Terran Gentleman, and Other (Not So Fine) Potables

One of the many technologies brought with to the stars from Terra was distilling of the varied grain

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crops. While some distillery techniques do produce quality products, such as Scotch whisky or various Caribbean rums, the techniques to produce cheap, unpleasant liquor has, in fact, thrived. Often to the detriment of officers, NCOs, or people trying to get things done in a timely fashion

A brand that has found particular popularity in the Sol subsector is a whiskey known as "Terran Gentleman". Sold in brown bottles in 500 mL, 750 mL, 1 L and 2 L sizes, with the smaller two in glass, and the larger plastic, it has become a near scourge to hear the complaints to the populations that drink it. Averaging approximately 50% alcohol by volume, it retails for excessively low prices, of around .25 credits for a 40 mL drink at the dive bars it can be found at or 2 credits per 750 mL bottle. It is most commonly found in junior enlisted quarters on military bases, Belter settlements, and poor neighborhoods. The taste is described as being "cleaning agent, grain alcohol, and regret" by those who drink it a few times. It is reasonably common among junior spacers, starport vagrants, and oddly enough, fighter pilots.

Other liquors useful as something to get your characters into trouble, here notable for flavor descriptions, and with thanks to friends, include:

Sambuca, described by Brian P., Marine veteran, "like drinking licorice"

 Chartreuse, described by Anja K., world traveler, " I like it but it's probably the most unappealing liquor I've had... and I've had a lot."

 Vermouth, described by Jen L., home day care provider, "tastes like a stale old wardrobe closet from the 1800’s."

Jeppson's Malört, described by Aaron H., Army veteran, "A Chicago thing," also "grapefruit and gasoline."

Krupnik, described by Nick T., Submarine veteran, "supposedly tastes like honey but I remember it more like moth balls and peppermint."

Habu Sake, described by John T., Marine veteran, "Well, I'm not sure if it was legit Habu Sake from Japan. It was a high proof alcohol that had a preserved snake of some sort in it. Tasted earthy with what I can only described as an overcooked steak that's been sitting in a fridge for 3-4 weeks. Also, not smooth by any means with high alcohol taste. So, pretty sure this was a re-bottle."

Jägermeister , according to Jason O, Navy retiree, "which is disgusting and if you talk to most they will agree, although they will happily buy a couple shots which you will gladly take raising a toast to anything. How this became such a favorite shot with a cult following is beyond me."

Apricot schanpps was provided by nerd-in-paradise Chris T., as just an idea.

Bacardi Rum, from Paul S., National Guard veteran, "ick seems like rubbing alcohol."

I myself, had an odd experience with Drambuie, which I found rather sweet, but didn't feel the whisky notes.

I hope that you can find other, less excruciating ways, to get your characters intoxicated. I know some groups that do drink at the table, but please, be safe.

UPDATE: Thanks to Spinward Scout, there's Jump-distilled Scout Stout!

Crossing Over with Another Game

I've long been a fan of the BattleTech setting and game. Having gotten to understand it more, I have participated in the community off and on since early 2000, after obtaining a boxed set the year before. The novels, particularly William H. Keith Jr.'s Decision at Thunder Rift, got me interested a while beforehand.

Once I started building up my Traveller collection, I ended up getting a copy of the well written Ground Forces for the GURPS Traveller line. I really enjoy how it sets up a complete force, with company and battalion headquarters, and also explains how the staff works as well as actual command. One major point for enhancing my suspension of disbelief was how the about the author mentioned Mr. Berry's expertise in not only weapons, but the floor buffer.

Almost 10 years ago, I wrote a simple, planetary militia unit for my own amusement. Not the greatest troops in the universe, but older and younger than average people who wanted to defend their homeworld, with the Commanding Officer being a MechWarrior who could not get back to his normal unit because a war broke out making interstellar travel impossible. A few years later, I wanted to update it to the end of the conflict. As the world I picked was largely untouched, so any combat experience would have been from defending against small scale raids, and some of the troops would have been given offers they could not refuse by commands higher in the food chain to join.

