Traveller Nobles

[mcv]

Originally Posted by Kalamazoo

Now, for my part, I would have preferred to have still more content about the Imperium organisation and structures, as well as some details about Imperial law, instead of, for example, details about luxuries. Not that anything is lacking, just a personal preference.

What I'd be most interested in, is the political landscape. I don't want a simple, monolithic Imperium where every noble represents the Emperor, but lots of factions, plotting and intrigue, with various nobles allied with each other and/or allied with, working for or owning megacorporations, all forming a big web where everybody uses or manipulates everybody else for their own goals.

Can I find this kind of information in GURPS Nobles? This is to me the most interesting thing about nobility. Anything else is only really useful if you happen to play a nobles campaign.


mcv.

[Athanell]

Any comments on our questions? :)

[Andrew Hackard]

Originally Posted by Athanell

Any comments on our questions? :)

Well, clearly not yet. I'm sure they will be answered in good time, and I'm equally sure that they won't be answered any faster if you keep posting nudge notes. So please don't.

[Athanell]

My apologies, did not realize it was against the rules, sorry to evoke any hostility.....I usually do that on most forums after 16 hours or so.

[mcv]

Originally Posted by Athanell

My apologies, did not realize it was against the rules, sorry to evoke any hostility.....I usually do that on most forums after 16 hours or so.

Patience can be a virtue sometimes.


mcv.

[Andrew Hackard]

Originally Posted by Athanell

My apologies, did not realize it was against the rules, sorry to evoke any hostility.....I usually do that on most forums after 16 hours or so.

I appreciate your apology. It's not against the rules, it's just . . . well, I'll just say that 16 hours strikes me as an incredibly short time before posting a reminder that people haven't answered your question yet. You might want to wait a while longer in the future (like a few days).

[Dark Lord Skippy]

Athanell,

It goes into great detail about not only the types of nobles, how they get along in the overall scheme of things, and all of the noblisse oblige involved, but also covers several specific nobles and gives their bios.

There is also a large section of the book that details the governmental structure of the Imperium and how certain legal matters are handled.

Does that help?

Dark Lord Skippy

[hcobb]

I've got some questions about Nobles, but you'll don't need to rush out any answers. ;-)

First page 68, can a higher noble overrule a pardon and does this violate double jeoparady? Can the same case ping-pong several steps up the chain until the Emperor has to deal with it?

Also, where's the "coast guard"? Under the Imperial Shipping Commission or the SPA? And do they meet up with the IISS and hang out with the Imperial High Command?

Where do the System Defense Boats fit in? Are they purely local or part of the Army?

Can we have a breakdown of which taxes collect the most dough and how the bread is sliced between the ministries?

Can anybody less than the Emperor issue a Warrant? Can Norris knight somebody and tell them to command a fleet?

What's the relationship between the Imperial Shipping Commission and Admiralty Court?

[Tom Schoene]

Originally Posted by hcobb

I've got some questions about Nobles, but you'll don't need to rush out any answers. ;-)

First page 68, can a higher noble overrule a pardon and does this violate double jeoparady? Can the same case ping-pong several steps up the chain until the Emperor has to deal with it?

IT never says specifically, but I'd say it would take be very unlikely for a more senior noble to overturn a subordinate's pardon. Given the notion of imperium as described in Nobles, the only excuse for overturning a pardon, IMO, would be that the original noble was acting outside of his mandate, or if the pardon was only granted due to the original noble's own complicity in the crime being considered.

Originally Posted by hcobb

Also, where's the "coast guard"? Under the Imperial Shipping Commission or the SPA? And do they meet up with the IISS and hang out with the Imperial High Command?

What "coast guard"? I don't believe there is any single entity with the same responsibilities as the contemporary US Coast Guard (which is different from most other coast guards anyway). THe SPA and local customs services and/or planetary navies are reponsible for safety, navigation, customs and law enforcement. But the IISS and the Imperial Navy can take a hand as well, whenever the local noble feels is necessary. There are no pesky posse commitatus laws in the Third Imperium. If the local count wants the IN to enforce traffic regulations around some world, they do it (until the subsector duke decides he wants his fleet back).

Originally Posted by hcobb

Where do the System Defense Boats fit in? Are they purely local or part of the Army?

IMO, planetary navies consist primarly of SDBs and their larger cousins monitors and battleriders. The Imperial Navy also owns quite a few large SDBs for defense of its depots and bases (plus of course battleriders). Probably the Army has some SDBs too, for ortillery duties (as with the famous 4518th) though I suspect there may be more dedicated gunships for this as well.

Originally Posted by hcobb

Can we have a breakdown of which taxes collect the most dough and how the bread is sliced between the ministries?

Lord, I hope not. Leaving that open for GM interpretation is important. Besides, it's going to vary from place to place and time to time. The Imperium is not monolithic in its approahc to taxation and regulation. (Obviously Gateway has different power balances than the Marches, for example.)

Originally Posted by hcobb

Can anybody less than the Emperor issue a Warrant? Can Norris knight somebody and tell them to command a fleet?

Dukes and Archdukes can also issue warrants, of more limited scope and power (within their territory and without absolute authority over Imperial assets commanded by nobles with broader imperium).

Yes, Norris could appoint someone to direct a fleet, even outside the normal Navy chain of command, just as Norris himself was able to direct the fleet without being in the Navy himself. He probably could even grant someone tactical authority (command) over a fleet, though the Navy brass would protest mightily at that (with good reason, since command of the fleet is a skill requiring long experience). I'm not sure this requires a warrant either, just an order.

What a warrant would do is allow someone to take over a fleet on their own authority without getting Norris' permission first. As long as the bearer of the warrant needs the fleet to carry out the mission or duties described in the warrant, he gets the fleet. Of course, the fleet commander is certainly a noble himself and would be expected to exercise a little common sense. IfF the warrant calls for the bearer to investigate an environmental disaster on some planet, his mandate does not extend to commandeering a battle squadron unless he can convince the commander otherwise.

A knighthood has nothing to do with a warrant. In theory, you don't even have to be a noble at all to be given a warrant, though that's awfully unlikely.

Originally Posted by hcobb

What's the relationship between the Imperial Shipping Commission and Admiralty Court?

I'm sure they're familiar with each other; their officials probably have lunch together twice a week. But the court is part of whatever passes for a judiciary in the Imperium (a rather ad hoc thing, it appears), while the ISC is part of the Ministry of Commerce (or maybe of State; it varies, as do so many things in the Imperium).

[LKW]

Originally Posted by hcobb

I've got some questions about Nobles, but you'll don't need to rush out any answers. ;-)

Thomas' answered before I could even read the original questions, and did a pretty fair job, I think. I don't plan on ever getting to the level of detail where I'm creating the entire Imperial budget, for several reasons.