives the Pilot a +1 Dice Modifier (DM) bonus to Drive (Battlemech) and Pilot (Aerospace) checks. If using Battletech rules for tactical vehicle combat, add the +1 bonus to the roll (not the target number).

    The Cooling Vest is TL 10, costs 500 Cr and allows a Battlemech Pilot to survive the blazing heat in the cockpit of a Battlemech. It’s little more than cooling tubes wrapped around the pilot’s torso which circulate advanced cryogenic compounds and keeps the vital organs from cooking in the pilot’s body.

    Aerospace pilots wear an Improved Vacc Suit with enhanced temperature regulation since they often find themselves operating in the Vacuum of space or extremely thin atmosphere.
    At TL 11, the Cooling Vest is replaced with a specialized Hostile Environment Suit. The cost is much higher (22 KCr) but the HEV Suit provides protection similar to the Vacc Suit which permits the Battlemech Pilot a lot more combat endurance and focus when away from supplies.

    Some down-on-their-luck pilots try to make do with makeshift cooling vests that use cold-packs in place of circulated coolant. Cold-packs are, in essence frozen blocks of water ice or similar freezable material. The cost is almost negligible. Less than 20 Cr and the Tech Level to put one together is around 4. The pilot only needs a means to freeze and insulate the packs. However, fighting in a cold-pack vest only allows for ten-to-fifteen minutes of operation before any benefits are spent and heat exhaustion leading to stroke sets in.

    Character Creation and Development

    At it’s most basic, any skill result of Drive (cascade or any ground), Heavy Weapons (cascade or vehicles), Pilot (cascade or Small Craft), or Gunnery (cascade, Turret or Fixed) can be focused to Battlemechs or Aerospace as the player desires.

    However, should the GM desire a focused assignments for Battlemechs and Aerospace pilots, here are a couple of guidelines

    • Army – Mechwarrior (*must be a commissioned officer)
      • Survival: END 7+
      • Advancement: INT 6+
      • Assignment Skill List
        • 1: Drive (Battlemech)
        • 2: Heavy Weapons (Battlemech)
        • 3: Mechanic
        • 4: Electronics (Sensors)
        • 5: Heavy Weapons (Man-Portable)
        • 6: Recon
      • Rank Skills and Bonuses
        • Rank 1 (Lieutenant): Drive (Battlemech), Heavy Weapons (Battlemech) 0
        • Rank 2 (Captain): Leadership
        • Rank 3 (Major): Tactics (Military)
        • Rank 4 (Lt. Colonel): Admin 1
        • Rank 5 (Colonel): Broker 1
        • Rank 6 (General): SOC 10 or SOC +1 (whichever is higher)
    • Marines – Mechwarrior (*must be a commissioned officer)
      • Survival: END 7+
      • Advancement: INT 5+
      • Assignment Skill List
        • 1: Drive (Battlemech)
        • 2: Pilot (Aerospace)
        • 3: Heavy Weapons (Battlemech)
        • 4: Gunnery (Aerospace)
        • 5: Vacc Suit
        • 6: Gun Combat
      • Rank Skills and Bonuses
        • Rank 1 (Lieutenant): Drive (Battlemech), Heavy Weapons (Battlemech) 0 or Rank 2 Skills
        • Rank 2 (Captain): Pilot (Aerospace), Gunnery (Aerospace) 0 or Rank 1 Skills
        • Rank 3 (Force Commander): Tactics (Military or Naval) 1
        • Rank 4 (Lt. Colonel): Leadership 1
        • Rank 5 (Colonel): Jack-of-all-Trades 1
        • Rank 6 (General): Broker or Admin 1
    • Navy – Aerospace Pilot (*must be a commissioned officer)
      • Survival: DEX 7+
      • Advancement: EDU 5+
      • Assignment Skill List
        • 1: Pilot (Aerospace)
        • 2: Gunner (Aerospace)
        • 3: Vacc Suit
        • 4: Astrogation
        • 5: Mechanic
        • 6: Electronics (Sensors)
      • Rank Skills and Bonuses
        • Rank 1 (Ensign): Pilot (Aerospace), Gunnery (Aerospace) 0
        • Rank 2 (Sublieutenant): Astrogation 0
        • Rank 3 (Lieutenant): Tactics (Naval) 1
        • Rank 4 (Commander): Leadership 1
        • Rank 5 (Captain): Admin 1
        • Rank 6 (Admiral): SOC 10 or SOC +1 (whichever is higher)
    • Noble – Mechwarrior
      • Survival: INT 7+
      • Advancement: SOC 8+
      • Assignment Skill List
        • 1: Drive (Battlemech) or Pilot (Aerospace)
        • 2: Heavy Weapons (Battlemech) or Pilot (Aerospace)
        • 3: Vacc Suit
        • 4: Tactics (Military or Naval)
        • 5: Leadership
        • 6: Gambler
      • Rank Skills and Bonuses
        • Rank 1 (Ensign): Drive (Battlemech), Heavy Weapon (Battlemech) 0 or Pilot (Aerospace), Gunnery (Aerospace) 0
        • Rank 2 (Lieutenant): Leadership 1
        • Rank 3 (Force Commander): Advocate 1
        • Rank 4 (Lt. Colonel): Diplomat 1
        • Rank 5 (Colonel) +1 SOC
        • Rank 6 (General) +1 SOC

    When Mustering Out, vehicle or ship share benefits can be taken as a muster bonus of +1 DM when rolling on the following chart (used to provide a character with a personal Battlemech). Roll 2D + SOC + Muster Bonus

    • 4-: Dispossessed (no Battlemech or Aerospace vessel)
    • 5 – 7: Light class (20 to 35 tons)
    • 8 – 9: Medium Class (40 to 55 tons)
    • 10 – 11: Heavy Class (60 to 75 tons)
    • 12+: Assault Class (80 to 100 tons)

    The Battlemech Campaign Skills Package is designed for a Traveller campaign featuring Battlemechs and Aerospace fighters, similar to the Battletech Universe, Robotech Series’, Gundam Series’, Heavy Gear Universe, Mekton Universe and similar settings.

