Lore and Legends of the Dezzyverse

Category: The Dezzy Traveller Universe

Articles related to the Traveller Campaign Setting I GM in

  • Hanging on to your Humaniti

    Hanging on to your Humaniti

    Cyberpsychosis in Traveller

    One of the central tensions in cyberpunk fiction is the toll that having cyberware takes on the mental state of a augmented individual. If a heavy enough load is taken on, the individual suffers a break from reality and often (though not always) goes on a rampage that only ends when they are neutralized. In environments where a cyberpunk culture will rise, loading one’s self up with as much cyberware as they can bear is a necessity. The risk of cyberpsychosis is ever-present and balance isn’t a strategy to survive.

    High-Tech, High Population, High Government, High Law

    There are some system characteristics that lend themselves to a cyberpunk environment. While all of these characteristics need not be present to give the right feel, as the more of these characteristics are met, the more cyberpunk the system can be. of course, it’s up to the GM as to what culture and setting is present on any given world.

    High-Tech

    What classifies as ‘cyberware’ is first developed around TL 8 or 9. The real breakthrough is the development of a neural interface, allowing mental control of the cybernetic implants. At TL 7 or below, direct control of implants requires physical manipulation.

    As technology becomes more pervasive and less of a novelty, cybernetic implants become more and more common. In addition, higher tech models of earlier tech cyberware creates a smaller impact on mental and emotional health. By TL 13 and above, advances in bio-nanotechnological integration has transformed the degredation of an individual’s sense of self to a self-manageable state. Thus, what is traditionally considered Cyberpunk is best presented between TL 10 and 12.

    Cybernetic (and DNAM) Augmentation at these Tech Levels also correspond with the technology presented in 2300 AD (Traveller: 2300). GMs who have this game can reference it to more-or-less freely use it to offer more options for augmentation in their campaigns.

    High Population

    Cyberpunk settings need people. Overcrowded cities, teeming masses of humanity, for the hyperwealthy to live above. Thus, the feeling of Cyberpunk works best when the Population Score is 8 and above. The system needs a population large enough to justify massive, sprawling cities. While a lonely, sparsely populated outpost can have elements of Cyberpunk, the setting really works best in an overcrowded, grimy SprawlZone.

    The higher the population, the separation between the wealthy and the poor can be made more intense. The room among the poor of the slums is cramped, there is no personal space, no privacy. It’s just a carpet of people living in a claustrophobic maze of dirty, neon and trash-strewn streets. This can be contrasted with the real luxury that only obscene wealth can afford, space. The rich live above the clouds on palatial estates. They never have to see the masses surviving below their feet. The open sky, or vast expanse of near-orbit permits the occupants to only interact with people they choose.

    High Government

    The governments in Cyberpunk are universally oppressive and authoritarian. While some Government types, Captive Governments (6), Self-Perpetuating Oligarchies (3), and Company / Corporate ownership (1) can, with a little coaxing provide the careless oppression and soulless systemic, managed societies. But it’s the high levels that lend themselves best to a cyberpunk feel.

    Impersonal Bureaucracies (9), Dictatorships (A, B, and D), and and the Totalitarian Oligarchy (F) really fit the genre. Government in Cyberpunk exists for the purpose of either serving the corporations that feul the engine that keeps the city running, or serving itself, the city is governed for the purpose of continuing to govern the city. Honorable mentions should be given to the Feudal Technocracy (5), and the Religious Autocracy (E) Both of which have a definite Cyberpunk Edge.

    Those Governments that permit agency among their populations Democracies, Balkinization, and the Civil Service just require more work to corrupt into the heavy boot that marks Authority in the genre.

    High Law Level

    The source of law enforcement varies depending on the society. But to work in the setting, it needs to be unjust, unfair, and oppressive. Whether it’s Corporate Security, Contract Law Enforcement Corporations, Civic Law Enforcement or Security Forces, Law Enforcement and the Courts do not serve nor protect.

    Law Level almost demands to be high for Cyberpunk. While Law Level 9+ prohibits the means for citizens to resist control, those products are still available through Grey and Black Markets. This is why having a High Population is important, a large enough population is impossible to Police everywhere, all the time. Even with advanced surveillance technology, clearing the streets of every scrap of contraband demands too many resources to allow a city to function.

    That being said, it is often in the interest of the Megacorps or the Government, or the Hyperwealthy to cultivate a measure of lawlessness among the masses they govern. So long as the crime and violence never reach the wrong people or damage the wrong institutions. Huge resources are consumed in studying the benefits of allowing “controlled” anarchy. Of course, even these rigorously contained and managed criminal, or revolutionary cultures are never fully pacified, and it only takes a small spark to ignite an uprising.

    Megacorporations

    The Third Imperium of Traveller hosts hundreds, perhaps thousands of Corporations that stretch across entire Sectors and Domains. These monolithic institutions are Empires in their own right, with Boardrooms and Chief Executive Administrations serving the function of Legislative and Executive branches of Government. They have fleets, armies, they wage war against one another, not only through the expected means of commerce and finance, but through armed military operations too. Remember; Weyland-Yutani Corporation, from the Alien Franchise has a bio-weapons division.

    Corporate Branch Directors often wields more power than local governmental leadership, especially on wolrds where a single Megacorp enjoys a monopoly on manufacturing and commerce. When the risk of potential profit-loss becomes too great and less-than-legal means to resolve that risk is deemed necessary, Megacorporations are more than willing to hire Mercenaries and Privateers to pursue the corporate objectives. Megacorporations also provide campaigns and characters with the contact with 1000 faces, Mister Johnson. (“Mister Johnson” is a contact lifted from Shadowrun lore. A “Mister Johnson” is the alias that a Corporate Handler uses to hire the characters for jobs that require Corporate Deniability.

    Cyberpsychosis

    There is a story in the Shadowrun supplement, Cybertechnology that talks about what it’s like to live with Wired Reflexes. You need to take precautions because the world moves in slow motion and your reflexes are faster than your thought processes. You sit with your back to the wall because when anyone walks up behind you and trips your fight reflex, a person who is wired to the limit can react before they realize they are reacting. This can lead very easily to injured or dead friends.

    Similar things happen with cybernetic optics that are networked to a weapon starts superimposing targeting data over potential threats in your field of vision. You’re friend is smiling, saying hi and offering a drink and in your visual field you’re seeing Terminator-style readouts on probabilities of hostile action, weak points, threat analysis. They just wanna give you a “Pepsi”, dude! Augmented strength that pushes your abilities into the super-normal, sometimes means you break someone’s wrist shaking their hand, or dislocating their shoulder helping them off the couch.

    The point here is, that the disconnection from empathy isn’t some cyborg transformation into an unfeeling semi-robotic being. It’s the weight of living in a world where the augmented person is constantly seeing the potential threat of everyone around them, constantly having to work at dialing back their abilities when not in a combat situation. Even something like cyberoptics that just replace the biological eye has a level of detachment, the effect is not seeing the environment as it is, but being a step removed, like seeing everything through a monitor screen. Hearing, smell, any augmented sense isn’t the same as the baseline biology. This all combines to push the augmented individual away from the community experience with their fellows. It kills empathy.

    When that separation from empathy finally becomes too great, then everyone is seen as things. Not really “people” but threats, tools, and objects. The subroutines and processes take over, the struggle to manage a sense of humanity ends, and the augment reacts like they are always in a target-rich environment. That’s when the rampage begins. The fact that the augment is dodging fire and shrugging off damage that would shred even the peak physical specimens of their species is only reinforcing their own sense of supremacy. They are unstoppable, until someone hits them hard enough to put them down, which usually results in collateral damage for meters around.

    Game Mechanics

    In Traveller this is reflected through the Sanity characteristic found in the Traveller Companion. Every piece of Cyberware has a Santity cost associated with it. Several pieces that have generally low impact on the body (like a Wafer-Jack or Subdermal Armor has a cost of 0.) Cyberware that has a greater impact on the body (like Strength, Dexterity, or Endurance Augmentation) have a 1 point cost. Cyberware that have an extensive impact on the body (like additional limbs, or torso mounted manipulators have a 2 point cost. Cyberware that directly affect the individuals mind (like Cognitive Augmentation, or the Neural Comms) have a 2 point cot. Pieces that are above TL 13 will reduce the basic cost of Cyberware by 1 point. (For example, Strength Augmentation +3 is TL 15. Normally, Strength Augmentation carries a 1 point Sanity Cost, but because it’s TL 15, that’s reduced by 1, which makes the cost 1-1 = 0 points.) For those Cybernetic Implants that are TL 9 or lower the Sanity Cost is increased by 1. (For example, the Basic Combat Arm is TL8, so even though it’s less sophisticated than the more advanced models, it’s cost is increased by 1. Furthermore since it replaces an arm, the basic cost for the cyberware is 2. Thus, the Basic Combat Arm is 2+1 = 3 Sanity.)

    This cost is applied as a permanent reduction to the Sanity Characteristic. If this characteristic reaches zero due to Cyberware, the character suffers a complete collapse of empathy, and suffers Cyberpsychosis. During the first high-stress event that the character suffers, they lose control and launch into a rampage, attacking anyone and everyone they can find until they are neutralized. Should they survive, and if their rampage does not result in incarceration, they will remain in a state of violence for which they will need to be restrained until such a time that their Sanity Characteristic is brought back to at least 1.

    Permanent Sanity loss is not naturally recoverable. Once a character’s Sanity characteristic is reduced, they will require specialized treatment over a long period of time to recover the loss. The process, if the patient can endure it in their near constant state of psychosis, requires first for all Cyberware to be removed from their body. Then a specialist in psychosurgery needs to guide the patient through extreme therapy. For every standard year the patient is in therapy, their Cyberpsychiatrist can attempt a Very Difficult (12+) EDU (Science/ Cyberpsychiatry) test. If that test is successful, the patient can recover a number of lost Sanity characteristic equal to their cyberpsychiatrist’s Science (Cyberpsychiatry) skill levels. The character can, once their Santiy characteristic is positive regain control of their mind and resume their lives. An episode of Cyberpsychosis effectively removes a player character from the campaign, should they survive, and should their treatment stabilize them, they can be consulted but their Travelling days are over.