Nigel The Aslan

When I picked up my copy of Alien Module 1: Aslan, I took a picture of my cat, Nigel, with the book open in front of him. Recently, though, I considered to use the known habits of cats in my favor. Namely, they like to push things off of surfaces.


I placed Nigel on a card-table in my office, and placed dice on there close to the edge, and had him push them over the edge to roll the attributes and some of the early generation roles. He then leapt off the table, so I resumed generation with manual rolls. Meet Nigel the Aslan:

He's a former Commandant in his clan's space force, having served five terms before he was a prisoner of war in a small scale war between clans. The second son of a minor landholder in a major Clan, his family is just another productive cog in a larger machine known as the Hierate. A largely uneventful service, he resisted the temptation to run "war to the knife" against another population of Fteirle as a young officer. He saw it as wrong. He spent his time on a courier route to the Imperium later, learning to deal with other cultures, as well as developing an adaptable skill set. While not knowledgeable about ship's systems, he understood well enough what the female engineer staff was doing to respect them. As a Senior Lieutenant , he got into an honor duel with another male, where he easily bested him, despite being a rather small Aslan. Shortly there after, he spend the remainder of his career in a POW camp when in a war with a human state. He met another captured Aslan who was from a rival clan, and they worked together to maintain their honor as captives. Released, and with a small amount of territory, he's wondering if it's time to go home, or wander the stars. Having worked with humans, he's not averse to them, but wonders if the idea of a earning fortune, and landhold is worth something more than his country-house.

Amber Zone: The Unseen Institute

Believed to be an image of the faculty...

Somewhere on the rimward border rumor has a small group of highly skilled, rather mad psionicists who run an effective near open Psionics Institute. The Solomani frequently claim it's in Imperial Space in the Dabei, Magyar, Solomani Rim, Alpha Crucis, and Old Expanses. The Imperials ususally claim it's on the Solomani side of the truce line. Those of a diplomatic bent claim it's on some backwater in the Reaver's Deep or Hinterworlds. What is known about them follows:

In appearance, it is a normal college from the outside, with a staff of Porters running well manicured grounds. Allegedly, there are far too often ongoing events that spill over from the Psionic talents of the staff and students to escape notice. Unusually, it is almost all men who study here with two exceptions.

The Institute is headed by a man referred to as the Archchancellor. A very powerful psion, he is a large fit man, apparently in his mid 60's. His talents include Clairvoyance and Telepathy. By his manor, he suggests the sort of upper class hunter who would have his own Safari Ship. In addition to his Psionic skills, his skill with a hunting crossbow is unnatural. Don't try and talk to him, he won't even pretend to understand you.

The Bursar of the Institute was once quite talented in Awareness and Telepathy, but was mostly interested in numbers. He still can run the books effectively despite having lost his sanity. Highly skilled and powerful telepaths from the staff are able to induce a hallucination of sanity into him, along with substances derived from poisonous Terran Tree Frogs.

The Dean is an even larger man, requiring two chairs to sit on. This powerful Telekentic and Telepath has two major jobs, attending various functions in the city the Institute is hidden in, and amplyifing any sort of crazy psionic affect in the area. He is rather found of trying martial arts, but the local instructors have been terrorized into understanding that you don't tell a rather powerful psion 'No, you don't have a clue' at their gyms.

Curiously, the Librarian is an uplifted orangutan(1), whose sole psionic talent is Awareness. The most pleasant member of the faculty, he enjoys going to starport bars, playing the organ, and is a member of the local police force's reserve. Only speaking in "Ook" and "Eeek", he nevertheless understands Anglic fluently. Rumor is that calling him a 'Monkey' is a surefire way to find the speaker in the hospital the next morning. He is one of the two exceptions to the Insitute's rule that it's adepts are human males, the other was an extremely strong young woman who gave of the aura you would expect of their usual students. Needless to say, that adept died shortly thereafter.

The Head of Inadvisably Applied Psionic Technology is the youngest member of the faculty, having just completed some of his own studies. He is skilled at Telekinesis and Telepathy, but is really an expert at Psionology. He's also the man the Institute ought to be having talking to the outside world, but this maybe intentional, as this young man is actively involved in a variety of projects inside the Institute, including a combination of psionic talents and high tech computers.