Re: Gamba location

Rob Dean inscribeth:
>you wrote:
>>You'd probably be okay in the Seventh Century here, with the Solomani not yet
>>quite to the point of being a muscle-flexing major player in the Imperial
>>Court and a lot of flak from the Civil War settling out. As for the Verge,
>>I'm reluctant to flush the existing Atlas's star locations, but hell, it's
>>only one subsector. And if it has its bak to the Rift, then it'd stay backward
>>for a long time. I would put TL13 as a limit for other reasons: no Battle
>>Dress and no Fusion Guns, with Plasma Guns still bulky, dangerous, and rare.
>
>As to the Atlas's star locations--if we don't want to conflict then we have to
>go outside the area that it covers.

One reason why I don't think I'd mind a little bit of conflict with the Atlas.
Going beyond it won't be easy, especially if your heart's set on the Verge
(interesting how these Rift-edge areas fascinate us: my latest campaign is
set in the Cyril's Edge corner of Reft).

>I just realized (-: that I'm carrying TD18 with me today, which includes the
>concise history of the Imperium.  They give the following for tech levels:
>
>Sylean Federation, Year 0, TL12
>                      300, TL13  (allows exploration of Sabmiqys...)
>                      420, (First Survey...)
>                      629, (End of Civil War)
>                      700, TL14
>                      826, (End of Psionic Suppressions...hmmm...)
>                     1000, TL15
>                     1120, TL16

Well, THAT'S handy. Glad you had it with.

>I hadn't thought about it before, but sticking with the Imperial timeline would
>have an odd effect if the game was set before the Psionic Suppressions.
>Psionics would not only _not_ be illegal, they would be positively encouraged.
>Different...

Oh, I know. The Psionics Institutes would be everywhere, and the situation
would be much more like it is in the Vargr Extents in the 1100s than anything
else-- with psi being part of the local color, anywhere from a curiosity under
study by scientists to a part of some cultures (mind-reading judges, anyone?).

I'm not a huge fan of psionics in a game like Traveller, but it'll be a
nice change of pace. Also note other prevailing attitudes (variable as you
travel around): a much stronger Vilani streak (but with an accompanying sense
of "illegitimacy" due to the Solomani-strong Court (I believe that Antiama
wouldn't have married into the Royal Family yet)); a dislike of the Zhodani
as previously hostile humans, but nothing like the psychotic hatred implanted
in the Suppressions; a much stronger distrust of Aslan, with the wars either
recent or still ongoing, and a fascination with the newly-integrated Vargr.

>I also hate to mention this, but Battledress is canonically available at TL13.

Yes, but only in limited and controlled quantities. It would have been
invented centuries earlier, but would not have been that useful or needed
before the Zhodani began making trouble. I would assume that you would need
both money AND governmental "pull" to get anything hotter than Combat Armor
and a PGMP-12, and the standards among Travellers would be Combat Environment
Suits (or lower-TL Scout vaccsuits) and Gauss rifles as squad support to
ACRs, SCPs, Accelerator Rifles, ARLs, Rocketguns and Snubbies. And lasers,
natch.

>A general TL13 with occasional TL14 would be consistent with a setting in the
>late 600's (7th century.)

Yeah, that's why I picked the era I did. My memory astounds me sometimes. |->

I'm beginning to really like this idea-- it gives us the rich history we've
collected, but with one exception (gross fleet movements and the Imperial
succession, far away in the Core) no fine detail to get in the way. Comments?

- --
metlay            | and she's a master of return hitting
atomic city       | giving rhythm to her posts
                  | so you read her and think hey it sounds good
[email removed] | and wish her posts had a soundtrack too    (f. ercolessi)