    Psionic Therapy, using Telepathy in addition to surgery and traditional therapy can be much more effective. The Psionic Therapist’s Psionic Telepathy skill levels can be added to their Sanity (Cyberpsychiatry) skill, when rolling the treatment check. Also, the Telepathy skill levels can be added to the Science (Cyberpsychiatry) skill levels when recovering the Sanity Characteristic.

  • Augmented Imperium

    Augmented Imperium

    Chromed Augmentation and Glammed DNAM trends

    Augmentation, whether through Cyberware or DNA Modification is still on the cultural fringes of the Imperium. Even after 11 Centuries and thousands of cultures that have adopted the technology for ages.

    In “mainstream” (that is, the Nobles who follow fashion trends from the Moot and Imperial Court) Imperial culture, Augmentation is designed to be unobtrusive and mostly invisible. Even Military cyberware is designed to conform to the Imperial Uniform Standards for the service that authorized the surgery.

    Flashy, attention-grabbing cyberware is seen as “tacky”. DNAMs that stray too far from the “natural” bodily appearance are considered freakish and ugly. The practical advantages of Augmentation are appreciated, only the surface appearance is judged.

    Of course, there are rebellious subcultures throughout the Imperium which revel in the derision cast at them by the
    “mainstream”. Youths, marginalized communities, the underclass, especially in densely populated settlements on prosperous worlds. The embrace of Chrome or Flash corresponds to the gulf between the poorest and richest subcultures in a System.

    On the opposite end of the economic scale, the ultra-wealthy or Celebrity class can indulge themselves in shocking cyberware, or “exotic” DNAM as a show of conspicuous consumption. They may never be invited to Court, or the Moot, but they will make an impact on the “social season”, and for many Nobles, attention is everything.

    Of course, in Imperial Culture, even in the Moot and the Court, one form of DNAM is normalized and widely accepted, Anagathics. The highest ranks of nobility can afford the exorbitant costs for these ongoing treatments to maintain their youth and extend their lives. What is commonly (some would say deliberately) overlooked, even by the most conservative, tradition-bound Vilani families, is Genetic Engineering and alters the patients body as extremely as if it would have bestowed webbed digits and amphibious gills. (Having the body of a 30 year-old in their prime when your chronological age is over 90 is extreme by most any measure).

    Vilani Culture

    Vilani Culture was the fist human culture to develop cybernetic and genetic technologies. For over 10 milennia, the Vilani have utilized augmentation, The Ziru Sirka was familiar enough with the technology that practical augmentation was fully normalized. However, the slow development and evolution of Vilani culture has restricted the propogation of augmentation to practical uses. Medical prosthetics to allow people suffering injury or debilitation to maintain a comfortable level of ability and dignity or inconspicuous augmentation that improves professional performance. In the Third Imperium, Vilani cultural influence is the main influence keeping Augmentation unobtrusive.

    Zhodani Culture

    In the Consulate, augmentation is a complex subject. On the one hand, the mastery of psionics has made the Consulate masters of psychosurgery, and the addition of cranial augmentations. Cybernetics that enhance psionic ability was developed two tech levels lower than it was in the Imperium. However, the psionic caste society of the Consulate represses the adoption of augmentation.

    Voluntary augmentation for reasons other than compensation for injury or debilitating conditions indicate a dissatisfaction with one’s body and is cause for re-education. The Prole class is scrutinized heavily, augmentation is strictly controlled to prevent the Proles from gaining an unnatural advantage. Intendants are likewise subject to surveillance. It is of uttmost importance by the Noble class that the psionic abilities of Intendants are developed through approved means, and not through technological or genetic modification. Nobles are constantly watching one another in the Consulate, looking for any leverage they can use on one another to gain social and political power without appearing “unmutually ambitious”. Augmentation to the Nobles are regarded as a potential vulnerability that outweighs the advantages they can provide.

    Solomani Culture

    The Solomani have embraced augmentation since even before they discovered Jump Drive. DNAM among Solomani colonies have given rise to dozens of sub-species of humaniti throughout charted space. In the Imperium, the Solomani culture pushes against Vilani traditionalism.

    The Solomani Movement resists the adoption of too much cybernetics, and just outright rejects DNAM. The Solomani Movement venerates the Solomani Human Genome and the core of their philosophy of Solmani Human Supremacy proclaims the “essential human form” is Solomani.

    In the Confederation, augmentation is tightly controlled by the Solomani Party. Politically this represses the resources available to any potential subversive groups that may arise within the Confederation.

    Aslan Culture

    In the Hierate and it’s client states, Augmentation is framed by Aslan Honor. Within the duelling socienty, if an Augment is judged to bestow an unfair advantage, it will either be disabled (if possible) or the disadvantaged duelist will be allowed equalizer to make the duel fair.

    Aslan otherwise have a practical opinion of augmentation, members of more prosperous clans able to afford better technology, and the less prosperous clans making do with what they are permitted by the stronger clans. Most augmentation for the weaker clans is intended to increase professional performance, while the more prosperous clans, similar to the Imperium, augment for attention and presentation.

    Aslan assassins often go through the most extensive augmentation, improving their physical ability, concealing weapons, improving their reflexts, and other augments for use in personal combat.

    Vargr Culture

    Vargr, being by their very nature highly individualistic and chaotic express the whole range of views regarding augmentation. Their opinion of cybernetic augmentation varies based on the pack and environment that is being queried. Most Vargr maintain that “so long as it produces the desired outcome, augmentation is just another tool in the box”. Even extensive cybernetic augmentation is generally accepted in the Extents.

    Having been uplifted to sentience by the Ancients, Vargr are far more causally comfortable with DNAM than other cultures in charted space. Whereas, for most peoples, altering their bodies through genetic engineering is a relatively recent development when compared to the age of civilization and the history of their culture, Vargr have been engineered from the point where they achieved sentience. The fact that several Vargr societies have developed DNAM technology on their own gives genegineering a measure of perceived Vargr control over their own destiny.

    Hive Federation Culture

    The Hive Federation often adjust their own views on augmentation based on the area they’re nearest to. For example, the systems that have steady interaction with the Two Thousand Worlds, the Hive Federation will adopt similarly restrained and conformist views regarding cybernetic augmentation and DNAM. However, for those systems that have regular contact with the Imperium and the Confederation, the Federation takes a far more accepting attitude (even a promotion of Chromed Augmentation to appeal to the influential communities in those polities)

    Travellers

    The exception to all of these cultures and societies are the Travellers. Whether a Traveller chromes themselves to the limits of their resources and their bodies, or pushes their genetic tolerance with extensive modification, Travellers seldom care about the opinions of society. The very nature of a Traveller’s life give them the freedom to move to a more accepting system, or take on professions where being extensively augmented is considered an advantage (such as mercenary work, or deep space exploration).

    We will be revisiting this topic next week, introducing some expanded house rules and some home-brewed cybernetics with which to tempt your players. Until then, have a happy Mayday! Traveller enters it’s Golden Year!

  • To Boldly Go

    To Boldly Go

    Building Chariots of the Gods

    The ships of Starfleet are heroes of the story almost as much as the people who crew them. With voice-interactive computers, holodecks, and by the 25th century, holographic crew, a Starfleet vessel (and presumedly, an Imperial Klingon Naval vessel, a Cardassian Union Vessel, an a Stellar Imperial Romulan Vessel) can have distinct personalities. In a Traveller game, most Starfleet vessels are firmly Capital Ship class, that is, over 10,000 dTons. Though there are plenty of smaller Adventure Class ships warping through subspace. The ubiquitous Runabouts stationed at DS9 are great examples of a Starfleet ship that masses about 100 or so dTons. For purposes of designing the navies in the Star Trek Universe, we’ll be leaning heavily on High Guard, and dipping into the Traveller Companion.

    Warp Speed!

    The Jump Distances in Traveller figure into Lightspeed (C) by a simple formula, Jump Value X 3.62 (light years) X 52 (weeks). For that week that a Traveller vesel is in jumpspace, they emerge at their destination at an effective speed of C (though the physics of Jump space vessels don’t actually travel faster than C).

    Once the speed in terms of C is known, Warp Speeds can be figured in different scales based on the era of Star Trek. In TOS and the TOS movies, the formula is the cube root of C. with no upper limit. In the TNG and later eras (though we haven’t heard much about the 32nd century’s scale.. more on that later), the formula is Warp Speed = Warp Factor 10/3 * C.

    When compared to Traveller, the various transluminal speeds look like this

    • Speed measured in C/ Jump Drive / TOS (Cochraine Scale) Warp / TNG (Okuda Scale) Warp
    • 189 C / Jump 1 / 5.74 / 4.82
    • 357 C/ Jump 2 / 7.23 / 5.83
    • 567 C / Jump 3 / 8.28 / 6.7
    • 755 C / Jump 4 / 9.11 / 7.3
    • 945 C / Jump 5 / 9.81 / 7.81
    • 1,135 C / Jump 6 / 10.43 / 8.25

    At one point, Voyager is reported at traveling at Warp 9.97 (Okuda Scale). This is roughly equal to Jump 25. Jump 8 allows crossing a subsector in a single jump. Which is Warp 11.18 (Cochraine) or Warp 8.99 (Okuda Scale).

    Whichever Warp Scale a Star Trek Campaign uses is only truly important in so far as the GM remains consistent. After all, in the series’ and the movies, the ships went as fast as they needed to go for the plot. Values were written to contrast the impression of speed. “Warp Factor 5” was relatively middle of the road. “Warp Factor 8” would often be accompanied by the sound effect of an engine hum to make it seem like the ship is pushing it’s limits. Since the Cochraine and Okuda scales differ, especially at the high end of the scale.

    Warp Drives and Dilithium

    The Warp 5 project started in the 22nd Century as chronicled in the Star Trek :Enterprise Series, at this time, the United Federation of Planets was not yet inaugurated, but Starfleet was in existance and acted as the Navy for a United Earth.