    Drive (Battlemech) 1, Electronics 1, Engineering 1, Gunnery (Aerospace) 1 Heavy Weapons (Battlemech) 1, Mechanics 1, Pilot (Aerospace) 1, Tactics 1

    Character Development

    After each adventure, Each character may roll EDU 8+. If successful, the player can either advance one of their character’s skills by 1 level, or they can adopt a new skill at level 0. When advancing skills this way, remember no character can have more total skill levels than three times their combined INT and EDU.

    Maintaining a Battlemech or Aerospace Craft

    Outside of repairs and rearming, Battlemechs and Aerospace craft require regular maintenance. Similar to space and star ship maintenance, once per year the Battlemech or Aerospace craft needs to be overhauled at a cost equal to 0.1% of the new cost of the vehicle. Divide by 12 to calculate a monthly maintenance cost.

    Example: A WHM-6R Warhammer Battlemech costs 6,070,984 Credits new. The yearly overhaul cost is 6,070,984 x 0.1% = 6,071 Credits. The monthly cost is 6,071 / 12 = 506 Credits.

    A SL-17 Shilone Aerospace fighter costs 3,399,045 Credits new, the yearly overhaul cost is 3,399,045 . 0.1% = 3,399 Credits. The monthly cost is 3,399/ 12 = 283 Credts

    Like a ship, skipping monthly maintenance risks a malfunction. For every monthly maintenance skipped, roll 2D + the number of months missed. On an 8+, the vehicle suffers a malfunction in the form of a critical hit, determined in the same manner as if the critical was suffered in battle. Using the Battletech chart, roll a location off of the Front/ Rear Critical table and apply a critical to the affected location.

    Battlemechs in the Rebellion War and the Hard Times

    Battlemechs and Aerospace craft are used by all the major factions in the Rebellion War. There are also countless Mercenary Outfits that use these war machines selling their services to the highest bidder. As implied by the Noble profession assignment above. Several Noble families possess ancestral Battlemechs and Aerospace craft.

    When compared to the state-of-the-art TL 15 weaponry that was deployed in the first years of the War, Battlemechs and Aerospace craft were outclassed. A company of TL 15 Battle Dress equipped infantry, TL 15 Grav Armor or a squadron of TL 15 armed space fighters are far more efficient and effective than an equivalent formation of TL 12 Battlemechs and Aerospace craft. However, as the war escalated between 1119 3i (3rd Imperium) and 1121 3i attrition forced all factions to press second and third line vehicles and equipment to the front. Battlemechs and Aerospace craft were re-deployed to replenish the attrition of years of war.

    When the War turned Black in 1122, Battlemechs and Aerospace craft became the instruments of scorched world strategies. Battlemechs as walkers were well suited to urban fighting, and the Aerospace fighters and bombers were very effective at everything from close-air support, escorting dropships, and orbital theaters. In a pinch they could be pressed into space combat. Hybrid Battlemech/ Aerospace vehicles, known by a variety of names, Veritech Fighters, Land-Air Mechs, Variable Aspect Mobile Suits and Hybrid Aeromechs, among others.

    Before the Rebellion War, Battlemechs and Aerospace fighters held a measure of prestige in the Noble Houses of the Moot. Nobles would use them to settle duels while showing off their wealth and means, in a similar way the aristocracy have used antiquated weapons and skills to settle disagreements while flexing on the less affluent. During the Rebellion War, Nobles wanting to cater to the imperial sensibilities of Lucan, Margaret, or the Ziru Sirca were eager to raise Household companies like ancient Lords calling their Banners. As the war dragged on, these same Noble houses were employed to share their tactical and technical knowledge in designing, and fielding Battlemechs and Aerospace fighters.

    In the Hard Times, the owners and employers of Battlemechs are in an excellent position to take over systems and pocket empires as Technologically Elevated Dictators. By 1125 3i, the major governments had retreated into core zones. leaving the Wilds open for pocket empires to develop. By 1130 3i, Virus has been released and was devastating the Imperium for the next seventy years.

  • For A Few C-Bills More

    For A Few C-Bills More

    Heists during the Year of Peace – 3051

    The Clan Invasion of 3050-52 was interrupted by an unexpected pause in 3051. The “year of Peace” provided more than a reprieve and a strategic opportunity for the Inner Sphere. While the leaders of the Great Houses were all on Outreach training for when the invasion begins again, Survivors, Mercenaries, Outlaws, and Pirates took advantage of a special set of circumstances

    Kerenskys Are Not Money, but Gold Still Is

    The Clans invading the Inner Sphere had survived for generations on the bare minimum of resources. Rebuilding their society as a rejection of what they saw as the greed and decadence of the Successor State houses. Their currency, Kerenskys is not representative of material wealth. The Kerensky is a market currency tied to the trade engaged with the Merchant Caste. The Clans value resources and technology. But from the materialistic perspective of the Inner Sphere, the Kerensky has no value, not even a residual value. As currency it means nothing to the conquered people. It is a fiat currency imposed on the vanquished by the victors.

