Background? Who needed a rebellion (or complete collapse) to give us the
background for _any_ adventure ever required?
Bored with high tech stuff?
Force the players onto a lower tech world.
Want to show them how to rely on their own skills rather than technology?
Crash the players' (or someone else's) starship in the wilderness.
Better still, massive engine failure leaves them drifting in space. Just
how long will their oxygen last? Crash on an airless planet? There's no
air out there and there's no flora and fauna to survive on. So who's
volunteering their body as rations for the others?
Even on an otherwise unadventurous exploration, if the party's native
guide gets kille dor deliberately leaves them, just how well can they
survive once left to their own devices? It only requires one bad roll to
crash the party vehicle and damage the radio, or some other critical item
upon which everyone was relying for rescue.
And lawlessness. Want to blow people away?
What do you think low law level worlds are for?
Even in our supposedly lawful society there are murders, gangland violence,
drug dealing on the streets, mass political corruption, blackmail, fraud
involving millions or billions of pounds (credits). You don't have to
switch to a James Bond or Judge Dredd scenario to put some action into
your games!
Don't like guns?
The world is full of murders by strangulation, beating to death, knifings
(with knives, razors, broken bottles, etc.). And then there's just plain
beating up on people. High law world? Suddenly a pen-knife starts to seem
like a good weapon? Got Unarmed Combat or Brawling? Suddenly all the gun-
handlers are asking _you_ for protection against the nasty man in the
alley who's got a baseball bat with nails stuck in it.
i.e. You don't need guns to hurt/scare characters. And if they do need them
to have a chance of winning, but you didn't let them take any on planet,
then you can have lots of fun using Streetwise, etc. to find such weapons
on the black market. Much more fun than walking down to the local hyper-
market and stocking up on Uzi's.
Want a war?
Okay, so the main planet is described as a boring peaceful high law-level
world. But that only represents the majority. There will always be the
Libyas, Iraqs, etc. and if that doesn't give some scope for military action
then you need an upgrade kit for your imagination.
Still can't get away from the main world being boring?
Got World Builder's Handbook or Scouts (Book 6)? What are all those other
planets and asteroid belts doing in-system. Do you think the asteroid
depot which serves as the local belter's R&R is going to be Law Level 9 just
because the main planet is staffed by wimps? Even today (1994) we have
certain relaxed laws for people in arduous tasks (oil rigs, etc.)
And there's no reason why other planets in system can't be very different
from the main world. Even colonies break away eventually (subtle US/UK
joke :) - look no further for an excuse for a war of Independence).
And if your character's don't want to stick to the law, well they can bend
rather than break, steal by stealth rather than by force...
You don't need the rebellion or TNE hard times as background. The original
Imperium gave you plenty of scope for adventure, action, etc. I guess some
people just don't look hard enough...
Not that the better (I didn't say that so please don't bother to reply with
arguments, etc.) rules systems in MT and TNE aren't useful. I'm just saying
that even a Law 9 Tech 15 place can have an awful lot of illegal activities
going on (just thought of another one - computer crime, c.f. Sneakers with
Robert Redford - now wouldn't that be a good way to scare the s!?t out of
your players...)
In answer, yes, lets have more background... I've got complete written records
of every adventure I have run for my two Traveller groups, but they're a bit
big just to download and they don't include the referee's details of each
scenario. Perhaps some day I'll write another book about one [SUBTLE HINT,
I'VE STILL NOT HEARD A PEEP OUT OF GDW].
Andy Lilly
Commander, PITS Team (Political Intelligence Team, Scout)
"We are never out-gunned..."
Nothing I say or do here in anyway reflects the views of my very kind,
understanding and generally wonderful employers