    By the 23rd Century, Warp Drives could routinely reach Warp 8 (on the Cochraine scale). And by the 24th Century, after adopting the Okuda Scale, Warp Drives could reach Warp 9.9 and higher.

    Warp Drives in Star Trek feature several fundamental differences from the Jump Drive in Traveller. Warp Drive does not leave the Spacetime it is in fully, instead it creates a Warp Bubble and travels through that subspace region to travel at superluminal speeds. Fuel for Star Trek vessels is not the massive holds of Hydrogen Feul that Traveller vessels use. Star Trek uses a much smaller mass of Antimatter (or in the case of the Romulan Imperial Star Navy, an artificial singularity). While the fuel for an Antimatter Power Plant does not demand as much fuel space as Hydrogen, but Star Trek ships are very hungry for power.

    Dilithium Crystal is a regulator of the matter/antimatter reaction. The crystals degrade through use and need to be refreshed often, so most vessels carry a supply of crystals. When that supply runs low, the vessel resupplies at a Starbase, or trades for fresh crystals at a nearby station or planet.

    For Star Trek Vessels, fuel capacity is measured in time rather than distance. The Warp Core (Power Plant) is the ship’s component that consumes both Antimatter and Dilithium Crystal. The Power Points the Warp Core generates, are what are spent in the Warp Drive, the Impulse Drive, shields, weapons, computers, life support, transporters, even the replicators. When designing a starship, most of the space that would be used for Fuel will likely be taken up by an expanded Power Plant.

    The Warp Drive functions the same as explained in High Guard pp. 80-81. It uses no feul, but a starship needs to generate power (with a starship the size of the TOS Constitution Class (60 dKTons) that runs into a little more than 10,000 power points) to use the Warp Drive.

    Shields Up! Arm Phasers! Load Photon Torpedoes!

    Most Star Trek vessels use Deflector Shields or Screens as their primary defense against weaponry. Using High Guard, Deflector Shields count as Improved Energy Shields in the 23rd Advanced Energy Shields (page 84). Most vessels designed for hazardous duty have multiple shields. Usually Six (Fore, Aft, Starboard, Port, Dorsal and Ventral which can overlap to cover each other.

    Phaser Banks function close to the rules found for Tachyon Cannon Bays in High Guard pp 82-83. In general Phaser Banks are higher powered and more versatile than Disruptors. In the 23rd Century, Phaser weapons are only used by the Federation and their allies. The rest of the Galaxy was using Disruptors. By the 24th Century, most every navy in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants had adopted Phaser technology for their starships.

    Disruptors are very common in the 23rd and 24th Centuries. Relatively simple to design and maintain compared to Phasers, Disruptors follow the rules found for Plasma-pulse Cannon Bays in High-Guard pp 82-83. Even in the 24th Century, when the navies of the Major Empires in the Alpha and Beta Quadrant have adopted Phaser weaponry as their primary weapons systems, Disruptors remain common for system and colonial defense fleets, merchants operating in hazardous regions, and of course, pirate syndicates.

    Photon Torpedoes, and the late 24th century development of Quantum Torpedoes were pioneered by the Federation. By the late 23rd Century, Photon Torpedoes had been engineered and adopted by the Klingon Empire.

    • Photon Torpedo
    • Tech Level: 23rd Century
    • Thrust: 15
    • Damage: 4DD
    • Power: 50
    • Traits: Smart, AP 15
    • Quantum Torpedo
    • Tech Level: 24th Century
    • Thrust: 15
    • Damage 8DD
    • Power: 75
    • Traits: Smart, AP15, Burst 10

    Photon Torpedoes use the rules for Antimatter Torpedoes in High Guard pp 39-41. By the 24th Century, the mass of a Photon Torpedo is reduced to 20% of it’s older design. That is, a 24th Century torpedo masses 15 torpedoes per ton. In the 24th Century, the photon torpedo launcher are capable of launching volleys of 10 torpedoes (use the trait AF10). Quantum Torpedoes have a greater yield and to reflect this, double the damage characteristic (12D). 23rd Century vessels are restricted to Barbettes and Small Torpedo Bays. 24th Century Vessels can mount Medium Torpedo Bays. In either era, only installations the size of Starbases or Deep Space Stations can mount Large Torpedo Bays. In the 24th Century, Torpedo Barbettes and Torpedo Bays are designed to be loaded with either Photon or Quantum Torpedoes.

    Plasma Torpedoes are a weapon infamously developed by the Romulan Star Empire. These weapons were first developed in the 23rd Century and had enormous destructive power at close ranges, but their damage fell off at longer ranges, eventually dissipating entirely.

    • Plasma Torpedo
    • Tech Level: 23rd Century
    • Thrust: 10
    • Damage: 6DD Adjacent/ 5DD Close/ 4DD Short/ 3DD Medium/ 2DD Long/ 1DD Very Long/ No Damage at Distant Range
    • Power: 90
    • Traits: Smart, Enveloping

    Enveloping Trait: The enveloping trait applies damage to every active shield upon detonation.

    By the 24th century some ships designed explicetly for battle began to carry spinal mount weapons. The Romulan Star Empire had refined their plasma torpedo into a powerful beam weapon that could deliver punishing blasts without the limitations of launching a boiling ball of plasma.

    • Plasma Beam Spinal Mount
    • Tech Level: 24th century
    • Range: Very Long
    • Damage: +14D
    • Power: +6000
    • Traits: AP 15, Auto 10

    Cloaks and Holodecks

    A technology developed in the mid-23rd century by the Romulan Star Empire, the Cloaking Device is just as infamous as the Plasma Torpedo. In fact, the two were initially designed to work in tandem with one another. Coming out of cloak to launch a torpedo at close range and returning to cloak to avoid return fire and position for the next attack.

    By the end of the 23rd Century, an exchange of Naval technology between the Romulan Star Empire and the Klingon Empire gave cloking technology to the Imperial Klingon Navy, and a fleet of mothballed D-7 Battlecruisers to the Romulan Star Navy. The Klingon cloaking device is in general less effective and less efficient than the Romulan. By the Khitomer Conferences, Starfleet had become very good at uncovering the Klingon cloak. While the Romulans continued to develop and refine their cloaked navy into the following centuries, presumably all the way to Unification.

    • Romulan Star Navy Cloak
    • Tech Level: 23rd Century
    • Stealth Effect: -15 to Sensor checks
    • Power: 50 per 1,000 dtons
    • Imperial Klingon Navy Cloak
    • Tech Level: 23rd Century
    • Stealth Effect: -10 to Sensor checks
    • Power: 100 per 1,000 dtons
    • Advanced Romulan Star Navy Cloak
    • Tech Level: 24th Century
    • Stealth Effect -25 to Sensor checks
    • Power: 75 per 1,000 dtons

    Replicators in the 23rd century produce nutritional food for every species on board ship. The fare focuses on compatibility, and primarily serves the needs of the species that comprise the polity the ship serves, and have a secondary capacity to serve guests and passengers. The fare is passable and is served in a variety of shapes and colors (looking very much like a ’60s version of “future food”)

    In the 24th century, replicators are advanced enough to accommodate the cuisine and tastes and cultural preferences of the person entering the order. The 24th century replicator also incorporates transporter technology. The food is generated and prepared within the recycling and reclamation matrix at the molecular level, heated (or cooled) to the desired temperature (again through molecular excitement within the reclamation matrix) and immediately transported to a micro transporter pad at the user interface. The ship’s computer maintains an extensive database of recipies as well as the personal modifications from more creative crewmembers.

    There are, of course limitations, Klingons, Kzinti and Gorn often complain that replicators do not produce live food convincingly, and their navies often maintain stasis holds with live prey to satisfy their instincts.

    By the 24th century, positronic computers have allowed for convincing personal interactions, and a combination of holographic emitters, localized electromagnetic force and specialized replicator use have resulted in the development of the Holodeck. Spartan navies like the Imperial Klingon Navy, Romulan Star Navy, (Cardassian) Union Navy and others consider Holodecks at best a frivolity and at worst a distraction. They do make use of the technology for shipboard training, and interrogation, but seldom for recreation.

    Starfleet, on the other hand has a Holodeck on nearly every vessel by the end of the 24th century. Some ships, like the Galaxy class have several. Smaller ships may be restricted to a tiny conference room, but Holodecks are a part of the crew morale and restoration policy. Ships that do not have a Holodeck are frequently directed to starbases or facilities with Holosuites to relieve the tension of long patrols away from suitable shore leave planets.

    A Campaign’s Ship is both Character and Home

    In a Star Trek campaign, the ship the characters serve aboard is as important and colorful as the characters themselves. When voyaging between stars, the ship is the characters’ self-contained world. When at the adventure destination, the ship becomes a base of operations, a source of supplies. While a given team of player-characters can be promoted (or demoted) to different ships, the nature of the Star Trek setting encourages each assignment to last long enough that the characters identify with the ship.

    Even in the 23rd century, a ship’s computer is capable of interacting on a personal level. Quirks can develop in a ship’s operating system through extended use as the ship’s database of personal logs, psychological and medical data and communications grow. In most cases these quirks are purged with routine overhauls and upgrades, however, some may persist, giving the character’s ship a distinct “voice” and persona to interact with. Most of the time, the ship is compelled to service of the crew. (Especially following the M5 incident, no one in Starfleet had a great desire to give command control over to the ships’ computer). But there are rare exceptions where the ship’s computer may become more insistent in it’s “service” requests phrased almost as orders, advice colored with agendas. It is up to the GM, and the players as to how much personality they would like their ship to have. With the addition of Holographic Crew, a ship’s computer could have one or more instances of itself among the crew, performing duties.

    Now, boldly go where no one has gone before!

