There is a severe problem in the Traveller: The New Era world generation
rules (I believe it was Steve Higginbotham who first noticed it).
The error is in the government type codes: there are two mutually
incompatible tables for government type - one set for the Wilds, and the
other for everything else. In addition, the UWP data *DOES NOT INCLUDE*
a code that tells you which table to use! For example, given the UWP
"1827 G867975-8" *THERE IS NO WAY OF DETERMINING* whether it is a
balkanized world or a "mystic dictatorship". Well, maybe I should go
ask the Pope...
I've decided to treat this problem as an error; the following errata
should produce a workable fix:
pp.188, "World Government" table - change the following entries:
Code General Description
0 --- No Government Structure. In many cases family, clan, or tribal
bonds predominate,
D --- Religious Dictatorship. Government by a religious, mystic, or psionic
minority which has little regard for the needs of the citizenry.
E --- Religious Autocracy. Government by a single religious, mystic, or
psionic leader having absolute power over the citizenry.
pp.191, paragraph 7, "Government" - change the entry to read:
First determine if the world is balkanized. Add the world size
and population code and subtract the tech level to determine the
balkanization number. Roll 2d6; if the number rolled is equal to less
than the balkanization number, the world is balkanized. In this case,
the government type is 7. The referee can determine national government
types as the need arises, using the same technique as is detailed below
for non-balkanized worlds.
Second, if the world's population code is 5+, determine the
presence of Technologically Elevated Dictators (TED). Find the total
number of tech levels lost in Step 2 and roll 1d10. If the roll is less
than the number of tech levels lost, the world's government
automatically becomes a TED. Place the code Td in the world's
allegiance code, and roll 2d6 on the TED Government Type to determine
the actual form of the TED government.
If the roll is equal to or greater than the tech level decline,
or if the world's population code is 4 or less, roll for the new
government as follows:
Roll 2d6-7 + Population code. Record this number for reference
in determining the world's law level. Find the result on the Government
Types in the Wilds table; the corresponding code is the world's
Government code.
pp.191, "Government Types in the Wilds" - replace with the following:
Die Code General Description
Roll
1- - 0 --- No Government
2 - 2 --- Participating Democracy
3 - 4 --- Representative Democracy
4 - A --- Charismatic Dictatorship
5 - C --- Charismatic Oligarchy
6 - Roll 2d6 on the "TED Government Type" table, and note Allegiance = Td
7 - D --- Religious Dictatorship
8 - F --- Totalitarian Oligarchy
9 - E --- Religious Autocracy
10 - 8 --- Civil Service Bureaucracy
11 - 3 --- Self-Perpetuating Oligarchy
12+ - 9 --- Impersonal Bureaucracy
pp.191, "TED Government Type" table - new table:
Die Code General Description
Roll
2 --- 5 --- Feudal Technocracy
3 --- 3 --- Self-Perpetuating Oligarchy
4 --- 6 --- Captive Government
5 --- B --- Non-Charismatic Leader
6 --- B --- Non-Charismatic Leader
7 --- F --- Totalitarian Oligarchy
8 --- F --- Totalitarian Oligarchy
9 --- E --- Religious Autocracy
10 --- D --- Religious Dictatorship
11 --- A --- Charismatic Dictatorship
12 --- C --- Charismatic Oligarchy
pp.191, paragraph 8, "Law Level" - change the entry to read:
If the world is balkanized, the law level represents the most
commonly encountered law level on the world. The referee should
establish a law level for each nation as the need arises. Roll 2d6 to
determine the most commonly encountered law level of a balkznaized
world.
If the world government is a TED, the nroll 2d6+3 to determine
the world's law level.
Otherwise, roll 2d6-7 and add the world government die roll
(recorded in step seven above) to determine the law level.
Retcons:
The retcons required to implement this change should be minor; only
materials produced with the uncorrected T:TNE rules, and which use the
Wilds government type table will need to be changed. The following table
summarizes the corrections needed:
Old New
Code Code
0 --- 0
1 --- 0
2 --- 2
3 --- 4
4 --- A
5 --- C
6 --- 6 (or roll 2d6 on the "TED Government Type" table) Allegiance = Td
7 --- D
8 --- F
9 --- E
A --- 8
B --- 3
C --- 9
A couple of caveats are in order, however. First of all, the UWP for
governments in the Wilds provides no way of determining if the world is
balkanized. The table above ignores this; the preferable solution would
be to test for a balkanized world as described in the modified paragraph
7 above. Second, TED governments should be generated using the TED
Government Type table above, as noted in the retcon table.
Comments and Reasoning:
The primary goal was to create a single table of government types which
could be used no matter where the world was located. An examination of
the original "Government Types in the Wilds" table revealed that all but
four of the government types were identical to ones already in use in
the "Normal" government types table (although with different code
values or slightly expanded definitions).
Of the four new codes, "Mystic Dictatorship" and "Mystic
Autocracy" were defined nearly the same way as "Religious Dictatorship"
and "Religious Autocracy", except for two words ("or psionic") in the
general description. Since I, for one, have had psionic religions in my
Traveller games for more than ten years, I didn't see much difference
between the two, and folded them together. Two down and two to go.
The "Tribal Government" is an interesting idea; kind of a half-step
between no government whatsoever and a more formal government. With
some hesitation, I folded it into "No Government"; if a new set of
government codes were to be devised, this one in particular should get
its own code.
The last code is "Technologically Elevated Dictator (TED)". The more I
think about this one, the more I feel that this classification isn't
really a government type, but rather a classification (like Autocracy,
Oligarchy, or Democracy); any of the more opressive government types
could be (or could become) a TED, provided that they
meet the criteria: use of relic or other advanced
technology to maintain their rule, and a certain amount of
unfriendlieness to interstellar visitors (Reformation Coalition in
particular).
Thus, the decision that a TED was better represented by a government
code that indicated what form the government actually took, plus a note
that it is considered a TED.
Let me know what you all think!
[email removed]
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Science-Fiction Adventure
in the New Era