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Old 03-12-2020, 10:22 AM   #651
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Default Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

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And doubtless immediately called for independence from the planet ;)
Well they usually waited a LITTLE while.

Actually the army had to finish up the conquest of the world while the Marines waited to do more landings. The town was composed of those fleet followers attached to the Black Watch Marine division. Declaring of independence was not a viable strategy for most during the Terran Confederation and the Second Imperium, and certainly not for those on the main advance base with the Terrans right next to them and the Vilani all about.
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Old 03-12-2020, 11:01 AM   #652
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The inspiration for this was twofold. One was that there were a number of similarities between the Principality (as described in the Imperial Encyclopedia) and a non-canon society of my own (founded by Space Cossack sorts from the frontiers of the ISW) near the Spinward Marches that I had to figure out a way for them to have been in contact. This is an elegant solution-they were in contact, the Black Watch was simply ordered in a different direction.

The other is contemplating what would happen to the Terran Fleet campaigning for generations? It would become an ethnicity and sprout sub-ethnicities. And it would be a semi-nomadic one for going back to one's home after tour ended was often impractical. The most logical thing is that the Terrans habitually set up an advance base to support operations in a sector and as that was sufficiently secure dependents were brought up. Each base's inhabitants would identify more with other anchors of the Terran Navy than with the planet it is on.
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Old 03-20-2020, 05:20 PM   #653
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Puppet Shows

Puppetry is a well developed art in the 3I. It's also highly influenced by technology mainly sophisticated Telepresence. Puppeteers act through their puppets like Bunraku puppeteers, and they are seen as artists in the same way.

Individual puppet robots are complex works of art and often of a quality any museum would be proud to display. Many playwrights write exclusively for the puppet theater. Stage designs for these small theaters are often made by the finest artists of the 3I.

There are individual plays with special puppet robots just for them, these range from faeries tales to epic romances like the tales of Arthur or Orlando to kitchen sink dramas. There is also a standard repertory group of puppet robots much like the Comedia dell'arte. many plays, especially by newer playwrights, are written for this group of puppets. Established playwrights can get troops to invest in specialized puppets for one role only.

As the telepresence motions of actors can be recorded by the puppet robots so that these performances can be replayed later. Much like we can listen to Beatles records or watch old films with Kathrine Hepburn or Humphrey Bogart. Some performers specialize in being the one "live" player in an otherwise recorded show. Such performances generally involve topical asides and comebacks.

The puppet theater is like the 3I's court jester. They can say thinks others can't. Mind you, sometimes they go to far.

Another wrinkle is that theater "troops" are often one or two people with a bunch of puppets and recorded shows. A great cover for smugglers or other people who need to move secretly.
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Old 03-20-2020, 07:11 PM   #654
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That's pretty good.
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Old 04-09-2020, 08:53 PM   #655
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Chandler's Officer's Chest:

This is a chest produced for merchant and naval personal. It is called an "officer's chest" in recognition of it's comparative expense and the fact that common spacers and apprentices often have less space. Made to carry personal items, it has a deliberately "retro" look. It is, generally made of a wood or woodlike substance commonly used for artistry: Terran Cedars are widely favored. The metal bands are commonly of iron or brass. In general the price reflects the cost of the material and the craftsmanship which varies from model to model. Customization can also increase the price. Chests come with a functioning mechanical lock but this is usually cosmetic and an electronic one is usually hidden below. Two unique features are a side door that opens like the door of a landing craft in photos of the Terran Second World War. The second is three rows of eye bolts along the sides through which a rope may be threaded. This allows decorative objects to be displayed or just gives extra capacity. On each side is the Chandler's Compass Rose, with the inscription, "Chandler's of...World Where Sold" imprinted and dyed in the typical colors.

In some places they have ceremonial usage. Aslan for instance find these popular as an "Honor's Chest".
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Old 04-10-2020, 08:06 AM   #656
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Chandler's Officer's Chest:

This is a chest produced for merchant and naval personal. It is called an "officer's chest" in recognition of it's comparative expense and the fact that common spacers and apprentices often have less space. Made to carry personal items, it has a deliberately "retro" look. It is, generally made of a wood or woodlike substance commonly used for artistry: Terran Cedars are widely favored. The metal bands are commonly of iron or brass. In general the price reflects the cost of the material and the craftsmanship which varies from model to model. Customization can also increase the price. Chests come with a functioning mechanical lock but this is usually cosmetic and an electronic one is usually hidden below. Two unique features are a side door that opens like the door of a landing craft in photos of the Terran Second World War. The second is three rows of eye bolts along the sides through which a rope may be threaded. This allows decorative objects to be displayed or just gives extra capacity. On each side is the Chandler's Compass Rose, with the inscription, "Chandler's of...World Where Sold" imprinted and dyed in the typical colors.