  • A Sufficiently Advanced Technology

    A Sufficiently Advanced Technology

    Technological Marvels of The Star Trek Universe

    The major empires of the Star Trek Universe, even during the 23rd century (the era of Starfleet’s “Five-Year Missions”) displayed a Tech Level around 15. In the 24th and early 25th centuries that mean Tech Level does not change all that much. In Traveller, or at least in the Dezzy Traveller Universe, Tech Level is presumed to lie on a logrithmic scale, with each higher tech level representing exponentially more development than the previous. The scaling is mostly abstract, blending the existing scale of benchmarks with arbitrary assumptions. Traveller and Star Trek both are realms of imagination, and the rules sometimes don’t count.

    This causes a bit of a challenge when modelling Star Trek technology into Traveller terms. As mentioned, most of the Star Trek Universe is around TL 15. That gives a good “feel” to the far future technology. Impulse Drives, Computer Systems, Sensors, and such. Still, there are well established Star Trek technologies that are far beyond Traveller’s definition of TL 15. Antimatter, for example is TL 20 in Traveller, but it’s a fundamental power source in Star Trek. The common (though finicky) Transporter is TL 19. But the societies remain relatable to our 20th century experiences. I tend to equate most technologies in Star Trek to feel like the 3rd Imperium around 1105. Powerful personal computers, communicators, orbital and deep-space habitats. Gravity manipulation, all are pretty common for everyone wandering around the core systems of the various empires in Star Trek.

    We’ll Save Starships for Next Week

    There is an entire article that can be written about building the starships in Star Trek. Modelling Shields, Naval Weaponry, Warp Speeds and the like. We’ll address those next week. For this essay, I’m going to try to stick to more personal technology. The type that player-characters would be using on adventures.

    Tricorder Readings, Communicators, and the Universal Translator

    Let’s start with computers. The Tricorder is, in effect a portable computer with some high-end sensors, regardless of the Tricorder’s configuration (there are differences between the various specialty Tricorders, but overall, the function and hardware of a Tricorder remains constant). In Traveller, I’d call the Tricorder a TL 15 portable computer, that ranges in size between the pouch-portable box from the 23rd century all the way to a hand held carton in the 24th century that can fit in a convenient pocket. The Tricorder would have Computer/6 processing (which would allow it to support 6 Bandwith worth of software packages) and will be issued pre loaded with the Expert processes that reinforce the Tricorder’s purpose. It masses between roughly 1.5 kg (for the old box on a strap) to maybe .1 kg. It has incorporated in it’s hardware, a variety of sensors. Densinometers, Geiger Counters, Bioscanners, Neural Activity Scanners, EM Probes and even more specialized sensors. Tricorders are furthermore capable of analyzing data they have gathered through their sensors and data from a seperate computer (like a ships’ computer, or a mainframe) and using their Expert processes, draw conclusions and even limited speculation.

    Communicators also vary in size. From the hand held devices with a flip screen antenna of the 23rd Century to the badge communicators of the 24th and 25th. They are uniformly small, and their mass, even as the hand-held communicator, is negligible. Communicators have an orbital range and are powerful and sophisticated enough to transmit and receive through all but the most intense interference. Of course, most people who use Fleet issued communicators (whether Starfleet, the Imperial Klingon Navy, the Cardassian Navy and so on..) often are trying to use their communicator within the most intense interference. Apart from the communicator’s form, the only real difference between 23rd Century and 24th Century communicators is the integrated Universal Translator. A communicator also has an integrated Computer/1 (23rd century) or Computer/3 (24/25th century). 23rd century communicators commonly have the Intelligent Interface Software Package installed, so the user can flip it open and open communications with a spoken phrase. 24th century communicators add Intellect/1 and Translator/1

    The Universal Translator in the 23rd century is a self contained device around .5kg and is portable. By the 24th century communicators have Universal Translators (as already mentioned). The Universal Translator is a Computer/3 with Translator/1, Intellect/1 and Intelligent Interface software packages. Most ship’s computers in the Star Trek universe have the software packages for Universal Translators loaded as part of their general software. Which allows for verbal and written communication on board ship without the need for a separate device

    Phasers, Disruptors, and Other Things That Go “Pew-Pew”

    Energy weapons in the Star Trek Universe are very effective and deadly. Energy weapons configured as pistols, carbines or rifles have effectively unlimited ammunition for any given engagement. Exhausting a weapon’s charge is a complication the GM introduces in a given scenario.

    Disruptor style weapons (the type used primarily by the Klingon and Romulan Empires, the Cardassian Union, and pirate syndicates) simply incapacitate on a successful hit. If such a target isn’t given immediate first aid, the target will die. Assuming the weapon doesn’t disintegrate the target outright. Whether or not a target is vaporized by a disruptor blast is a matter of the intensity the weapon’s output is set at. Sometimes, you need a body after shooting it.

    Phaser weapons are far more versatile than disruptors. In combat, a phaser can be set to “stun” which will, upon a successful hit, incapacitate most targets (some especially large, robust, or strong targets can resist a phaser set to stun). A target incapacitated by a phaser’s stun setting is rendered unconscious for ten to fifteen minutes before recovering with a really nasty headache. A hypospray injection of a stimulant will wake a stunned target immediately (with the same nasty headache).

    When set to kill or disintegrate, a phaser functions in the same manner as a disruptor weapon. Unlike disruptors, a phaser can also be used to cut or burn through hardened materials or heat objects until they glow and provide heat similar to a campfire (useful in a survival situation). There is a smaller phaser configuration, the Phaser I, which is a palm-sized weapon, easily concealable and non threatening. These small phasers are limited in effective accuracy and charge. Phaser I can support roughly 20 discharges on stun setting, 10 on kill setting, 5 on disintigrate setting. It can maintain a heated object for one hour per remaining charge, and can cut through up to 5 meters of reinforced bulkhead over the course of 10 minutes.

    In Traveller terms, the disruptor weapons are TL 16 (like a Disintegrator), and phaser weapons are TL 17.

    Armor

    Personal armor is uncommon, but not unheard of. Starfleet Security often wears reinforced uniforms with close-fitting helmets. Klingon warriors wear heavy mesh armor as a part of their uniform. Cardassians have distinctive breastplates. Romulan junior officers often wear close fitting helmets.

    In an environment of energy weapons that kill or disintegrate when they hit, this seems like a needless extravagance. However, a great deal of personal combat is done hand to hand with clubs, knives or unarmed strikes. In these instances, having a solid helmet or a reinforced tunic might turn a blade or cushion a blow. Most armor would fall into the categories of Jack or Mesh. Maybe in extreme cases like the Breen, Combat Armor.

    Vacc Suits, or Hostile Environment Suits are also very common. They usually impose negligible encumbrance on the wearer and can be outfitted with a wide variety of sensors, computers and communications devices. Powered armor, like Battle Dress is not a common sight, even the Jem’Hadar, the Dominion’s endless ranks of ground troops do not use powered armor.

    Medical Technology

    In addition to the Medical Tricorder, most medical officers carry a first aid kit with a hypospray and a pharmacy of medications used in the field. With Transporters being common, first aid is intended to stabilize a patient long enough to be transported to a medical bed in sick bay. This colors the medkit.

    Medkits in the Star Trek Universe are TL 15, and provide a +3 DM to any check to perform first aid. This means that even an unskilled person can use a medkit to attempt first aid with their non-proficiency penalty fully balanced by the supplies and the instruments in the medkit. When attending to a dying patient (all physical characteristics reduced to zero) a successful first aid attempt using a medkit will stabilize the patient, returning one of their physical characteristics to 1 immediately.

    Medkits in the 24th century have mico-replicators that when used with a Medical Tricorder can replicate dosage for any medical drug needed at the time. In the 23rd century, medkits contain doses of the following drugs for the hypospray

    • Anti-Rad
    • Medical Fast Drug (slows patient metabolism by a factor of 60:1 Placing them in a state of suspended animation for prolonging life support) 60 days pass while the patient subjectively experiences a single day.
    • Universal Vaccines, Antibiotics and Antivirals
    • Panaceas
    • Medical Slow Drug (increases patient metabolism by a factor of 30.) A medical bed or sickbay is necessary to make use of this drug. The patient will experience 30 days of accelerated healing in a single day. However unless treated with the resources of a medical bed (normally inducing a coma) the increased metabolism will cook the patient’s internal organs and brain.
    • Stims
    • Non-Federation medkits also have a supply of Combat Drugs.

    Resistance is Futile

    The Borg break a lot of these assumptions. They are cybernetically enhanced, networked into a communal matrix, and in general use higher Tech than the other empires in the galaxy. While the empires in Alpha and Beta Quadrants are around TL 15 by the 24th Century, the Borg are closer to TL 19 or 20. Borg technology is a bit beyond the scope of this short article, but GMs can feel free to use whatever unfair advantage their devious little hearts can dream up when sending The Borg after their player characters.

    A Glance Into the 32nd Century

    In the post-burn galaxy of the 32nd Century, the Star Trek Universe has advanced to at least TL 20. Teleporters are commonly used for inter-ship and inter-facility instantaneous travel. Programmable Matter can generate any needed device with just a command. Artificially designed sentience is self-replicating and have become species’ unto themselves.

    Until next time, Go Boldly, Live Long, and Prosper!

  • Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations

    Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations

    Using Traveller to Run a Star Trek Campaign (Part 2)

    The Galaxy of Star Trek has a bewildering variety of new life and new civilizations for a crew of player characters to seek out as they boldly go where no one has gone before. Especially in a Starfleet centered campaign that diversity will be front and center on display. Using the Traveller rules, it is not difficult to create a species for players to use. Modiphius has also recently published a Species Sourcebook for Star Trek Adventures, which is an excellent resource (obviously) for adapting the different species to Traveller.

    Vulcans Break the System

    When running a Star Trek game, character balance is not the point. Species are not all created equal. Vulcans (and Romulans) I’m looking at you.

    Vulcans (even mixed-species Vulcans like Mister Spock) have big bonuses to Strength, Endurance, Intellect, Education and have Psionic training in their backgrounds. Though I think Vulcans are limited to Telepathy and probably Awareness. I cant think of any Vulcans displaying Clairvoiyance, Telekinesis or Teleportation.

