PDF Review: On Wine Dark Sea

    This has been a neglected blog over the past decade I have had it, however, I can always take time to review gaming supplements. This is one of them, and one of the few I've felt passionate about reviewing.

    A fairly simple PDF, "On Wine Dark Sea" is 48 pages of text with a few public domain illustrations. At the great price of FREE, it's mostly written to players of various d20 based fantasy games, but it's fairly system agnostic. Even the 2d6 The Sword of Cepheus would work with these ideas.

    It starts with an origin for the idea, what it is, and what it isn't. It's not a full campaign. It is much closer to say, Adventure 0: The Imperial Fringe, than most roleplaying adventures. There's a starting idea, that the players are in a zero level death funnel at the Fall of Troy. Anyone who survives, ends up as a 1st level Adventurer. There's some ideas to start with, as for missions to take to get out of the city, or engage in looting for both Greek and Trojan parties. Perhaps the players join Odysseus in the Trojan horse! There's quick and dirty rules to organize the armies, and character levels as well. Some of them are tougher than others. In this case, a 1st level character is a tough adversary. Once the scenario is done, survivors advance to 1st level. Not your typical dungeon fantasy setting!

    From then, there's an entire Aegean world to explore, or fight. Instructions and an explanation of Patron Play are included. Patron play, to be honest, reminds me of how the Avalon Hill classic Diplomacy works. Everyone has a plan, and they all get interfered with. The party has to navigate a changing setting, and the best part, if you ask me, is the referee doesn't have to come up with the changes! He just lets the players duke it out. For what it's worth, I would advise having a day between patron turns and in person play, so players wouldn't be quite as familiar with their orders. That's a technique I used in college, to write a paper, and let it sit for a while to revise.

    I can give this little project two thumbs up for having great ideas to use and abuse no matter the setting.

On Patrol, Part IX

 This is a rather long one, written over the past few years in dribs and drabs. I started it shortly after I finished "Chaos Over Hades!" but have only completed it in the past few weeks. I am currently in the middle of an extended space combat sequence. I should be done with it shortly.

124-1120

            Hassan’s prize crew returned, aboard the Joey, after placing the Glycon under guarded seal at the downport. A few vital circuits were removed, preventing operation of the power plant and maneuver drive, and placed in a safe with the Starport Warden. The port security officers accepted custody of the prisoners, and read them rights under the High Laws. Not that it really meant anything, as all three only said things relating to their own health. They did have Imperial IDs, or at least high-quality forgeries. The records sent out here didn’t mention anything, but this is the edge of the Imperium, and information gets here in dribs and drabs. The flight back to the Boxing Kangaroo is the routine sort spacers fall asleep on.

            However, Sublieutenant Hassan’s section has the first watch, and he’s spent much of his rest period working on the paperwork required in this case, including his section of the libels that would be made regarding the Glycon, and sent to the Admiralty Court. He managed to get some of it done, but knows at least a short nap helps before standing the watch. Along with generous amounts of coffee. His hopes for a quiet watch are dashed, when one of the fuel shuttles starts sending out “Pan-pan, panpan, pan-pan! All stations, all stations, all stations! Fuel shuttle 1171 has a medical emergency, requiring assistance. The pilot just had a heart attack! I am inbound to Hades Orbital.”

            The standard emergency response kicked in, and Hassan started noting where everyone was, and Castillo came into the bridge with Lieutenant Brickley. “Status?”

            “Sir, we can intercept, I’m generating a solution right now.” A display showed how the Kangaroo could conduct an intercept for the wallowing shuttle, and provide the first aid needed. The Kangaroo maneuvered to enter a matching orbit, and launch the Joey to reach the shuttle, returning to the high port with a load of fuel, including a massive external tank that operated on a ballistic path normally.

Assistance Bill	Section III
Boat Pilot	Corporal Afari
Copilot	GMT2 Chishan
Engineer	MNE Franke
Medic	MNE Yap
Extra crewman	SA Owen

            Chishan and Afari inspected the boat, and crew, and Joey dropped from Boxing Kangaroo perfectly, in a ballistic arc to meet the boat. As they moved in, orbital maneuvers to get the boat to the match the shuttle and dock were easily done. Chishan went aboard, with Yap and Owen, to speak with the shuttle co-pilot.

            Yap began by hooking the pilot up to a medical kit, and revied him. The co-pilot said she could get the shuttle in to the high port, without a problem. The traffic controller came on and required the medical assistance to stay with the victim. They took him back to the boat, and flew in formation to the high port with the fuel load. After getting him on the gurney for the clinic, they went back to the Joey, and returned to the patrolling Boxing Kangaroo.

A few hours later, after section 2 took the watch under BM3 Zabiyah, a scout ship jumped in. The Sulieman class transmitted a code, and flew down to the main port. Quite possibly regular mail, as it was in fact, armed.

Higher Technology Items on a Low Tech World

If they run, they're barbarians!

This is a post that's been brewing in my head for a while about how technology can leak down the technology levels in Traveller. It will cover mandatory high technology, common imports to both governments and private concerns, and bootstraping technology. It was heavily influenced by this image of Roman Legion re-enactors manning a machine gun.

