Alternative Traveller Setting Ideas

[DAT]

Greetings,
Was thinking about some ideas for alternative Traveller settings. These are settings that are not part of the Charted Space history (ISW, Long Night, Milena 0, Classic, 1120, etc) and GURPS Traveller Alternative history (no assassination/rebellion/Virus), or have some key changes to those settings. To keep the alternatives still “Traveller”, I want to keep the main setting assumptions/key features (as paraphrased from Wikipedia):
• Space travel: Interstellar travel is through the use of the FTL (Faster-than-light) jump drive, which moves a ship through "jump space" 1-6 parsecs at a time. Each jump always takes about one week. Normal-space travel is accomplished through relatively efficient and powerful reactionless gravitic drives. Newtonian physics tends to be followed.
• Limited communication: There is no faster-than-light information transfer. Communication is limited to the speed of travel. Decisions are made on the local level, rather than by a remote authority.
• Morals and mortality: People remain people and continue to show courage, wisdom, honesty and justice, along with cowardice, deceit, and criminal behavior.

I’ll add posts with a few I’ve been playing/building/thinking about.
Please comment and or add your own.
-Dan

[DAT]

Traveller StarFlight (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starflight)
Description: Humans from Earth colonized other worlds, including the Planet Arth. A few hundred years ago, huge radiation storms ravaged Arth, forcing the humans underground. There was a large loss of life. Much knowledge and technology was lost in the scramble to survive, including the location of Earth and most advance technology not needed to live underground. After decades, the radiation subsided, and after further decades, the human population was able to return to the surface and start rebuilding their civilization. The humans of Arth have recently returned to the stars and are searching for Earth. The PCs are the crew of a planet survey ship. Ruins of humans, aliens, and Precursor/Ancients aliens civilizations are found, along with live aliens (some not so friendly) and strange phenomena.
Adventure Themes: This is mainly an Exploration game, with a few over arcing Mysteries. First contact, diplomacy, combat, and commerce also come into play.
Races: The game starts human centric, but with Transhuman elements as bioengineered light worlders, heavy worlders, human upgrades, parahumans, and AIs are viable starting characters. A few different aliens from Starflight, Traveller, and GURPS Space will make appears as the game proceeds, and player characters from some of those races become available as replacements.
Technology: At the start, hard science Transhuman Space tech elements with super science Traveller starship tech is available. As artifacts are found and investigated, and other cultures are contacted and technologies traded, the technology available will expand.
Key Differences: Humans “mostly” on one Planet, more “major” races,
Play: Have ran a one shot adventure is this setting at three different conventions.

[DAT]

Traveller Transhuman Space (First Contact)
Description: The Earth and rest of the Sol system have an accelerated radical hard science technology development, with genetic engineering (human genetic upgrades, transgenic parahumans, and biogenesis formed bioroids), nanotechnology, cybernetic implants, biological to digital interfaces, artificial intelligences, digital consciousness, and extensive space colonies (Mars, Luna, Titan, L4/L5 Space Stations, Ceres, and numerous other asteroids) reached with reaction drives. In 2103, based on research derived from studying a primordial black hole, FTL Jump Technology is invented. By 2107, true Jump-1 drives are able to be produced. But since there are no other star systems within a parsec of Sol, and the mathematics of jump navigation seemed to imply that a jump into empty space was not possible, there seemed to be little practical application for the technology, other than vastly shortening trips to the outer system. In 2108, the USA starts on an ambitious program to launch a manned (human and informorph) expedition to Barnard’s Star, two parsecs coreward. A rogue planet, Helios, 1 parsec from Sol and Barnard’s Star was located, and the jump space navigation mathematics worked out. After an initial scouting mission to Helios, several trips were made by craft to establish a refueling station called Helios Station. During this time, the final touches were made on constructing and testing the USSV StarLeaper One, the largest jump capable ship constructed to date. The USSV StarLeaper One, is commanded by USAF Colonel Lorette Strider, an American, and has a multinational crew. Its mission is to travel to Barnard’s Star via Helios Station and become the first Earth ship to visit another solar system. The PCs, are part of the crew.
Adventure Themes: Exploration - First Contact.
Races: The game starts human centric.
Technology: The hard tech from the Transhuman Space setting, with Traveller Jump tech is available.
Key Differences: Radical Hard Tech Earthers meet the retro safe-tech superscience Vilani and their Ziru Sirka.

[DAT]

Traveller Terran Federation (Piper’s Terro-Human Future History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Beam_Piper):
Description: After WWIII, Humans from a more united Earth invent Jump Drive Technology and start exploring other worlds. Corporations start colonization efforts on the other worlds. The prosperous colony worlds form governments that are welcomed into a Terran Federation. At the start, hundreds of systems have been explored, fifty or so have been colonized, and there are ten or so full members. There are interesting things to mine or harvest on the different planets, and lots of reasons for interstellar trade.
The setting that matches up with H. Beam Piper’s Federation, Four Day Planet, and Fuzzy novels.
Adventure Themes: This is mainly a Merchant game with some Exploration game, and the possibility of First Contact.
Races: The game starts human centric.
Technology: Standard Traveller tech is available.
Key Differences: No Ancients

[DAT]

Traveller Exodus
Description: After WWIII, a still balkanized Earth invents Jump Drive Technology and start exploring and colonizing other worlds. Different governments fund exploration and colonization efforts on other worlds. At the start, about 80 systems have been explored, twenty or so have been colonized, and there are two which have become independent of their founding Earth government. Finding and staking claims on new Earthlike worlds is worth big bucks. There are interesting things to mine or harvest on the different planets, and lots of reasons for interstellar trade.
The setting has the Traveller 2300 / 2300AD backstory.
Adventure Themes: This is an Exploration game, with some merchant opportunities, and the possibility of First Contact.
Races: The game starts human centric.
Technology: Standard Traveller tech is available.
Key Differences: No Ancients, tech varies from 2300 AD.

[DAT]

Traveller Large Fleets (Small Ship)
Description: The general standard Third Imperium in the year 1105 TI.
Adventure Themes: Exploration, Merchant, Mercenary, etc.
Races: The game starts human centric.
Technology: Standard Traveller tech is available, with some limitations (see Key Differences).
Key Differences: The gravity compensators in ships limit the size of the fastest ships to less than 5000 dtons. There are still mega cargo ships, but warships are smaller.
Play: Did a Trillion Credit Squadron variations using this.