CT Review : Into the Subsector
TOC:
The table of contents for this review of the Classic Traveller Book is on the following page: CT Review Table of Contents
The adventures begin
Despite my dislike of some of the advice in the previous section, and the apparently subtle but I believe significant long term effects of the shift in focus towards the referee driving scenario and universe rather than just being an arbiter, there was also some excellent advice given. And this section of the Traveller Book contains some excellent examples of how to create fleshed out encounters and possible patrons that can be dropped in anywhere, randomly, and even the GM doesn’t need to know ahead of time what’s really going on.
It’s good to note that while the header explicitly assumes that the party is operating in the Regina subsector, the basic structures provided here can easily be adapted or dropped in anywhere.
By way of example, a merchant tries to solicit the group:
A competitor, Anselm Beauchamp by name, will be arriving in two days aboard the passenger liner Concordia. If Beauchamp is allowed to complete his task on planet, it will mean financial ruin for the patron. What he wishes the group to do is to kidnap Beauchamp and hold him for three weeks, during which time the patron will profit greatly from his absence. Beauchamp must not know why he is being detained, or who is responsible. The patron will provide a secluded mountain villa in which Beauchamp may be held, and will pay Cr15,OOO to the group upon Beauchamp's safe release.
This all by itself is enough to sketch out a scenario that could go a number of ways in a very noir fashion, if desired. Instead of railroading the players down one predetermined path, the patron encounter instead sketches out several possibilities:
1. All is as represented.
2. Beauchamp arrives as expected aboard the Concordia, but is accompanied by a bodyguard. The referee should generate a suitable character for each role.
3. Beauchamp arrives as expected, but has two bodyguards.
4. Beauchamp is being sought by two assassins hired by another competitor. The referee should work out events according to the individual situation. The patron will not pay if Beauchamp is killed.
5. In addition to Beauchamp, a high official of the lmperial government and his twelve-man escort of lmperial marines are aboard the Concordia.
6. Beauchamp is not aboard the Concordia. The referee should determine why. Perhaps he took a later ship, an earlier ship, or cancelled his trip entirely. The referee must decide other considerations according t o individual circumstances.
The referee is free to come up with more options.
In short, the patron encounters are excellent examples of not only setup, but possible options for what’s really going on.
On page 128 we meet Shawna - a “casual encounter” who can meet with the characters once, or cross paths multiple times. Rather than a one-off job like one would hire a PI for, she is a character that continues to exist, much like the various characters populating various city supplements and modules such as The Sinister Stone of Sakkara. She may like or dislike the characters, hire or oppose them. In short, a potentially recurring role. About a page is dedicated to her personality and a number of options for things to go interestingly wrong.
Of course, an interesting patron can easily become a recurring presence as well. The difference here is that you have taken time to flesh out the character more ahead of time.
An example is also provided of what Traveller considers an “Amber Zone” adventure. As far as I can tell, AZ scenarios are inherently dangerous setups, often not in a dangerous world, requiring about a page of basic description of the framework. The example given lists almost no NPC details, or specific maps, and only takes up about a page to describe. It is a more elaborated patron encounter that focuses on the overall scenario. This one lists a specific world, but can easily be adapted to any large body of water on a planet with a rebellion, or with a change in players.
Next up, we will take a look at the two short adventures provided.
While you’re at it:
If you like good books, the guys at Pilum Press have a discord server. Drop in, and if you haven’t yet, pick up a copy of everything they have at their website.
If you’re more into games, check out the Arbiter of Worlds channel, and the Autarch Discord server as well. There you will find discussions on ACKs, Ascendant, and a number of other non-Autarch RPGs and games like Traveller and D&D.
Finally, there will be a revised and updated edition of ACKs soon - please keep an eye out at Arbiter of Worlds for updates.