    C-Bills and House Bills represent the material wealth of the empire that issues it. Whether that value is in preserved technology and communication as with the C-Bill or in Territory and Treasure as with the various House Bills. Ultimately, the Inner Sphere’s currencies can be traced to something of material value. This economic system of trade stretches back through the millennia of recorded human history.

    The Clans are on a Crusade

    In 3051, the Clans are not invading the Inner Sphere to seize it’s material wealth, nor are they taking territory, except in so far as the systems they seize bring them closer to their goal. The Clans are invading with the purpose of “liberating” Terra. The culture of the Clans, militaristic and austere suppresses the desire for material comforts and luxury. Especially among the Warrior Castes, who comprise the majority of the clansfolk that occupy the conquered systems. At this point, one year into the invasion, there hasn’t been enough time for the temptations of luxury to break the discipline culturally instilled in the Clanners. The Merchant Caste still manages trade and supply with a focus on practicality and resource allocation. Strategic objectives are primarily parts and supplies with immediate military applications, port resources and protecting communications facilities, including ComStar installations. Vaults and monetary reserves are of secondary, even tertiary concern. Only the senior strategic ranks concern themselves with the money of the inner sphere, and in that capacity only because money and luxury can be used to exploit greed in the hearts of local leaders of government, industry and militaries.

    Rumors Fly Furious and Thick

    The speed and shock with which the Clans have gouged their conquest out of the Lyran Commonwealth, Draconis Combine, and Rassalhague Republic left unimaginable fortunes laying undefended in hundreds of locations throughout the Occupation Zone. In some cases, not even the conquerors know the treasures resting on the very worlds they occupy.

    The tide of refugees fleeing in front of the invasion carry with them the knowledge and locations of these vaults. Some were the owners of these treasures, others guards, and yet others managers, and many simply lived in the communities where the banks, nobility, and corporations maintained the vaults. These are the hooks for missions and adventures that go beyond recreations of operations baattles that are usually recorded throughout the timeline.

    Raids and Heists can be just as exciting as battles over tactical and strategic positions, but without the scope of a large scale battle. At this scale the stakes are small and personal, the characters (and the opposition) are not trying to fight a war. They’re trying to grab treasure. There is little or no jingoistic patriotism here, there’s little motivation beyond getting paid. Something that would appeal to a mercenary and pirate campaign.

    Why 3051?

    This is a very unique year in the grand timeline of the Battletech Universe. In the Occupied systems, the Clan invaders haven’t had the chance to absorb the vices of greed and avarice. At least as far as wealth and luxury are concerned. Furthermore, the withdrawal of the Bloodnamed back to Strana Mechty has in effect frozen the invasion offensives and left behind Provisional Garrison troops to hold the systems they’ve captured. This combination of freebirths and dezgra units simultaneously discourage personal initiative (no one wants to risk retaliation from the caste system for breaking discipline) and unintentionally filled with persons who resist the system they live in (thus, more susceptible to the temptations of the inner sphere and “going native”).

    The Houses of the Inner Sphere are similarly paralyzed. Having been beaten back with few, if any, significant victories along a front that has grown to the size of the Free Worlds League, all the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere have been paralyzed just like the Clans. The Leadership of the Inner Sphere are sequestered for most of this year on Outreach as “guests” of Wolf’s Dragoons. Between that, and the near-collapse of the Rassalhauge Republic, Draconis Combine, and Lyran Commonwealth militaries, there are no opportunities to capitalize on strategic vulnerabilities.

    For both the Clans, and the Inner Sphere, 3051 is a tidal wave, frozen in time. Which leaves extensive opportunity for the type of smash-and-grab raiding and probing that small mercenary outfits do best.

    Hit ’em Where They Ain’t

    Throughout the year, the Clans are defending their occupied territories with Provisional Garrison forces piloting second-and third-line equipment. Under leaders tied to vague orders that amounts to little more than “Don’t lose any ground, not one step!” This has left the Occupied Zones wide open for probes and raids. In fact, if the Inner Sphere had anything to put together for a counter-offensive, 3051 could have been a bad year for “Operation: REVIVAL”.

    Setting up a raid is not much different for a mercenary company (even if that company is a lance) than fulfilling a short-term contract. Objectives, Mission Plans, and Logistics need to be outlined. In a mercenary contract, these are often laid out during contract negotiations, the employer defining the objective and (usually) arranging the logistics. When raiding, the “employer” are the mercenaries themselves. They are, in essence, writing their own contracts, and need to take into account these details.

    The Objective, has to be valuable enough to justify the expenses. Ammunition cost C-Bils, repairs cost C-Bills, fuel, hiring a transport to jump to the system, hiring a drop-shop to ferry the mercenaries planetside (and pick them up after), paying for “discretion”, all of it are expenses (and expensive). Much of it needs to be paid in advance, like buying passage to the system, and food for the trip (remember, mechwarriors and their mechanics gotta eat). The Objective has to be able to recoup those expenses, and turn a profit at the end.

    As a game-master, it’s your job to make the Objective worth the trip. Hitting a “vault” to come away with loot worth a million C-bils isn’t gonna be enough. Do some homework, figure out what the characters’ expenses are and make certain that, at least based on the intelligence the characters are given, the money is worth their time and efforts.

