On 22/1/21 1:53 am, Timothy Collinson - timothy.collinson at port.ac.uk
(via tml list) wrote:
> <snip>
>
>
>     Besides, I'd like to see someone else's take on the ISW.
>
>
> Yes, although I'd be most interested not in playing the combat side or
> big picture side, but perhaps something in the interstices...
>
> <snip>
>
> I can imagine.  I was kind of thinking more of 'start early, work
> forwards' rather than lots of back and forth but a good chart might
> help.  It seems a less likely option, so I'll not fret about it yet.
That's roughly what I was imagining for "Collinson's Collossus" - maybe
using MGT1 Supplement 12 - Dynasty for the backdrop?
>
> <snip>
>
>
>     Speaking of which, if you want to do the Terran riff-raff side, how
>     about the _Mad Dan Eccles_ ?  (and when that gets deaded, the _Mad Dan
>     Eccles Overdrive_ )
>
>     Keep it small, keep it simple.  Petty smugg(l)ing, graft, etc, not
>     First-Imperium-shaking plots.
>
>
> ... ah, I see you're already there with the interstices rather than,
> say, lots of big ship combat.

That's personally been a lot more fun for me - "ordinary sods shoved
headfirst into extraordinary situations, water is wet, film at 11".

Of course, if you and your players _want_ to play senior officers on the
fast Lyman-powered J-3 battleship TCS _Khugii Khurlashashum_ during
Admiral J.A. Lethbridge-Stewart's drive on Vland itself in the aftermath
of Sharurshid's implosion, go nuts.

>  
>
>     That approach has worked wonders for me, but I may have outsmarted
>     myself - discussion plans for backup games for my mob are always
>     bracketed with "As long as it doesn't screw up Traveller".
>
> hah!  That's very kind of them, but I'm not sure I'd be quite so
> stressed about not breaking something if my players wanted to do big
> picture stuff.  Currently I doubt you could get much smaller picture
> than we manage.  <wanders off muttering about toilet rolls and
> ethanophile conferences>
The players' concern was with the continuance of Parental Advisory
despite backup games in other systems (eg Mutants & Masterminds 2nd ed),
as far as I understood.  Such backup games didn't seem to be worth any
significant risk of buggering up PA.  (Thus buggering up my plan to
actually _play_ some strain of Traveller).
>
> My other thought, I forgot to list, would be to try something much
> more like a Dumarest universe.  Fewer worlds, much more separated,
> less trade, less Imperium.  More low berth travel and on the breadline
> PCs.
>
> tc
>
Would definitely be a very different feel.  Since estimates of the Milky
Way's size got notably embiggened in the past few years (2015, up to ~31
kpc radius, with a dark matter disk of ~290 kpc radius.  2019, up to 40
kpc radius), you could set such somewhat rimward of the Orion Arm.
Inter-arm Rifts should be pretty well spread out, nyet?

Alex