    As mentioned last week, the Vulcan Science Academy is exclusive to Vulcan students, and is a far better University than what other educational institutions offer. Vulcans also live over 200 years (on average), sometimes approaching 300. Add to this the “Vulcan Nerve Pinch” which could be a variation of Telepathic Assault with the range reduced to Personal. This also conveniently explains why non-Vulcans cannot normally perform the attack.

    Humans and near-Humans

    Most of the sophonts in the Trek Universe are human (at least in the Federation) are “human”. They may be from Rigel or Proxima, or Utopia or any number of colonies and systems that present human parallel evolution. For purposes of species, these all count as Human. Cultural and Ethnic diversity can account for different background skills, but for purposes of Starfleet characters, they count as human.

    Near humans are those non-human species that are so similar to humans that, like human characters only minor changes to their background abilities are really necessary. Betazoids, Bajorans, Cardassians, Orions are examples. They are not especially more or less strong, dextrous, intelligent, etc.. than humans. Their cultures make relatively minor adjustments to their character generation (Betazoids, for example, start with Psionic Training and Telepathy presented as reading emotions)

    Uplifted species like Terran Dolphins, Great Apes and Beluga also work well in Star Trek (just travel down to Cetacean Ops and party with Lieutenants Kimolu and Matt if a wanna know). Traveller already has templates for uplifted Terran species so adapting to Star Trek becomes that much easier. In the Star Trek Dezzyverse I’d allow Vargr because they are, in the Traveller Universe, an uplifted species from Terran Wolves. Also, I like Vargr and I think they ‘re neat. After all, if a Ferengi can join StarFleet, a rough-around-the-mange Vargr can join too.

    Non-Humans and Aliens

    Non humans are a category of sophonts that have fundamentally different characteristics and abilities from humans. Kzinti, Gorn, Ferengi, Klingons, Andorians, Tellarites. They are in general different enough from human that they have positive and negative Characteristic adjustments and abilities. The Kzinti in particular have a strong parallel in Traveller with the Aslan.

    Especially as the Star Trek Universe expands into more, shall we call them “Mileus” the variety and expanse of represented species expands far beyond the human and-near human. Star Trek Crew can venture beyond the humanoid, or even carbon-based forms. In one of the Star Trek comic book series, there is a Horta Bridge Officer on the Enterprise for a time. There’s a Medusan and a Brikar who join Starfleet in Star Trek: Prodigy. Some of these more extreme examples may be a challenge to model, but, like with Vulcans mentioned earlier, game balance is really not the point. Just work with your players to make something interesting and fun that satisfies their character idea.

    Of course, when discussing non-humans, Star Trek has plenty of examples of artificial, or engineered life. Androids like Data, Photonics like SAM, Ex Borg, Cyborg, the list goes on and on. In Traveller there are multiple resources to model these forms of life. From the rules in the Robot Handbook all the way through the campaign adventure Singularity. Of course, this brings up the question of Starfleet’s Tech Level, which we’ll be covering next week.

    Infinite Combinations

    The thing I absolutely love about the direction Star Trek has gone in Strange New Worlds, Discovery, and Starfleet Academy is how the Federation and Starfleet are no longer presented as majority human. It was impractical back in the 1960s and even the 80s and 90s to have too many radically non-human characters. And even the diversity, especially in the Original Series and Next Generation era was mostly focused on Earth culture of the time. James Kirk was famously from Iowa, William Riker, Alaska, Pavel Chekov was Russian and Nyota Uhura was Kenyan.

    As Star Trek has developed, not only were the species of the characters expanded, but where they came from got a more attention. Tasha Yar was from a colony where public security had broken down completely, Worf was an orphan raised by a human Russian couple, Deep Space Nine dealt with people recovering from a brutal Cardassian Occupation, Voyager XO Chakotay came from Trebus colony, Seven of Nine was a colonist from Tendara colony (before she was assimilated and subsequently recovered from the Borg). The point here is that players should be encouraged to explore the breadth of Star Trek’s potential through their character’s culture instead of leaning heavily on present-day cultural stereotypes. Nothing is entirely wrong with being proud of where you were raised, but Chekov has pretty much overdone the stereotypical over-the-top Russian for everyone at this point. If a player wishes to use an Earth culture (even if it’s a transplanted Earth culture onto a distant colony world), just tread lightly. Remember that if an existing culture is being used, real people, some of whom may be at your table, or at your convention, or are in your local Star Trek gaming community may belong to that culture. Be respectful.

    The existing promise of Star Trek, the Federation, and Starfleet is that all of these cultures, all of these People can coexist and work together. There is still conflict, and there are still a host of prejudices that the peoples of the Star Trek Universe continue to hold in their hearts. But the hope remains that the future continues to progress towards inclusion and diversity. Live Long and Prosper!

  • Into the Black

    Into the Black

    Tell Them I’m Not Coming Back

    In the World Builder’s Handbook, there is a section regarding “empty” parsecs on Traveller navigational maps. In summary, “empty” parsecs are anything but. It’s likely more accurate to describe these parsecs as non-commercial. There are no easily navigable stars to jump toward, or gravity wells for maneuver drives to interact with. The result for ships jumping in is the promise of a difficult arrival in system, and a long, slow acceleration to go anywhere.

    These same circumstances apply in parsecs that have systems with active travel. Except that most jump and maneuver traffic never venture beyond the primary system’s gravity well.

    As described in the World Builder’s Handbook, there are plenty of potential gravity anchors to jump to. White Dwarfs, Brown Dwarfs, Rogue Planets (including Gas Giants), Asteroids are just a few, in a volume of more than 30 cubic light years, there is abundant room to add objects to draw Travellers into their next adventure.

    Bridging the Gap

    Some empty parsecs lie between two (or more) trading mains in a region. It is possible, even probable that Jump 1 traders would simply carry enough extra fuel (sacrificing cargo space, or using external fuel bladders) to make the extra jumps in series. However, in those parsecs that experience heavy pass-through traffic, a bridge station can be built.

    At minimum, a bridge station is the equivalent to a Class C Starport. Capable of docking 6,666.27 dTons of ships at once. They are often in orbit around Brown Dwarfs or Gas Giants and maintains a small fleet of skimmers to pull unrefined fuel off the high regions of the atmospheres. Bridge Stations that are heavily traveled will incorporate Fuel Refineries to offer Refined Fuel.

    Bridge stations will also have some basic maintenance facilities for civilian ships. Prices are often elevated, often double the normal cost of maintenance and repair elsewhere, but when a ship needs repair in-between established systems, the Captain pays what they need to in order to keep flying. Crew Accommodations, Brokerages, Storage, Hiring Halls, and an a variety of services are built into bridge stations. A successful bridge station eventually expands to accommodate nearly any service that a trader and their crew might need.

    Microjumping

    It is difficult and dangerous to jump within a parsec. As described in the World Builder’s Handbook, jumping through a cluster has a 1D penalty to Astrogation checks that changes every day. Jumping within a parsec would suffer a similar penalty. Jump computers aren’t designed for such short jumps, and work best when using a gravity anchor to calibrate arrival from out of Jump Space.

    Regardless of the distance jumped, a ship will spend ~168 hours in Jump Space. Fuel consumption for the jump is equal to 40% + 1Dx10% of a full Jump-1. These microjumps are impractical for any distance below 1 LY. (which is roughly (very roughly) ~ 25% of the distance across the breadth of a parsec). A microjump does not save time and is not fuel efficient. But, there are times where jumping to locations within the parsec is necessary.

    Pirate Bridges

    Pirate fleets, if they enjoy enough success, or become large enough can use an empty parsec as a location for a hidden bridge. A base station where pirate vessels can strike from and escape to. These pirate bridges also serve as a trading hub for stolen cargo, mixing and obfuscating the goods to a point where it becomes nearly impossible to track their theft. “Pirate” brokers negotiate sales of stolen cargo to willing buyers.

    It would seem, from an overview of an empty parsec on a subsector or sector map, that establishing a pirate bridge would be easy, even inevitable, to discover by the local Navies, and subsequently eliminated. After all, if a known pirate fleet uses Jump 2 ships to attack trade lanes, and there is an empty parsec within Jump 2 of several victimized systems. The Naval authorities can easily triangulate the parsec and send an anti-piracy task force to eliminate the threat.

    Keep in mind, a parsec is a volume of 30 ly3. enough space that can contain thousands of Sol-type star systems. As Douglas Adams famously said,

    “Space is big, it (the Guide) says. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” (Why yes, I was looking for an excuse to use the famous quote from Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy and I apologize for nothing.)

    Point being there’s a lot of space in space, and using Maneuver Drives, even the fastest Maneuver Drives need centuries to cross a single light year. So, unless the precise coordinates of the pirate bridge can be uncovered, simply knowing which parsec it floats in won’t reveal it’s location.

    Toll Bridge, Troll Bridge

    Building a bridge station is extremely expensive. Materials are sourced from the target parsec as much as possible. Because of this, many bridge stations are built within buffeted asteroids towed into orbit around a rogue gas giant. Even using raw materials mined from nearby sources, manufactured components need to be delivered from outside the parsec. Which is an intense logistics effort.

    Once operational, bridge stations charge premium fees for services. Nickel-and-diming ships that come through for everything, from berthing fees, fueling, and resupply, to restaurant meals, bar drinks, and rest stations. Think about the services (hotels, restaurants, bars) that surround major airports, or the services offered within major airports.

    Pirates often lurk near the jump points to the bridge station, obstructing incoming ships and extorting a “toll” for access to the station. These pirates don’t hijack or take their victim’s entire cargo. That would attract too much attention from the station’s security and reduce overall traffic.

    The same logistical challenges to build a bridge station in an empty parsec also affect protecting the station. Every security ship docked with the station, takes up docking space that can be used for revenue. Thus, bridge stations will keep as few vessels as possible on patrol at the station. Most of the time a single System Defense Boat, or a small squadron of Light or Heavy Fighters. Most of the time it’s easier (and cheaper) just to pay protection to the regional pirate fleet.

    Getting a message out from a bridge station to a neighboring parsec takes a minimum of one week. The response to that message will take a second week. Thus, for fourteen days, bridge stations in empty parsecs are on their own in an emergency.