    For most heists, the opposition isn’t going to be focused directly on protecting the objective. The mercenaries are going to be hitting lightly defended targets. At least initially. Objectives deemed not strategically important won’t be directly garrisoned, and a response to incursions are going to be delayed. This is going to start a timer on the mission. The moment the mercenaries are detected, the garrison will move out to intercept them. Thus, the mercenaries need to be gone by the time the garrison arrives. In these scenarios, a pitched battle is failure and the characters are going to lose.

    This is the point where the game-master needs to drop in twists and hurdles to the plan. Maybe the drop ship is running late, maybe the extraction point has to be moved, maybe the vault isn’t where it’s supposed to be and the characters have to find out where it’s hiding, maybe the garrison isn’t where it’s supposed to be and the characters need to fight their way in.

    Here’s the devil in the details, once the characters have committed to the raid, once they have hired the jumpship and the dropship, it’s too late for them to walk away empty-handed. The point of no return for them was the moment they left for the objective. Aborting the mission after that is a loss, and a significant one at that. Jump ship travel is not cheap, and while Jumpship Captains see themselves as “above” the politics of war, they will make sure they get paid first.

    During the mission, the locals may not appreciate offworld mercenaries dropping in, taking all their stuff and blasting off. They may hate their occupiers, but they won’t stand still and be robbed. Furthermore, the locals know that their Clan occupiers will punish them for the actions of any Inner Sphere mercenaries who raid their settlements. Clan honor demands some sort of consequence for being injured. Even the appearance of collaboration between the locals and the raiders will demand harsh retribution after the mercenaries are long gone with their loot.

    Crossing The Lines

    An exciting option that could start a campaign is playing a group of occupiers that choose to raid their own garrison, and desert or defect. In most cases this is unthinkable. Betraying Clan Honor in this way is The WORST crime imaginable.

    Being “clanners” also puts the defectors in a terrible position. The occupied population hates them, their Clan hates them and the Inner Sphere hates them. From the defectors’ perspective, they don’t speak the language, don’t understand the culture, and don’t have a grasp of how C-Bills work. On the other hand, even second-line garrison troops are head-and-shoulders above most of their Inner Sphere counterparts, their tech, even old clan tech is decades more advanced than Inner Sphere tech. 3051 might be a freebirth or dezgra’s only opportunity to escape the prison of their society and, for as long as they can, live outside the legacy of Nicholas Kerensky’s memory.

    It Comes to an End

    By November of 3051, the Fifth Wave of Operation: REVIVAL is beginning, the Blood-named and elite clan military machine have returned from the Homeworlds. The Outreach Summit had finished by August, and the Inner Sphere had reorganized their defenses. By the end of 3051 the window of opportunity for small units to pull off raids in the Occupied Zone had closed. After the Battle of Tukayyid in May of 3052 would the Clan Invasion halt and the region start to adjust to the new “normal” that would carry forward into the next conflicts and wars.

  • Galley Service in Traveller

    Galley Service in Traveller

    Space food by Tech Level

    Out in the vastness of empty space, Your crew still needs to eat. Whether it’s food-in-a-tube from TL 6, or TL 15 replicated food. Eating also adds (dare I say) “flavor” to an otherwise boring series of downtime activities. The Life Support portion of the monthly Running Costs of operating a Space Ship or Starship covers the most basic nutritional needs for each person on board the ship. Normally running somewhere around Cr 1,000 per stateroom (Cr 3,000 per double occupancy stateroom) and Cr 1,000 per person. This is food that will keep a person adequately fed with some small variety. Sort of like Meals, Ready to Eat packages. This food is designed to travel with a minimum of environmental demand. It doesn’t need refrigerated, it’ll last for years, and is shelf-stable. As anyone who has lived off this for an extended length of time can tell you, the menu gets real old, real fast.

    There are two tech level factors that affect the quality of food on board a ship. The first is the TL of the ship itself, specifically the TL of the Life Support Systems. The second is the TL of the location where the resupply is taking place. Advances in preservation and preparation allow for more palatable and satisfying fare.

    Ship’s Larder

    Starting around TL6, and until TL9 this is some variety of “food in a tube”. TL9 is the lowest tech level where Jump Drive is an option, and this means most ships at these tech levels are intended for in-system travel with voyages lasting weeks. Galleys are luxuries at this stage, and even the most extravagant are little more than a common room with a table, chairs, and a microwave.

    TL 10 and 11 is where “reconstitution” modules are developed. This is more advanced than simply re-hydrating meals with hot water. Reconstiution uses a common base of proteins and carbohydrates to restore food resemble a wide variety of textures, flavors and smells. By the very nature of the process, the food is absent any meat product, though meats can be prepared this way. Still, it’s a critical detail for venturing into the Two-Thousand Worlds. K’kree can scent a meat eater.

    TL 12 through TL13 is where recycling organic matter reaches its peak. At this stage food can be created from compost material. From there, food can be flavored and textured into the desired composition. The process takes a few minutes (roughly 15) and the result can be eaten immediately, or further prepared through any other recipe.

    TL 14 and TL15 is where true food synthesis can create edible footstuffs in nearly any form imaginable. By combining organic chemical elements, Food can be created on demand (so long as those chemical elements remain available) in a matter of moments.

    Resupplying at Port

    Part of Life Support costs are keeping materials on hand. Even at the higher Tech Levels, equipment needs to be serviced, stores need resupplied. However, the quality of rations remain limited by the lower tech level between the ship and the port of resupply.

    TL0 through TL5 is limited to primitive food preservation techniques, smoking, salting, canning. It is possible that if a ship has to resupply here, the crew might be loading pemmican and hard tack like their ancestors on tall ships during the age of sail.

