Catie Helm writes:
>from Dane's post (TML nightly: Msgs 7067-7075 V70#18)
>
>> -- To 'accurately' follow the TNE
>>continuity will require several 'interlocking' sourcebooks so that we
>>can see the whole picture. Unfortunately, for those of us unhappy with
>>the region of focus at the moment, we are forced to develop our own
>>information in the almost certain knowledge that our carefully
>>rationalized explanations will probably not jibe with later published
>>materials.
>>......................<etc etc etc>
>>Dane
>
>Nor is this the first time that this has happened with Traveller
>venues. Jim Kelleher (a bay area ref & gamer) generated a character
>back in the legendary era of CT, long long ago in the mists of time
>(Am I dating you, Jim?) which rolled up, by the then-rules, as
>the Countess of Regina. This causes some small amount of
>consternation when later CT/MT materials presented Norris as
>the Duke of Regina. Jim's character is still in play and people who
>play in Jim's campaigns cope. Background is often as pliable as the
>rules are...
Although you are right in the general sense, in this particular case the
fault was on the part of your friend. There is a single line in one of
the three original books that makes it clear that noble titles are
planetary titles (Something like: "There are two more levels above Duke,
Prince and King, and these are used for rulers of worlds"). Thus your
friend should not have been able to generate any Imperial noble.
Unfortunately that little detail got scrambled in Megatraveller; hence
the wierdness of having one Imperial baron and two knights in each
average-sized school class. If you check the adventures put out you
will find Imperial barons serving as marine grunts and customs
inspectors, totally contrary to my concept of Imperial nobility. I
wrote an article suggesting an alternate system of nobility (The Emperor
wound up as SL Y; this was not planned, it just worked out that way, but
I was kinda pleased that there would also be an appropiate SL for any
rulers of whole galaxies one might encounter). I sent it to Challenge,
but unfortunately it arrived just as they closed their intake of
Megatraveller stuff. Sigh... I have a suspicion that they didn't even
read it.
Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
[email removed]
- ------------
"The referee should determine the nature of subsequent
events based on the individual situation."
_76 Patrons_, p. 8