  • Quick, Send in the Clones

    Quick, Send in the Clones

    They’re Already Here

    Cloning has been a part of Science Fiction for a century. Pod people, Engineered populations, Teleportation accidents, Parallel dimensions, the ways clones are imagined go on and on. The literary vehicle of clones and cloning has been used to explore the questions of identity, personhood, and society

    Traveller is no different. There have always been clones in Traveller. Every way that clone could be grown in fiction can be found somewhere in Charted Space. But for purposes of this essay, we’re going to focus on “engineered” clones. That is, clones created from genetic material from a host and grown in an artificial womb. The technology required for this method of creating clones is fairly low. TL 10. This will produce a viable clone, reliably, as an infant after a normal gestation.

    There Should be Clones

    Creating a clone-baby of yourself isn’t any more expensive than any other artificial method of gestation (at least at TL 10). Roughly KCr 50 depending on where the procedure is performed. This process does not include accelerated gestation or growth. The parent donates some cells, and 40 weeks later, there’s a newborn clone baby.

    Accelerating gestation and growth brings risk and costs credits. At TL 10 or 11, accelerated gestation reduces the reliability of producing a viable clone. Starting at TL 12, gestation can be accelerated to 80% of normal gestation for the cloned species. That time can be further reduced at higher Tech Levels; TL 13 = 60%, TL 14 = 40% and at TL 15 = 20%.

    For human clones this becomes 40 weeks at TL 10-11, 32 weeks at TL 12, 24 weeks at TL 13, 16 weeks at TL 14 and 8 weeks at TL 15.

    Starting at TL 13, a clone’s growth can be accelerated to physical maturity during gestation. (this is 18 years for many species, including Humans). This results in the newborn clone being born with the host’s STR, DEX, END, and INT stats being equal to the value they were when the host was 18. The SOC value will be addressed later (because the different people of Charted Space have opinions regarding Clones, few of them positive.) EDU, unless the clone is subjected to uploaded education and training, it’s EDU begins at 0 (like a newborn infant). Clones can be educated in a similar manner to other members of their society. Usually 12 years of primary education. Which will result in an EDU of 2D when they are ready to pursue Pre-Career Education (which would make most force-matured Human Clones 13 year old).

    Subjecting the clone to accelerated gestation and growth negatively affects their aging. Accelerating Gestation adds a Term of service when calculating aging effects. Accelerating growth adds a second term. One does not necessarily need the other. Accelerated growth can be induced with full-term gestation.

    When a clone reaches maturity there is a possibility for variance in the clone’s characteristics from their host. Roll 8+ for STR, DEX, END, and INT with a -2 DM for accelerated gestation and a -2 DM for accelerated growth. On a success, the characteristic value is equal to the value of the host for that characteristic at ate 18. On a failure, roll Flux and apply the result to the characteristic. If the result reduces the characteristic below 2 or above 15, the clone is unviable and the process needs to start anew.

    Accelerating gestation costs KCr 20. Accelerating Growth costs KCr 50.

    During gestation, a clone’s STR, DEX, END and INT can be increased at a cost of KCr 10 per point of increase. The cost for increasing the clone’s stats are paid and applied before rolling for variance.

    Flux is a die mechanic borrowed from Traveller5.10. Roll 2 dice, one designated “Light” and the other “Dark”. Subtract the value of the Dark die from the Light. This will produce a probability curve equal to 2D6 with a value range between -5 and +5 with a mean value of 0.

    This process for creating clones is different from the process found in Traveller5.10 and the Robot Handbook. This process is not a replacement for either. It is a framework of an option that can be built on.

    Clone Show

    At TL 12 a sophont’s personality can be recorded (and edited). This allows for a newborn clone before they can develop their own personality (a “blank”, as is commonly called) to be imprinted with a prerecorded (and possibly edited) personality. Also at TL 12, Wafer Jacks can be implanted to provide immediate (if temporary) skill. At TL 14 this process can be made permanent and non-invasive through neural induction.

    Accelerated creche training is a combination of educational immersion, subconscious learning, and enhanced indoctrination. At TL12, the process cuts the time needed to complete primary education in half, six years instead of twelve. At TL13 the process cuts the time requirement by half again, 3 years. At TL 14 the process is reduced to a mere year-and-a-half. However, creche training, while providing the background skills common to most societal requirements, does not provide any socialization.

    At TL 14, it becomes possible to imprint a persona and the memories and skills of the host to a clone body. This process costs MCr 10 per term of service the host has experienced. The process takes a half-year (182 standard days) per term imprinted. After imprinting, the clone will have an EDU score equal to the host’s.

    Clones in Society

    Since the inception of cloning technology, clones have been considered something other than a naturally born, or artificially born individual that conforms to a species’ reproductive method. For clones created through the engineering process we have been exploring in this essay, most cultures (Imperial going back to the Ziru Sirka, Confederation, etc..) visible markings (sometimes open, other times, discrete, depending on the clone’s purpose) are recorded on their bodies.

    Still, even with clones whose bodies lack such identifying marks, they can still be identified genetically by any facility of TL 10 or more. Specific identification requires a more rigorous genetic examination that relies on the Tech Level of the examiner’s equipment being equal to or greater than the Tech Level that created the clone. Once identified as such, the clone’s SOC Characteristic is reduced by 1, once the information becomes public knowledge. Sometimes the reduction in Social Standing is more extreme, based on the circumstances of the society at the time.

    For example, there is a “Solomani Purity” faction within the Solomani Movement. They have a strong dislike of clones, considering them a debasement of the Solomani genetic legacy. Clones in environments where The Solomani Purity faction enjoys influence and power in society suffer a -3 penalty to their Social Standing.

    The Domain of Vland covers much of the old Ziru Sirka and is very tradition bound. The culture surrounding clones is similarly restrictive due to the implications on family structure. Clones in this Domain suffer a -2 Penalty to their Social Standing.

    Some locations, mostly frontier sectors like the Spinward Marches or Reaver’s Deep do not suffer the same prejudices for clones. Out in these younger societies, the need for population exceeds the “luxury” of judging how the citizens came to be. Social Standing may not be affected by a clone’s origin.

    As ugly as it may be, slavery and indentured servitude remain common institutions in the various polities of Charted Space. Clones can be created and engineered for the express purpose of being a disposable population that can be used for labor exploitation. Or cheap, cannon-fodder armies. Clones that are engineered for this purpose are often prominently marked as such and have a SOC of 0. The “Underworker” from the Robot Handbook for Mongoose 2nd edition for an example.

    Clones of Clones of Clones.

    Sometimes, especially in the black markets, Clones are not made from original sources. Sometimes, genetic material is taken from an existing clone to make a new generation of clones. As this process iterates, the later generations of clones become less viable and more subject to mutation and recession.

    When checking for “variance” as described above, add a -2 DM for each clone iteration after the original host. Furthermore, if variance is present, apply a -1 DM to the Flux Roll for every clone iteration after the first. EVEN furthermore, iterated clones suffer an extra Term for every clone iteration after the first for purposes of Aging Rolls. Finally, the referee can add any number of creative mutations, mostly harmful, but, on occasion, beneficial. Genetic Dynasties have an expiration date.

    I, Clone

    Playing a clone as a character is similar in many respects to playing a Robot. Clones can be partially engineered, and creating a clone as a character can be a process similar to creating a robot.

    Or, a player can generate a character’s characteristics normally (rolling 2D for each Characteristic) and choose to declare that the resulting character at Age: 18 is a clone and proceed with their life path from there. Using this method, the player can apply some of the methods discussed in this article. Accelerated gestation and/or growth. adjusting their lifepath accordingly. (I think it’s mentioned that a human clone that has benefited from accelerated gestation and growth is 13 years old when they select their Background Skills).

    Players can also chose to consider their lifepath generation to be partially or completely with accelerated creche training. With this option, any term generated this way does not receive an Event, or a Mustering Out Benefit. Failing a Survival check for a term can either mean the clone proved inviable, and the process needs to start over, or the Mishap can be read in the context of a complication from the training process.

    Using an implanted persona and memories will generate Term Events, but Allies, Contacts, and Enemies that result are the associations with the original host. The clone is aware of those NPCs, but how they react to the clone’s new lease on life may be different than what the player would normally expect.

    Finally, all cloning costs are borne by someone. Either the host (and is thus deducted from the host’s Credit Balance, or the institution that created the clone, or as debt the clone owes someone for the cost of it’s creation (often a method of control used against a clone population).

    Happy Cloning!

  • Dancing at the End of Time

    Dancing at the End of Time

    The cosmic struggle between Law and Chaos comes to Traveller

    Somewhen in spacetime. Outside of the linear flow that most sentients experience, parallel to the physical universe and the higher dimension known as jumpspace, there is a place where the original creators have long since transcended beyond their Technological Singularity. Still the pocket dimension remains, where spacetime, quantum mechanics, and the fundamental forces of the universe are but tools that can change the state of matter and energy here for those who know how to use them.

    Its known by many names over the breadth of the Multiverse; Tanelorn, Shamballah, Xanadu, the Q Continuum, the Nexus, the Convergence, and untold others, but for purposes of this essay we’ll refer to this pocket dimension by the evocative term;

    The End of Time

    Law, Chaos, and the Balance

    Tension between the Cosmic forces of Law and Chaos play out over uncountable universes. Law is the force in the multiverse that gives structure and order. Law is what enforces the fundamental interactions of gravity, magnetism, matter, Law dictates the motion of the universe. Chaos is the entropy that permits change and endless variation throughout the universe. Without Law, nothing would exist within a stable form, everything would be a protean miasma of continual, unending permutations. Without Chaos, nothing would ever change, life would end, death would end, the universe would calcify into an unending singularity. For the universe, even the multiverse to exist at all, Law and Chaos must co-exist and the tension between them being the source of all motion. This state of tension is referred to as the Cosmic Balance.