    TL6 through TL8 allow for processing foods, dehydrating and/or industrially preserving it to be shelf-stable.

    At TL9, cryogenic preservation allows for some fresh food to be added to a ships’ stores. Bulk is still an issue, it’s really difficult to miniaturize a side of beef, or a 1000kg bluefin tuna. TL9 is where the food can be maintained in cryogenic storage indefinitely.

    At TL15, stasis is in its infancy but does allow for food to be stored in a state of freshness. Food stored in stasis doesn’t need thawed or reconstituted. It can be prepared and eaten immediately.

    Bread Alone

    Using Life Support in this manner should enhance the immersion in the setting. If it becomes an annoyance in your campaign, don’t lean on it so much. The point is not to punish the characters but to give storytelling material for players to experience. Illustrate how, after months of living off of rations made from reconstituted algae, or recycled garbage and poop the intense pleasure of eating food freshly prepared.

    Think about the scene from the Matrix where the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar is eating their plates of gruel. Then compare it to Cypher eating the steak in the Matrix. The promise of a good meal after months of deprivation makes for a powerful motivator.

    Take the original Star Trek series, their replicated food was multicolored simple solid shapes. Compare that to the Next Generation where the replicator could create food to the taste of the person ordering it, whether it is “Tea, Earl Grey, Hot” or “Gakh”, and even the difference between replicated Gakh and when it is served live. As Any Klingon would tell you, Gakh is best served live.

    Science fiction roleplaying should have that same sensory feel. From Captain Pike’s exaggerated home kitchen on board the Enterprise to Luke Skywalker drinking a tall glass of blue milk. Engineers setting up stills to make rot-gut hooch from the basic amino acids and carbohydrate soups in the storage bins, “good for two things, de-greasing engines and killing brain cells” Keeping a bottle of Scotch from Rigel, or a red wine from Chateau Picard. These are ways to breathe life into the downtime stuck in Jump Space.

    Brand Loyalty

    This is also a part of world building for your campaign. Create companies and brands who can supply ships with these supplies. Military ships, of course are supplied by their branch’s quartermaster, but as any Imperial Scout can tell you, the ISS ration menus are “uninspired” to say the least. Adding a common, regional brand to the campaign, think “Triple F Burgers” from the Battletech game, or “Biscuit Baron” from WEG Star Wars. Can add role-playing moment. Smuggling a crate of Romulan Ale has more of a connection to the Star Trek Universe than simply running prohibited spirits through the Federation.

    Having a regional, or even subsector supplier of ships’ rations can give players a reason to head to that area of space.

  • Monsters with Clockwork Hearts

    Monsters with Clockwork Hearts

    The Mazynik of Arjenvís

    The most recent “species” to emerge in Arjenvís are the Mazynik. The Mazynik are a clockwork, machine people made possible through many of the engineering discoveries made by the scholars of the Ynstyuit Yazingyeijny college. They have been a part of the population of Arjenvís for generations at this point. Sadly, the Mazynik in all of their forms have been used as slave labor almost since their inception.

