Mongoose Publishing

[Sturn]

Progress:

Slow moving, but I still work on this guide almost each day. For those who didn't read the other threads, I'm working on a "campaign guide" set in the Solomani Rim pre-Melieu 0 involving the conflicts between the small pocket empires surviving there and beginning to grow during the closing days of the Long Night.

Gazateer

Read over almost everything I could find on the layout of the Solomani Rim. I have a sector map marked with the various pocket empires in the Rim from canon sources. I have notes on each pocket empire including general government notes, tech level, etc, developed on my own from what little canon has supplied. No digital map yet that I can show, working on it.

Working on a system of regressing UWPs from 3rd Imperium sector data after reading through notes I found in MT Hard Times and T5. I'm not going to be shackled by a rule such as "3rd Imp Tech Level - 4 equals Terran Dawn campaign Tech Level", but I wanted my own general guidelines to work with. Regressing the entire sector's UWP will take a ton of time.

History

I have a timeline of important events from canon sources starting when Earth went stellar to the end of the Long Night. All from canon sources, no major conflicts that couldn't be explained with my own notes. After doing this I set my default campaign start date around -400ish Imperial, 4000ish AD.

Stuff

I have a working list of general notes on starships found in the Old Earth Union and the Dingir League (main two protagonists in the campaign). Just notes thus far on size and design purposes. Dingir is TL 11, Old Earth is TL 11 moving into TL 12. I want to keep ships small. Thus far I'm looking at the largest ship found to be OEU's newest 30,000 ton battleship. Thoughts on this? The Sylean Federation, around the same TL in Melieu 0 had a 90,000 ton ship as their largest according to canon. I have thought of going even smaller. Before the Long Night came, sources indicate the largest ship the Terrans had built (centuries before my campaign) was 30,000 tons at a full TL-12 at the end of the Interstellar Wars. The 2nd Imperium of course may have built some even larger before it fell and my new ships are being developed by pocket empires, not the 2nd Imperium.

Will report back here for those interested as I do more work.
_________________
-Sturn
"I don't need a medal, God knows what I did" -
SGT William Hisle, US Army, WW2.
Terran Dawn Campaign Guide
Sturn's Shipyard!

[Sturn]

Some "introduction text" I wrote to go in my guide that can give a feel and introduction to the campaign guide. Just something fun I did.



We Terrans conquered the stars almost two millennia ago. Manifest Destiny, Ad Astra Aspera, and all of that. Turned out there weren't just ugly aliens amongst those stars, but other Humans. What a surprise that must have been to our ancestors to find more Humaniti, the Vilani, already ruling a vast empire in our own front yard. Well, we came, we saw, we conquered. That huge, decadent Vilani Empire fell before us.

Turns out us Terrans are better warriors then stylus pushers. It took centuries, but that decaying star empire we inherited collapsed anyway.

Just fragments of what we once were are scattered between the stars now. Pockets in the black. The Long Night it's been called. A millennia of darkness, scraping to get back our old glory.

But, scholars say the Night is ending. If that's so, I'm going to rage with the Dawn, take a piece of what's coming for myself. Why not? I'm a Terran. It's my destiny.

-Terran Dawn, 4000 AD. We conquered the stars once, the second time should be easy?
_________________
-Sturn
"I don't need a medal, God knows what I did" -
SGT William Hisle, US Army, WW2.
Terran Dawn Campaign Guide
Sturn's Shipyard!

[Sturn]

Question:

Where did the idea of dividing space into Sectors and Subsectors begin in the OTU? (in-game, not in the rules)

I recall Provinces and possibly Domains being mentioned as far back as the 1st Imperium. Were Sectors and Subsectors something the 2nd or 3rd Imperium started? I believe I recall it being mentioned someplace where this system of mapping actually started.

Working on my "sector" map and was thinking of removing subsector lines due to the campaign era.
_________________
-Sturn
"I don't need a medal, God knows what I did" -
SGT William Hisle, US Army, WW2.
Terran Dawn Campaign Guide
Sturn's Shipyard!

[captainjack23]

[Sturn]

I received an answer (found in Gurps Interstellar Wars) that reported Sector and Subsector organization was done by the Vilani during the 1st Imperium. IW also speaks about provinces, which might be similar to a domain?

I haven't found anything non-Gurps that specified which Imperium created the sector organization, although I believe there is probably something in CT somewhere that speaks of it, just haven't found it.

Library entries in CT speak lots about mapping, sectors, and subsectors, but doesn't specify when they came into use. Domains are mentioned as being created during the Pacification Campaigns, so Sectors at least predate them.

It doesn't look like Gurps IW contradicts anything else I can find, so I will take that as my answer - Vilani 1st Imperium created Sector/Subsector mapping. Domains were later created by the 3rd Imperium.
_________________
-Sturn
"I don't need a medal, God knows what I did" -
SGT William Hisle, US Army, WW2.
Terran Dawn Campaign Guide
Sturn's Shipyard!

[captainjack23]

[Sturn]

This isn't dead, been working on it about every other day.