    Cosmic Balance is never absolute, nor permanent. It is always shifting toward Law or Chaos as the influence of these poles wax and wane within any given expression of the multiverse. When Law or Chaos becomes too dominant, the Cosmic Balance is lost, and the Universe there spirals towards destruction.

    This, for the most part is beyond the scope of most Traveller Campaigns, it’s the background radiation of the universe, it’s there, it can even be perceived after a fashion, but the characters and the events in their adventures never directly affect the Cosmic Balance.

    Until they do, of course. Which is where Champions of Law, Chaos, and the Balance come into play.

    I’m the Cosmic Champion, and I Hold a Mystic Sign

    Let us return for a moment to the End of Time described earlier. Although the civilization that built the End of Time have transcended to a higher plane of existence, their greatest achievement continues to endure. Over ages and eons, the End of Time has been rediscovered by philosophers, psionic explorers and researchers that have probed the limits of their realities. They have learned that from the End of Time, a material being can observe the whole of the (Traveller) Universe from the big bang to it’s ultimate expiration. Those who retained their sense of self-identity in the face of eternity became a fellowship of adventurers and explorers who champion the cosmic Balance and strive to maintain it.

    They call themselves the Dancers at the End of Time. From their City, they search for imbalances that threaten the equilibrium of Law and Chaos, and if such an imbalance is detected in the timeline, the Dancers respond. Their operatives are represented by an endless variety of sophont species from civilizations across the breadth of time and space equipped with Tech Level Z gear and vehicles to address crises across the breadth of spacetime.

    There are champions of Law and Chaos as well. Mortal sophonts who are recruited by powerful representatives to serve the designs of Law or Chaos. Like the Dancers, these champions are often equipped with technology of Tech Level Z (or very near Z) that give them abilities that are indistinguishable from Magic, even in advanced civilizations like Charted Space in IY 1105.

    Are there Gods in the Traveller Universe?

    Not in the sense of how the term “Gods” is used in the classic Fantasy Role Playing sense. Still there are powerful species that can be found throughout the Galaxy that, to a sophont in Charted space may as well be “Gods” because of the vast difference in technology, evolution, and understanding. At these near Technological Singularity Tech Levels the advantages of supporting the designs of Law or Chaos can be realized. The danger of pursuing the dominance of Law or Chaos, is that the more a champion succeeds in pushing the forces they serve, the more they themselves are transformed by those same furies. These entities are the powers that actively strive to upset the balance between Law and Chaos, and they are the beings who lend their power and resources to Champions and Cults. See last weeks essay Have You Seen the Yellow Sign? for thoughts on Secret Societies and Cults in Traveller.

    The vast majority of people living in Charted Space will never know of the influence of Law, Chaos and their balance in the Universe. They will never be aware of how the struggles between Law and Chaos affect them. At least until it’s almost too late and the universe starts to succumb to the effects of unchecked Law or rampant Chaos.

    Introducing the Cosmic Struggle to Traveller

    Most campaigns don’t lend themselves to these extreme stories. A campaign like Cluster Truck doesn’t concern itself, either during it’s adventure or in the epilogue. However Secrets of the Ancients, can open the possibility of involving the Travellers with the struggle. Using Champions and Cosmic Law, Chaos, and the Balance in Traveller involves very high (like Grandfather Tech Levels, or the various elder civilizations that surround Charted Space or exist at the Core.

    Interacting with Champions or the Cosmic Servants is a reality-bending scenario. Even forging pocket dimensions is childs’ play at this scale. Finding and exploring the City at the End of Time can be a whole Campaign in and of itself.

    Using the Dancers

    The Dancers at the End of Time are a mysterious group. Their motivations may be obscure at best, working with, or against the Travellers from one encounter to the next. Sometimes the Dancers are on a mission to restore or protect the Cosmic Balance, other times they’re using their ultra-advanced technology to explore and adventure in the Cosmos for their own pleasures. They are both operatives that protect the ability for reality to continue without collapsing, and they are decadent adventurers who use their advanced resources for their own pleasures, “slumming” in the backwater regions of the Galaxy among primitives.

    Playing as one of the Dancers, or as a Champion of Law or Chaos is possible with some work in Traveller. If the group has access to Traveller5.10 there are design systems that support using Technology all the way to TL Z. In short, a campaign featuring Dancers as the Travellers would draw a lot of inspiration from E. E. Doc Smith’s Lensman series, the Green Lantern Corps, everything that has been presented as the Q Continuum, Zelazny’s Amber series, Dr Who, and of course, Moorcock’s Dancers at the End of Time trilogy. So close to the Technological Singularity, the Travellers’ abilities would resemble super-powers. Although the mechanics of Traveller can, with some work, support campaigns at this scale the setting does not. Not directly at least.

    The Third Imperium setting in 1105 is far too small, far too primitive to contain a Dancers campaign. At the extreme tech levels that the End of Time implies, almost anything is possible, what’s more, almost anything is commonplace. Dancers are a campaign type in and of themselves. They investigate anomalies and resist the efforts of Law or Chaos to become dominant. While Dancers can interact in the political arena, outmaneuvering Archdukes and First Councilors, the objective is not to rule a system, or even a sector. Those goals are too small when the City at the End of Time is the character’s home and all of time and space is open to adventure in. Dancers adventure within the Event Horizon of a black hole. They confront Elder Beings that are corrupting the very stars themselves. They don’t start or end wars, they contain the spread of an irresistable Legion of Law. The Galaxy, indeed all of time and space is their campaign setting. Campaigns and Adventures at this scale resemble episodes, (or entire multi-episode plots) of Dr Who. Which means, the Referee and the Players in the game are responsible for generating content.

    Arriving at the End of Time

    In many ways, using the Cosmic Struggle in the background doesn’t change much once Traveller is adjusted for the scale. That is because, despite their fantastic abilities, equipment, vehicles and resources, a campaign that involve the Dancers at the End of Time is a campaign about people. Keep that in mind when designing adventures and everything will be both familiar and fantastic. Even if some of those people are alien immortal sorcerers who are Champions of Chaos, they still have wants, needs, and motivations and discovering them through layers of inscrutable, mysterious presentation is more of a key to succeeding in an adventure than using your personal plasma ring to carve their neutron-star lair in half.

    In addition to several pieces of literature and art which I’ve referenced, I wish to extend a special acknowledgement and thank you to Michael Moorcock. It’s his body of literary work that gave us the Eternal Champion, the Cosmic Struggle of Law and Chaos, even the Dancers at the End of Time which was the inspiration for this essay and Jherek Carnelian through whose eyes we experience An Alien Heat, The Hollow Lands, and The End of All Songs.

  • Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?

    Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?

    Secret Societies, Conspiracies, Cabals and Guilds

    In the Third Imperium, there are countless organizations dedicated to the social, political, business, even academic advancement of their members. The oldest can exert generational influence, protecting themselves and promoting their members. The vast majority of these groups are private, using oaths of secrecy and hidden rituals to defend themselves and expand the scope of their power.

    The overwhelming majority of organizations like this are local, like the local Society Club, or a planetwide Directorate composed of bureaucratic functionaries that make government function, or a system-wide Belters’ Syndicate. Nothing sinister, outside the small-time corruption of trading favors and bending the laws to benefit themselves.

    Multi-system societies become exponentially complex to manage. Even with the fastest jump capable vessels, communications takes weeks between one system to another. But the scope at the Subsector scale is still manageable, just slow.

    At the Sector scale, any group would be more akin to a franchise. The Sector leadership can command huge amounts of resources, but can’t exert any direct control. So an organization like the Dagudashag Fraternity of Loyal Kashdi Adap (Kashdi Adap is an old Vilani name for an animal similar to the Water Buffalo on Terra) might have GigaCredit or TeraCredit resources at their disposal. They might have Lodges in every system, or a small fleet of Starships for Fraternal use. But the Grand Poobah of the Loyal Kashdi Adap neither controls nor owns the sector.

    Beyond the Sector scale there are a handful of organizations that can exert influence across polities and even into other, rival empires. However, there are far more conspiracies than there are actual organizations. Just keep in mind the speed of communication as Referee. Activating a nefarious plot like something out of a Dan Brown novel, or a James Bond flick takes over a year to unfold over these distances.

    Secret Societies in the Ziru Sirka

    Vilani society is steeped in tradition and conformity. The Secret Societies are guardians of those traditions and rituals which stretch back thousands of years to the original Ziru Sirka. Many of these organizations are domain-wide, and operate in Vland, Gushmege, Dagudashag, Corridor and Reft sectors.

    Most citizens that observe Vilani culture belong to at least one of these societies. (Note, one does not have to be of the Vilani subspecies of Humaniti to be a part of Vilani culture.) Membership is often familial with invitations passed from one generation to the next. These “tradition” Societies are all very similar to one another, they pass on the same cultural lessons, roles, rituals and presentations.

    In some ways they act similar to different denominations of Protestant Christianity in 21st Century Earth, teaching from the same scriptures and with a minimum of variance. In this way, the Secret Societies also resemble Mystery Cults. Passing on traditions in private. Although, like mentioned earlier, these secret societies in the Ziru Sirka are not “secret” so much as they are private. Unlike various denominations of religion, the mystery cult aspect of these organizations do not make them taboo or illegal.

    Within the Megacorps of the Ziru Sirka, secret societies train and support all levels of employment and seniority. While close to a case system, upward mobility remains possible, with the secrets of upper corporate tiers hidden from those of the lower corporate tiers. Promoting from the laborer or technical pool to management will initiate the employee into the appropriate corporate fellowship. When promoted, the employee’s new fellowship will often place them in a new company or division, separating the newly promoted from the coworkers they left behind.

    The Executive fellowships perform the function of support systems for the highest tiers of the Corporate pyramid. The corporate fellowships that serve the lowest tiers function more like Unions.

    Psionics Institutes

    In the Imperium and the Solomani Confederation, the Psionics Institutes are indeed secret societies. Since the Psionics Suppressions of 800 to 820 3i, the practice of Psionics in the Imperium has been criminalized and the Psionics Institutes were driven underground. In the Confederation, Psionics are likewise criminalized, popular perception being that human psionics are a “Zhodani development” and needs to be controlled by the Government. Psionics Institutes being independent organizations, are deemed threats to both the Imperial and Confederation authority and are poiced accordingly.