    There are seven primary variants of Mazynik

    • Type I – Tiny Mazynik designed for companionship. The type I are roughly the size of house cats or large rats and their differential brains have the cognitive abilities of a human child.
      • These Mazynik are often programmed for a variety of simple tasks for which their size and general design are suited. Fetching and retrieving small items, delivering small parcels and physical messages (like written notes), cleaning chores, vermin control, and simplistic minor patrolling. Their limbs end in small claws for grasping and gaining traction, and most Type I designs have a small dart launcher built into the body
      • Type I Mazynik can be found nearly anywhere in Arjenvís, including the rivers (for those models adapted for swimming). They are more common in the affluent Canton, like the Stare Miasto, and the Jyarmarck. But even in the slums of the Brzek Krreft, older Type I Mazynik, refurbished from spare parts can be found wandering the narrow alleys on errands or still carrying out instructions from owners who have long forgotten or simply lost them.
    • Type II – Small Mazynik designed as assistants and servants. The type II are the size of a medium to large dog and have the cognitive abilities of an average adult human.
      • These Mazynik are more capable than the smaller Type I models, and are designed to perform functions that demand greater strength and durability. The Type II models are often used to deliver small burdens, perform larger household chores (think “Roomba”), act as guards and sentries, and assist people with complex tasks by providing extra manipulative limbs.
      • Like the Type I, the Type II Mazynik can be found virtually anywhere in Arjenvís. From the estates of the Stare Miasto down to the ghettos of the Brzek Kreft. They are most common in the Jyarmarck, where they are set to delivering packages of purchased goods to destinations, and in the Zmiana, where they work towing barzos along the various canals or working the southern fields.
    • Type III – Human-sized Mazynik designed to be laborers. The type III are the size of an adult human, and have the cognitive abilities similar to the Type I.
      • The Type III Mazynik is a design intended for human-sized menial tasks. Whether household (minor repairs, cleaning, personal assistants) or industrial (labor, or dangerous/ strenuous activity). They are designed and programmed for obedience and servitude, behaving as loyal companions.
      • The Type III Mazynik can be found nearly anywhere in Arjenvís, but are most commonly found in the most wealthy cantons, the most wealthy households and industries, which can afford the expense of purchasing and maintaining the clockwork mechanisms that allow them to function
    • Type IV – Human-sized Mazynik designed for combat as guards or gladiators. The Type IV are also the size of an adult human and have the cognitive abilities similar to the Type II.
      • Type IV Mazynik are designed for heavier labor than the type III or for combat. They often resemble clockwork suits of armor, imposing and dangerous. They are in general human sized, but are larger than most average people.
      • The Type IV are less common than type I, II, or III Mazynik. Partially due to expense, and partially because of the much more narrow scope of their designed functionality. They are most commonly found near properties of the wealthiest citizens of Arjenvís, where they are used as sentries and guards or in the deepest depths of the Czarny Grzbiet Mine, where their immunity to the toxic gasses and their phenomenal physical prowess permit mining veins that would otherwise be impossible.
    • Type V – Large Mazynik the size of an ox or draft-horse. The Type V are designed to pull and carry large, heavy loads, or serve as mounts. They have cognitive abilities similar to the Type I.
      • The Type V Mazynik is very nearly a small vehicle. It’s designed as a six-limbed being, much like a centaur, a quadraped lower body and a humanoid torso. This frame allows for functions that permit the Type V to not only carry a passenger or two, or pull a burden but also manipulate objects with hands. There are Type V variants that are designed as bipedal forms that are nearly twice as large as a typical person, and other design variants that resemble large beasts.
      • Type Vs are much more rare and expensive than the more common Type I, II, or III but they can still be found in all Cantons in Arjenvís. The most common use are along the canals of the Zmiana, and the steep face of the Czarny Grzbiet and Nozca Stok cantons, pulling trolleys and barges.
    • Type VI – Large Mazynik roughly twice the size of an average adult human. The Type VI are designed to command and manage other Mazynik, their differential brains are the most advanced commonly available and they have cognitive abilities that, while still superior to humans as a whole, are within the human spectrum.
      • The Type VI Automat is a very sophisticated clockwork device. It’s nearly the size of a Type V, but has a much more advanced machine intelligence built into it’s design. The Type VI is designed for complex, independent tasks and can adapt to circumstances to an extent that they are still addressed by it’s programming.
      • Type VI are status symbols among the aristocracy of the canton and are seldomly encountered without cause in Arjenvís. They are often employed as automated stewards, chamberlains, or major-domo for households and estates. Many are in service of the Vlatza as supervisors of Type IV and V Automat which function as guards.
    • Type VII – Gargantuan Mazynik the size of buildings, designed to be “smart” buildings the type VII are expensive and rare in the extreme. Type VII can be used for a variety of purposes, from intelligent libraries to self-functioning factories and leisure residences. Type VII support between 1 and six differential brains that function in concert, depending on the Mazynik’s designed purpose. Each brain, taken by itself, have cognitive abilities which vary from that of a child to that of a mature human. When multiple brains are working in concert, the combined brains of a Type VII can perform cognitive feats of genius.
      • The Type VII Mazynik is a building sized clockwork artifact. It’s so big, in fact, that it functions like an actual building, with individuals living and existing within it’s rooms and halls. As such, the Type VII is seldom mobile, but unlike other Mazynik, the Type VII can direct it’s Actions and Abilities within itself as well as without.
      • The Type VII is rare in the extreme. There are but a handful in all of Arjenvís.

    History

    Mazynik were first developed in the manufactory of Kahlazst Vahn Ztiyer. A member of the Vahn Ztiyer household of III Canton, Kahlazst was an Artificer and a minister of the Ynstyuit Ynzingyeijny school in the Kolygiom Zyle Wednye.
    The first Mazynik designed would become the type I and type V, both of these first prototype models were meant to do work as a replacement for beasts and animals. Kahlazst designed what would become the type II as a mechanical assistant.
    These early Mazynik had primitive differential brains by current standards, but were capable of independent action with minimal supervision. As the usefulness of Kahlazst’s Mazynik became more apparent, the two core mechanisms, the differential brain and the corespring were refined and developed into ever more sophisticated iterations. Eventually the Automat was capable of matching most people in terms of intellect, but not creative thought. This made Mazynik very useful for menial labor, guard-work, and heavy labor. They could be programmed with base skills, and their difference brains would adapt them to the environment in which they were operating.

    Anatomy

    Individual Mazynik are designed to perform their directive purposes. They are generally built to resemble people and/or animals that are familiar to most people. The heart of most Mazynik (type I – VI) is the Corespring, which will allow for a day’s operation when fully wound. Type VII instead utilizes a steam engine to maintain a continual operation (so long as the engine remains fueled, that is).

    Genetics and Reproduction

    Mazynik do not reproduce biologically, they are built. They do have the ability, however to manufacture one another. Either with or without the involvement of people. Depending on the resources and facilities available, manufacturing an individual Mazynik will take periods dependent upon their complexity. This includes programming of their differential brains.

    • Type I – 6 to 12 weeks
    • Type II – 6 to 20 weeks
    • Type III – 12 to 28 weeks
    • Type IV – 24 to 48 weeks
    • Type V – 18 to 36 weeks
    • Type VI – 30 to 50 weeks
    • Type VII – one to five years

    Mazynik designed by the same person, persons or factory will share a general resemblance to one another.

    Growth Rate & Stages

    Mazynik do not naturally grow. Their bodies can remain the same throughout their lives (for lack of a better term). However, their differential brains will experience a progression of development that reflects their accumulation of experience up to where their capacity of data storage is reached.
    Juvenile – This is the first stage of cognitive development. The Mazynik has it’s base cognitive routines and can communicate and perform the tasks for which it was designed, but not much outside of that scope.
    Prime – This is a long stage of development where the Mazynik cognitive abilities have expanded to a point where it can formulate and adapt it’s functionality based on learned experiences. Prime stage is recognized when a Mazynik can first adapt independently beyond it’s initial programming and lasts until it’s cognitive storage reaches capacity.
    Fading – This is the last stage of development where the Mazynik’s cognitive abilities have reached a point that to incorporate new experiences and new data, older experiences and older data must be eliminated. This tends to cause the development of eccentricities within the Mazynik’s persona as they begin to “forget” memories they once recalled flawlessly or skills they once had or experiences they once lived. Additionally, fading can also be brought on by damage or wear within the differential brain itself, leading to a diminished capacity.