Progress

I finally finished UWPs for the Solomani Rim sector towards the end of the Long Night. Probably over 50 hours put into this. I didn't just randomnly adjust the UWPs, I had a system of sorts and read everything I could find on the UWPs and worlds of the Solomani Rim in the Interstellar War period and later Classic period before settling on a final UWP. Each UWP for every single world was considered. I ended up with not just UWPs but historical notes on almost every world in the sector.

Graphical map nearing completition.

States of Terran Dawn

I have tons of notes on what I'm doing with each "pocket empire" and geographical area in the sector. I was hoping for many, varied, settings. Here is a very brief rundown on each. Please tell me if anything doesn't feel "right" to anyone who has studied this period and era:

Dingir League: One of the two nations of what will probably be the primary play area for my campaign. Dingir, once captial of the 2nd Imperium, is the capital and driving force behind the league of planets. Founded by 2nd Imperium naval forces. Government is very militaristic, naval rank equates to political rank and social status. Protagonist of the Old Earth Union, currently in a "warm" war along their trailing border. Spinward, dealing with pirates of the Reaver's Alliance. TL11 max.

Old Earth Union: The other of the two nations in the main play area. Capital is Terra. TL 11, but on the edge of TL12. Their "nobles" are corporate and political leaders. Conflict with Dingir League to spinward. They have attempted to expland in other directions, but have ran into other states, rifts, and worlds resisting incorporation. Terra is a mixture of advanced technology and a stagnated society. A cyberpunkish setting if needed.

Easter Concord: Loose federation of many worlds on the coreward side of the sector. Noble council of world leaders meets on the world of Easter. The largest state in number of worlds, TL11 max, but not interested in any drastic expansion. Considered a sleeping giant best left untouched by the other pocket empires. The leaders of the worlds that enter the Easter Concord are given a relative noble status. Vilani culture more prevalent then in other areas. Leaders are classic Traveller nobles.

Vegan Polity: An alien pocket empire set between Easter (coreward) and Dingir/Old Earth (rimward). Not much different then the future Vegan Autonomous District, but includes only the worlds within the J1 cluster. TL9-10 tops. They lost contact with worlds across J2 gaps during the Long Night, but purchased technology has allowed them to recently begin communicating with them again.

Near Bootes Cluster: A frontier area. TL9 tops. Not a true state, but the worlds of the cluster had been communicating and forming an unofficial alliance against contact from the Old Earth Union.

Arcturus Federation: A small, somewhat isolated, TL10 state. Trades with the Vegan Polity through the world of Shulgiasu.

Shulgiasu: Not a pocket empire, but an independent world. Shulgiasu is at a trade nexus between the Vegan Polity, Arcturus Federation, and a long J1 main of independent worlds. Shulgiasu is similar to a Hong Kong of ancient Terra, enjoying a mixture of cultures and trade. One of the few areas that enjoys large scale inter-pocket empire trade.

Logan's Run: Just a funny holding name for now. A long J1 main of independent worlds with TL9 tops. Many varying worlds along a frontier main ripe for opportunity. One end contacts Shulgiasu.

The Outback: Barely explored, barely settled.

Reaver's Alliance: Loose alliance of pirate warlords to spinward. Currently harassing Dingir. TL10 tops and some stolen TL11. A very unlawful region except where Reaver warlords have imposed their dictators' will upon populations.

Other stuff

Tons of notes on trade practices, technology levels, militaries of each state, starcraft of each state, and corporations. I've used every source of information I could find to develop my notes, filling in uncovered areas with my own creations only when needed and guided by what is known.

This has turned into a mammoth project, but I've put in way too much time to stop now.
_________________
-Sturn
"I don't need a medal, God knows what I did" -
SGT William Hisle, US Army, WW2.
Terran Dawn Campaign Guide
Sturn's Shipyard!

[DCAnsell]

This looks excellent, from what you've outlined. A great setting for Traveller, if a bit on the low tech side, in some ways.
_________________
Not dead yet!

[smiths121]

Hi Sturn,

Your campaign guide looks like it is shaping up very nicely.
Being a "lurker" here, I meant to post this a few days ago - but got carried away lurking.

Whilst setting out my own campaign in The Islands, I noticed something in Adventure 5 Trillion Credit Squadrion.
Adventure 5 mentions the "Spinward Imperial Territories" which I have taken to mean the Domain of Deneb. It also mentions the "Central Imperial Territories", which I have taken to mean the Domain of Ileshi.

Have you come across the concept of "territories" in you research for your guide, and any idea what they mean?

[BP]

Sounds great! Anything posted?

[Sturn]

[Sturn]

[DCAnsell]

[smiths121]

Hi Sturn,

Thanks for your response.... I am very interested in your work.

I really like the combination of lo-tech and pocket empire, which is why T4 appeals to me (stop groaning over there - its the background I like), and my own obsession with using The Islands in 1105. I think what you are working on is exactly what I am looking for

As for a format preference, not really fussed between pdf to web. When you think you have enough draft stuff to start publishing, I would go with whatever is easiest for you.

Love to take a look and give you some feedback when you are ready - hopefully that is what you are looking for.

[Sturn]