    The blanket term “Psionics Institutes” are somewhat of a misnomer. The various Psionics Institutes that stretch across the Third Impirium and into the Solomani Confederation. As mentioned earlier, the logistics involved in managing an organizations, especially a private or secret organization over multiple sectors is exceedingly impractical. However, the legacy of the Suppressions has fed into the conspiracy theory that the Psionics Institutes are a “Hidden Empire” comprised of psionic superbeings, or a Zhodani Consulate fifth collumn that works to undermine society. In practical terms, the Psionics Institutes are local and cellular, and provide mutual support for one another only as far as travel and communications can reach.

    Cults

    Whether believers in a charismatic leader, a following of fringe religious movements, or membership in a non-conforming community. Cults are often hidden, and their inner functions are kept very secret and private. There are numerous such groups spread throughout charated space, some of them settle their own planets where they can exist without interaction or interference with outsiders. Others build compounds within colonies and settled worlds where members recruit among the wider population.

    Cults that engage in forbidden or illegal activities can be found anywhere, and among all strata of society. Whether acting on the desires of their Cult Leader, or the interpretations of the perceived will of their gods, or demons, or angels, these cults are constantly on the prowl for new members, expanded resources, and sometimes, sacrifices.

    Cults are also the subjects of conspiracies, bigotry and moral panics as we will discuss next. While functioning cults are widespread, they are quite rare. However the ideas of a Cult, an Imperium-wide-cult-of-Gozer-the-Gozarian, or Followers of the Ancients are widespread, and can be imagined anywhere and everywhere. Interpreting graffitti, or uncovered heiroglyphs, or made-up propaganda proposing the “real truth” behind the cosmos are all possible catalysts for scapegoating the martinalized groups in a system’s wider population.

    Conspiracies, Bigotry, and Moral Panic

    This section should be taken with care. The historical scapegoating of entire ethnic cultures is long and well documented. Real People have, and are currently enduring violence and oppression generated by bigoted lies promoted by governments and religions. The parallels between the world we live in in 2026 (the time of this writing) and the Far Future of Traveller are clear, and must be handled with care. Please keep in mind that someone at your table or in your community may either be living with the effects of Conspiracies, or have friends and family who are living under this shadow. Listen to your players when they express themselves to you about what they are comfortable with.

    It’s part of the Human experience, to imagine puppeteers that are pulling the strings of events in the Galaxy. Star Chambers, Illuminati, Secret Masters, Hidden Empires, examples can be found everywhere. With the Assassination of Emperor Strephon by Archduke Dulinor in 1116 3i, Conspiracy theories flew fast and furious throughout 11,000 worlds. The fact that the Assassination was in itself, the execution of a years-long conspiracy in the Domain of Ilelish only added fuel to the fire during the Rebellion War and into the Hard Times. The Zhodani, Psionics Institute, Hiver Federation, Vilani Enclaves, and any group operating within the Third Imperium whose loyalty was in the least imagined doubt was blamed for being the “real” organization behind the Rebellion War.

    Sadly, even in the Far Future of the Traveller Universe, bigotry remains alive and well. While Secret Societies arouse suspicion because of the deliberately hidden nature of their fellowships, bigotry is mostly directed at ethnicity and cultures that are misunderstood by the societies they exist within. Unfamiliar food, dialects, languages, dress, point out these cultures as being different, and easy targets for scapegoating, or pressing into menial professions that the majority culture doesn’t want to be involved with.

    Moral Panics are yet another way that conspiracies target groups of people within society. Instead of using ethnic or cultural differences to justify their oppression, it is social criteria. Political, professional and social subgroups, any group that can be easily ostracized and targeted with all sorts of rumor and conjecture. Most of these groups are perceived to be too small to effectively refute any accusations, no matter how sensational or extreme.

    The targets of bigotry and moral panics are not secret societies, though the pressures applied to them often force these groups underground and take on the attributes of hidden or secret societies as a matter of survival.

  • Farm Boys and Princesses

    Farm Boys and Princesses

    Life Path Emergent Storytelling From Star Wars

    Most of us know the stories by now. Indeed, they’re archetypes in Science Fiction roleplaying. Luke and Leia grow up in two separate environments and end up in the same place at the start of Act 2 of their movie.

    Their backstories (pre-carreer), and not counting their secret space-twin connection are as follows;
    Luke grows up raised by his Aunt and Uncle on Tatooine living on a moisture farm outside of Anchorhead. He gets his background traits bulls-eyeing Womp Rats in his T-16. So we’ll call his background skills Mechanic/0 (because he grew up fixing everything on the farm, from vaporators to droids, to his beater of a Landspeeder), Survival/0 (because he knows how to live out in the Dune Sea), and Flyer/0 (y’know because “He’s the best bush pilot in the outer rim territories”). All Luke wants in this moment is to go to the Acadamy and join his friends learning how to pilot space-fighters.

    Leia grows up adopted by Senator Organa and his Wife. She gets the *best* education on Alderaan, and is literally prepared to follow in her dad’s footsteps as a radical politician and join the fight to re-ignite the Republic. We’ll give her an EDU of between 9 and 11 for an extra background skill. She gets background skills Admin/0, Profession (Politician)/0, Diplomat/0, and Deception/0 (it breaks the Background List rules as presented in the Traveller Core Rulebook, but Leia has a pretty strong backstory. Leia should have attended a University somewhere, probably on Alderaan or Coruscant, but the Rebellion needs her to receive some stolen Imperial plans and hunt down Obi-Wan Kenobi.

    These two eighteen year olds don’t even get to start their Star Wars Campaign with their first term. We can say their players failed their Qualification rolls.

    Moving On Past A New Hope

    There’s a period of time between the battle of Yavin IV and the beginning of Empire Strikes Back, we can call this Luke and Leia’s “Term 1”. Both are, in effect “drafted” into the Rebellion. Leia drafts in as a Noble/Diplomat (hey, she’s the daughter of Senator Organa of Alderaan, she breaks all sorts of rules, that Rebel Girl) and definitely gets a 2 Promotions before Hoth. She’s Rank 2 (2nd Secretary) and has Admin/1 because of it. She also gets Electronics/0, Investigate/0 and Persuade/0 as she gets Gun Combat (Energy)/1.

    Luke is drafted into the Rebellion Navy/Flight. He has Psi and Telepathy/0 and Clairvoyance/0 (“reach out with your feelings”) because of his time with Ben Kenobi, but we’re still not at Dagobah yet so he’s not learning under Yoda at the beginning of Empire. He learns Pilot/0, Vacc Suit/0, Athletics/0, Gunner/0, and Gun Combat/0. We’ll give Luke a Commission (y’know because he blew up the Death Star and got a shiny medal for it) which will get him Melee (Blade)/1 and his Skill for this term is Pilot (small craft)1.

    By the end of Empire Strikes Back, Luke has started training under Master Yoda, and Leia continues her career as a leader in the Rebel Alliance.

    Return of the Jedi (… Like There Could Have Been ANY OTHER Title for this Section)

    This is Luke’s 2nd Term is Psion/ Psi Warrior. We’ll cheat again and give him a Promotion to Rank 1 (because “So I am a Jedi?” “No, not yet, Vader, there still is.”) That gives him Gun Combat (energy) 1 Yoda also (famously in Empire Strikes Back) trains him in Telekinesis/0 (as Rey laments, “lifting rocks”) For his term 2 skill, Luke rolled Recon/1

    Leia’s 2nd Term is Noble/Diplomat. She earns another promotion to Rank 3 (1st Secretary) and gets Advocate/1. Her skills this term gets her Persuasion/1 and Leadership/1. At the battle of Endor, the Rebellion changes from “the Rebel Alliance” to “the New Republic”. We’ll end Luke and Leia’s “lifepath backstory” here. They’re Travellers now.

    Yub Nub! Eee Chop Yub Nub!

    As Luke and Leia begin their adventuring careers (though, I’d must say, ending your character generation backstory with defeating the Empire, overthrowing the Sith, and redeeming your evil Father, isn’t the type of backstory I’d recommend, cause where do you go after blowing up two Death Stars? (we’re not gonna address the Disney sequel trilogy in this essay)). Both are 26 years old at the end of Return of the Jedi (2 Terms) and are still young so far as Traveller is concerned.

    Luke musters out with an X-Wing (we’ll call it a “ship” though X-Wings are too small for Jump Drives, but when crossing the streams like this, we can just handwave the issue) and his own Lightsaber. He doesn’t have any Republic Credits in his pocket, but he’s a Jedi Knight, he’ll get by. He’s also got some strong allies in the new government so when he steps up and asks for some help building a new Jedi Temple to form the new Jedi Order.

    Leia gets three mustering out benefits (because she’s Rank 3). So, she’ll probably get a +2 SOC as she transitions from Rebel to her new position in the New Republic and 100 KCr. Her connections and position can swing her a Republic Yacht for Diplomatic Missions, but she’s also got Han Solo as a romantic Partner, he’s got the Millenium Falcon, and let’s be 100 here. Han ain’t gonna say no to Leia when she needs to have him and Chewie fly the Falcon to a new adventure.

    Where Do We Go From Here?

    Luke and Leia’s adventures following the Battle of Endor are well documented. Even without skipping 32 years to The Force Awakens. There’s hundreds of novels, comic titles, television series, and the list goes on, which tell in great detail how Leia and Han get married, and Luke falls in love with Mara Jade, The rise of a second Empire, the clones of Palpatine, The Yuuzhan Vong invasion, and, of course Grogu.

    The classic Traveller Supplement 4 Citizens of the Imperium has stats for Luke and Darth Vader in it’s appendix (and, I’d like to add, a year before Empire Strikes Back revealed that Vader is Luke’s father) Star Wars rests pretty deep in Traveller’s game DNA. And the journey of Luke and Leia (both of whom are characters who start their stories at 19 years old) makes for a great example of mapping Traveller character generation on to their example.