There is, as I see it, one item of mandatory high technology that will occur on any world that has an operating starport. That is a base station to communicate and offer some space traffic control. As in, keep the free trader from crashing on approach. It's going to be a standardized design from the IISS and Starport Authority. The Imperium is heavily run by the corporate classes, and one thing I do feel safe in stating is that certain navigation features will be standardized. The minimum outfit would be a simple antenna farm, a central computer with attached communications, and geostationary satellite. On worlds lacking indigenous electricity production, or where connecting to a grid is impractical, the rudimentary standardized system is powered by low maintenance generation. Typically, 'walk away' capable fusion plants, solar arrays, geothermal, and radiothermal generators are used for surface installations, of designed power outputs. Important factors for this equipment include reliability and minimal need for spare parts for all elements. This applies to small scale, Class E, ports, in newly established areas. In my vision of the Traveller Universe, inhabited worlds rarely have a Class E starport for more than a few decades, particularly on trade routes. The development of the surrounding area may easily push it into the Class D rating. Considering how GT: Starports notes that setting up a Class I (E) port is as simple as landing two cutters, clearing an area, establishing an extraterritoriality line, and maybe setting up an office, along with a communication station. It also notes that many have an 'artist's conception' of a future starport.

Review: GURPS Traveller Interstellar Wars

    The final physical book published for the GURPS Traveller line, and the only one for Fourth Edition, GT Interstellar Wars provides us a look at the first contact between Terrans and Vilani and the centuries of conflict that followed. Published in 2006, I was reluctant to get a copy because of edition compatibility. Also, I prefer the 3rd Imperium era.

    A 240 page hard cover book, the full color nature is typical of post D&D 3rd Edition publications from established gaming publishers. The copy I am borrowing from Hiverlord is in good shape, and eminently readable. The illustrations are of high quality, and the text readable. SJ Games really does produce quality supplements, and this is no exception. It feels like a book that can see regular use for a while. The illustrations are a mixture of computer renderings of starships that were common for the GT line, and quality illustrations. The style differences are not enough to distract the reader and break immersion.

    Structurally, Interstellar Wars is laid out in a familiar manner. Sections on background, characters, and starships offer a logical structure for both an initial read-through and later reference.

    Chapter 1, pages 6-16, is an introduction to the setting, and a basic history and information, including introducing some Vilani terms, and describing both Terran and Imperial societies. Including the differences between our era and the Terran Confederation of the 23rd century and later.

    Chapter 2, pages 17-46, provides an overview of the entire period, from the near future, including unification of Earth under the UN, to the fall of Vland in 2303. Much of this is based on prior material, including Jon F. Ziegler's GT Rim of Fire, but explored in more detail. An important detail is the nature of ethnic background of Sharik Yanglia was noted, and now expanded as a minor Human Race.

    Chapters 3, 48-68, and 4, 69-93, are similar in desribing the Terran Confederation and the Vilani Imperium. Both offer notes on society, structure, and military operations. The Imperium chapter also has a section on subject races. Alongside the familiar Answerin, Bwaps, Geonee, Suerrat, Vegans, and Nugiiri, we meet the Anakundu and Dishaan as well. The military sections provide, if you ask me, a justification for the 3rd Imperium's Marines to use the cutlass, as well as the Draft in practice. Nice little nods, if you ask me.

    Chapter 5, pages 95-132, covers the setting. Nine subsectors of the Rim, in detail a few thousand years before the 3rd Imperium. This provides some interesting information about the worlds previously covered, but has far less information than either of the 3rd Edition. One notable item, is the starport classification has returned to the Traveller standards of A-E, instead of GURPS Space using Roman numerals. My description of Persapera/Sol (SR 2028) does work with the offical, but it's been a few thousand years. 

    Characters are chapter 6, pages 133-157, and that is almost entirely GURPS 4e. For the non GURPS player, the description of social standing is most useful, as are Vilani military titles. Notable, the Ziru Sirka's fleet uses impenetrable function titles.

    Chapters 7, 159-168, provides a primer on how Vilani technology and Terran differ and work together. It also provides that much-needed information on society. Vilani social engineering for stability means computers are always dedicated. It also notes the limits on technology in this era. Biotechnology is noticeably limited.

    Chapters 8, 9, and 10, pages 169-186, 187-218, and 219-227, are all linked, Chapter 8's focus on starships is more informative on operations. It includes skill checks, chrome for operations, and the like. It also has the all important speculative trade tables, and how to work that into the setting. Chapter 9 is starship design, and is a refinement of the 3rd Edition one in the core GT book, and GT starships. It also includes a variety of sample designs from 10 dton fighter to the 30,000 dton Indomitable-class battleship, featuring a meson spinal and Jump 3. It also provides another justification for the Detached Duty scout ship. Chapter 20 is starship combat, and is serviceable.

    Chapter 11, 228-238, covers campaigns. It offers a default "Terran Free Traders" campaign, and other campaigns. Options, detailed as a few paragraphs, include main fleet and commerce raiding naval campaigns, ground warfare, occupation duty, exploration, colonization, and diplomacy/espionage. The one page offers some great alternates, including playing through the entire war with a cast of characters, time travel from the 3rd Imperium (Ancients Device!), secret Psionic masters, and a crossover with GURPS Infinite Worlds. The remainder of the book is a useful index.

    Conclusions? The book is a worthy addition to the GT canon. It is obviously a product of when it was produced, and includes some things in the future history that have changed radically. However, that does not detract form it. The ideas are still good, and workable. If a player is in a GURPS 4e group, and wants to try the Traveller setting, this book would work for that. Don't get it if you have little interest in this era. I did find the nods to the established Traveller setting to be amusing, but slightly distracting, as well as the references to Mesopotamian culture that also came from Imperium. Notably, the name of the family that was the Apkallu Kibrat Aban Kushamii being Sharrukin and then Anglicized to Sargon, is a clue to which of the authors wrote that section. Or at least provided the idea. Most of them got me to crack a grin, or connect the mechanic.

Drye, Paul, et al. Interstellar Wars. Steve Jackson Games, 2006.