    Ecology and Habitats

    Mazynik are curious in that they can exist in almost any environment even thrive if they are purpose-designed for those conditions. However, resources available in an urban, technologically sophisticated environment provide the most favorable conditions that Mazynik can function within.

    Dietary Needs and Habits

    Mazynik do not require sustenance in the way that biological species do. So long as their coresprings or engines remain wound or fueled, Mazynik will continue to function. However, Mazynik do require steady maintenance in the form of lubrication of moving parts, cleansing of components, care for and replacement of worn materials, etc.. Going without these essential will lead to malfunctions which can ultimately become critical enough to permanently disable the Mazynik.

    Domestication

    The Mazynik are completely domesticated as a species.  Though some advanced individuals (mostly Type VI and Type VII) can carry out self-directed “manumissions”, Mazynik are designed to follow the direct inclinations and command of those whom they serve.

    Uses, Products & Exploitation

    Mazynik are used in Arjenvís in all manner of menial, labor intensive, and dangerous tasks. They act as servants, laborers, companions, soldiers, even vehicles and homes.  To the powerful and wealthy of the city, they are merely clever tools, or toys to be used until their utility or novelty comes to an end, whereupon they are discarded.

    Naming Traditions

    Industrial, labor, and guard Mazynik are normally designated by a serial code, and recognize themselves when that code is referred to. More personalized Mazynik, those who serve as companions, assistants and servants are often given nicknames by their owners. Finally, there are some Mazynik (mostly type VI, but any sufficiently experienced Mazynik) who will name themselves

    Mazynik and Warforged

    Mazynik are not Warforged. Warforged are sentient beings with agency and free will. Mazynik are automata, and even if they have been given their manumission, they are only an imitation of sentience. Warforged are animated by magic and do not rely on wound clockwork.

    Mazynik are limited in their function. Though they are capable of great proficiency for the jobs they are designed for, they are abysmally incompetent when attempting tasks not related to their purpose. Warforged are as adaptable as any mortal person born and raised.

  • Seers, Tramps and Thieves

    Seers, Tramps and Thieves

    The Caravanserai Who Camp in the City of Miseries

    Not everyone in Arjenvís are monsters, prey, or prisoners. There are one people who know secrets, who travel out beyond the walls of the city to other lands. Despite Arjenvís deepest wishes for no one to escape once locked behind her walls, against the monumental, terrible will of the city who will not let go of the souls in her iron grip. The Caravanserai continue to slip in and out with seeming impunity, bringing rumors of lands beyond the horizon, as well as trading in exotic wares from foreign artisans.

    The Caravanserai camp away from the estates of the aristocracy, setting up in hidden places among the poor neighborhoods or abandoned buildings. Though they can be found in most of the Canton, somewhere, excepting I Canton, the Kziazekyr. Their camps are able to be taken down and moved in a single night.

    Cartomancy

    Of all the various forms of divination, the Caravanserai prefer, excel at cartomancy. The decks used vary from Caravan to Caravan, but the pattern is the same. The Caravanserai Diviner uses the Vaghanesqa Ròdho to read the fortunes of those who search them out.

    Vaghanesqa Ròdho

    The dealer separates the High Deck from the Lesser Deck and shuffles both separately. They place the High Deck to their left and the Lesser Deck to their right. The dealer then deals cards from the High Deck.

    • I. This is the Mandĭn (Fortune) card. It represents what the seeker (the person the reading is for) will become at the end of their journey.
      • this card is dealt face down, perpendicular to the dealer
      • the top of the card (for determining if the card is inverted or not) is the short edge facing to the dealer’s left
    • II. This is the Ègo (Self) card. it represents the seeker as they are at present.
      • This card is dealt face up and crosses the first card
      • the top of the card is the short edge of the card that faces away from the dealer
    • Deal four cards from the High Deck face up starting on the far side of the Self cards and passing clockwise.
      • each card is dealt perpendicular to the last with one short edge facing the cross of the first cards dealt, is the top of the card.
    • III. The Mashkar e Jivendesko (Midwinter) card.
      • dealt to the wheel at twelve o’clock
      • this card represents where the seeker is departing from, and returning to.
    • IV. The Prago e Primaverako (Spring Threshold) card
      • dealt to the wheel at three o’clock
      • this card represents the first leg of the seeker’s journey
    • V. The Mashkar o Milaj (Midsummer) card
      • dealt to the wheel at six o’clock, opposite Mashkar e Jivendesko
      • this card represents the farthest away the seeker journeys from home.
    • VI. The Prago e ćhonesko (Autumn Threshold) card
      • dealt to the wheel at nine o’clock, opposite Prago e Primaverako
      • this card represents the final leg of the seeker’s journey
    • Deal 8 cards from the lesser deck in pairs around the wheel
    • VII. The O vudar (Doorstep) card
      • dealt to the wheel at one o’clock.
      • this card represents that which is sending the seeker on their journey
    • VIII. The Obstàkulo (Obstacle) card
      • dealt to the wheel at two o’clock.
      • this card represents the first challenge to the seeker, holding them back from the Prago e Primaverako and must be overcome before the seeker can cross the Spring Threshold
    • IX. The Amala (Comrades) card
      • dealt to the wheel at four o’clock.
      • this card represents the friend or ally that will help the seeker following the Prago e Primaverako
    • X. The Corripen (Setback) card
      • dealt to the wheel at five o’clock.
      • this card represents a problem or defeat that the seeker must endure before they can move forward to the Mashkar o Milaj
    • XI. The Pauza (Respite) card
      • dealt to the wheel at seven o’clock
      • this card represents the restoration of the seeker following the Mashkar o Milaj
    • XII. The Bibaht (Misfortune) card
      • dealt to the wheel at eight o’clock
      • this card represents unexpected adversity before the seeker can begin their final part of their journey
    • XIII. The Gardeno (Warden) card
      • dealt to the wheel at ten o’clock
      • this card represents the fearsome guardian of the prize the seeker hopes to attain.
    • XIV. The Prèmio (Prize) card
      • dealt to the wheel at eleven o’clock
      • this card represents the reward the seeker earns and brings back to their start at Mashkar e Jivendesko

