'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

[combatmedic]

The Draft-

The Imperium may require member worlds to pay a tribute in human beings. The frequency and scale of such tribute demands varies by the needs of the Imperium, and by the conditions under which the given member world came into the Imperium. A certain percentage of recruits must be 18 Standard Years of age. The implementation of such conscription is usually left up to the locals. It's not uncommon for worlds to dump dissidents, criminals, disliked minorities, and the homeless into the recruitment pool. On some worlds, conscription is run as a lottery. Other worlds have standing arrangments by which a unit is raised every year and sent into Imperial service. On some poor or primitive worlds, there is stiff competition to be drafted, because Imperial service represents a better standard of living and greater opportunities than can be found at home.

Of course, it's also possible to volunteer for Imperial service. Sometimes criminals do this to escape planetary justice.


Many, but by no means all, member worlds use conscription to stock their own forces.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

But what is a spacers blade like Combat?

Ah, that's the weapon listed as 'blade' in the Traveller rules. Page 37 of Characters and Combat tells us-

Blade (350 grams; Cr 50; TL 3): A hybrid knife weapon with a heavy, flat two edged blade nearly 300 mm in length, and a semi-basket handguard. Because of the bulk of the handguard, it is generally carried in a belt scabbard.

IMC, it's a 'spacer's blade', because 'blade' is a bit too generic for my taste.

I believe the 'blade' is taken from E C Tubb's series Dumarest of Terra.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Malenfant

As pointed out on the SFRPG thread, the Imperium is basically a huge protection racket - they blackmail planets into allowing their starports on them and prevent them from doing anything independently. It's not really a government concerned with people, rights, or anything else like that.

IMO the Imperium is an impersonal, self-serving, oppressive, undemocratic, highly unpleasant entity that every world should be fighting against.

Spreading that sort of disloyal rubbish is why we must now ceremoniously blow you out this airlock without a vac suit, you vile Ine Givar scum!

:)


Welcome to CombatMedic's Imperium. :)

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Ah, that's the weapon listed as 'blade' in the Traveller rules. Page 37 of Characters and Combat tells us-




IMC, it's a 'spacer's blade', because 'blade' is a bit too generic for my taste.

I believe the 'blade' is taken from E C Tubb's series Dumarest of Terra.

It is 12 INCHES combat. To think someone like you would fall for the newfangled metric nonsense of the godlless, jacobinical, FRENCH .

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

It is 12 INCHES combat. To think someone like you would fall for the newfangled metric nonsense of the godlless, jacobinical, FRENCH .

Heh, blame Marc Miller. That was a direct quotation from the Traveller rules.

It looks like we did go metric, in the end...

[jason taylor]

I picture the area toward core as being fairly peaceful. The Imperial government has very much of an interest in keeping peace.
I picture the Marches as being like the scottish border with various groups keeping a nominal allegiance to one of the Astralcracies while being far more independent in inclination. There are more Balkanized worlds then canon would suggest. A lot of times the book simply represents the dominate government/Imperial recognized government. The Imperium and the Zho are constantly giving support to local warlords on each other's side. Piratical expeditions go back and forth too across the border. This low level mayhem is more tolerated because neither the Imperium nor the Zho has an interest in making to much of a fuss about it. It is much easier to attribute it to local criminals then to start another Frontier War.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Heh, blame Marc Miller. That was a direct quotation from the Traveller rules.

It looks like we did go metric, in the end...

REBEL! Death To The French!

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

REBEL! Death To The French!

Ah, but in the far future milleu of Traveller, metric has paradoxically been renamed 'Imperial.'

[Malenfant]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

To think someone like you would fall for the newfangled metric nonsense of the godlless, jacobinical, FRENCH .

Originally Posted by jason tayler

REBEL! Death To The French!

WTF, seriously. Are you usually this racist?

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Malenfant

WTF, seriously. Are you usually this racist?

He's joking, Mal.

Jason is needling me for my lurve of Frenchiness.

EDIT- He's also making a wee joke about my scorn for the Jacobins, of course.