In some places they have ceremonial usage. Aslan for instance find these popular as an "Honor's Chest".
I love the idea of something that screams seaside tourist trap memento ( to my born in 1960 sensiblities ) becoming a major ceremonial object for several cultures. Witty and brilliant.
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Old 04-10-2020, 09:10 AM   #657
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I love the idea of something that screams seaside tourist trap memento ( to my born in 1960 sensiblities ) becoming a major ceremonial object for several cultures. Witty and brilliant.
Well, Freelance Traveller referred to the idea of a spacer showing off how well traveled he was by having a sticker with a "Chandler's of..." for each world he visited on his duffle. I just thought that was an interesting alternative for that.
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Old 04-13-2020, 11:40 AM   #658
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Charlies Place: Chandler's (the company not the generic occupation) contracts out the right to maintain small concessions at it's various stores. The requirements are that match the companies opinion of "taste" and that it carry a theme appropriate to the store. Charlies Place is one example of such. The name comes from a nautical pun. It is called so because it's logo is an ancient semaphore "C" flag-red, white and blue stripes, code named "Charlie" for clear communication in difficult weather. The interior decorating includes maritime art, glass fishing floats ships-in-a-bottle and other things to invoke the Solimoni water-voyaging traditions. The food is usually seafood and they are known for their chowders including what they contend are genuine reconstructions of all the contending clam chowders of the Terran United States Atlantic coast. Other fish and shellfish can be had, some transplanted species of Terra raised from aquaculture and others local native seafood. The menu varies seasonally to ensure proper variety. Charlies also serves a fine black coffee. Cream and sugar are available but the waitstaff will look at you with disdain as unworthy of a true voyager.

Charlies is a typical place for patrons to unwind after spending time shopping at Chandler's.
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Old 06-08-2020, 11:44 AM   #659
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Motmos Goldenslope:

Refers to three major products produced among the Goldenslope Mountains of Motmos.

The Goldenslopes are tropical highland region famous for the golden flowers that appear seasonally. One of the products produced is Octobee Honey. Octobees are an arachnid not an insect but they have many surprising resemblances to Terran bees including the production of honey and wax. The wax is brick hard and cannot be exploited without chiseling it out which is only done with abandoned hives. The honey however is much like Terran honey and can be used in pastry or in the heady local mead.

The second product is the scraps of the flowers after they are shed seasonally. They are exploited for fragrance and dye. Local artists often use the products for such things as painting and calligraphy.

The third product is not native but is widely popular. The upper slopes are planted with the descendants of Terran Arabicas. They were picked cultivars, carefully integrated with the ecology by planetologists. They have several varieties, sometimes adapted from cultivars of revered ancestry. They are graded by official Agworld tasters in 2-8 and "prime". Several primes are of so great of value that their packages are almost never opened except in the case of a high class feast. One of the most peculiar Is Goldenslope Prime Gemini for the "twinness" of the disproportionate number of peaberries.
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Old 06-18-2020, 05:21 PM   #660
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Rutters:

Traveller's Almanacs especially for merchants. They can come in several forms. Some come in periodicals (famously the JTAS) from private interest groups of various kinds. Others from governments: it is common for consulates to sell collections of commercial and navigational intelligence as a service to merchants flagged on their world.

Most famously are the rich collections carried by various merchant houses. A common format is an illuminated codex-style carrier with sheaths for the dataholders of recorded debriefs of captains organized by date as well as space for side notes. If you did not know you might think you are looking at a religious manuscript.

It is common for a merchant house to maintain a regular service of analysts to refine the information for previous debriefs and issue them to captains bound for given regions.

The information contained in a rutter issued will likely include such things as contacts, resources of a given area, secret stashes of emergency wealth in whatever form, bank account codes, deposit boxes, etc, as well as navigational information and survival guides for a given system. Also might include political intelligence as well as economic as this can be relevant to operations. The head of a merchant house if forced to flee (say from a war or revolution at home), can often use the information within to revive corporate power.

The rutter of an extinct Merchant House is a priceless work of art and kept in museums. They are certainly unfencible and anyone who intends to steal one must work on commission.

A Great MegaCorp like the Tukeras might maintain an entire library of rutters at it's home office.

An adventure with this might involve using one to track down accounts. It could also be a MacGuffin a bounty hunter is hired to find. Or an Imperial investigator looking for unsavory goings on might be trying to find it and decipher the meaning. Or on the flipside if the PCs are looking to avoid Imperial Entanglements they might try to hide it.
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