    After the Prèmio is dealt, the dealer reveals the seeker’s Mandĭn card.

    The Journey

    The reading of the cards is framed as the seeker journeying to discover their fortune. The seeker asks the diviner (dealer) what fortune they want to know. The diviner, as they read the cards, describe what each card means in context of it’s position. Since the four Thresholds (Mashkar e Jivendesko, Prago e Primaverako, Mashkar o Milaj, and Prago e ćhonesko) are dealt before the remainder of the wheel, the reading can only be made after all the cards are dealt.

    Following the Prèmio card being dealt to the wheel, the diviner leads the seeker through the journey of the wheel. The diviner reads the wheel, starting with the Maskar e Jivendesco and Ègo and progressing clockwise.

    The beginning of the journey, represented by the O vudar, Obstàkulo, and the Prago e Primaverako cards are read together as a “Spring Season” of the Journey. Prago e Primaverako translates to “Spring Threshold”. The Spring Season represents the conditions of the journey’s start (the O vudar) and the first real obstacle before arriving at the Spring Threshold (the Obstàkulo). The Spring Threshold card reveals the first turning point of the journey, showing a place or person that will point the seeker forward. It is the reward for taking on the journey.

    The next part of the journey, represented by the Amala, Corripen, and the Mashkar o Milaj cards are read together as a “Summer Season” of the Journey. Mashkar o Milaj is Midsummer and is the midpoint of the journey, The Summer Season is the first half of the pilgrimage through the wilderness towards their fortune. In Summer, allies and comrades are found, setbacks are endured and Midsummer is the threshold to the deepest, and most dangerous part of the journey.

    The deepest part of the journey, represented by Pauza, Bibaht and the Prago e ćhonesko are read together as the “Autumn Season” of the Journey. The Prago e ćhonesko, the Autumn Threshold, is the place where the Self is killed and reborn. The Autumn Season starts with a short rest, but quickly descends into misfortune until the seeker confronts the parts of themselves that they must change before they can complete the journey. These three cards unveil the form that the events take.

    Passing through the deepest shadow of the Autumn Threshold the end of the journey is represented by Gardeno, Prèmio, and the Mashkar e Jivendesko cards. Read together, these cards are the “Winter Season” and when the Mashkar e Jivendesko is read, signifying the return of the seeker to where they started, the Mandĭn is revealed showing the seeker what their fortune makes them into.

    Storytelling with Divination

    Divination like cartomancy can be effective in helping Game Masters and Players tell stories at the table. Beyond the scene where the fortune-teller lays cards out on their velvet table, the fortunes themselves become the seed of new stories. This can be utilized to develop bespoke adventures that are tailored to the characters.

    When developing story in this manner, the reading should be for the entire group as a whole, instead of individuals. While personal, individual readings can motivate the subject directly, it does focus a lot of the burden on that character and the other members of the party can start to feel like sidekicks. Even in a focused reading, as GM, make sure to include the other characters in the interpretation.

    An option, likely the simplest, but still, the most challenging to design around is to use the reading as a form of emergent storytelling. Neither the GM, nor the players know what the cards are going to tell them, and when the reading is complete, there is an outline for a story arc. Everyone involved should make notes about the reading, because those notes will maintain a level of consistency and fate to the adventure as it progresses. As a GM, consult with the players as to what they want the fortune to mean for their characters. The point here is to follow the player’s choices and interpret their fortune, not to build a railroad that forces them onto the predetermined route to the end.

    A second option, which requires a little more work, but will be easier to design around is to stack the deck prior to the reading. Again, with the players’ input, figure out what they want the fortune to mean. The GM then can select cards and place them in an order that will conform to the players’ intentions. Again, everyone should take notes regarding the reading, and the point remains to follow these designs to guide the characters to their fortune, and avoid railroading them to a destination.

    A third option is to use the divination as a Red Herring. This is not to suggest that the divination is false, but that interpretations vary and can mislead. As with the previous options, it’s up to the Game Master and Players to discuss as to what the fortune means. However, the GM should re-interpret the reading to subvert the players’ intentions towards their characters.

    The Vaghanesqa Ròdho is designed to resemble the Hero’s Journey to make the design of a narrative easier. The four thresholds serve as turning points in the story with the lesser cards acting as story elements. Other reading layouts can be adapted with a little thought and effort. Divinations are ways of telling the story of the future regardless of the means used to tell fortunes.

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