starport will be busy, many outlying towns may subsist In This Issue: on luxury agriculture, and that getting government help Welcome to Imperiallines! will be annoying (think lots of red tape). Harrassment by Lookback: Planetary Governments in Traveller law enforcement will be both expected and routine. in the Third Imperium (Part I) Finally, they will be able to easily acquire TL 12 WalkThrus: Two components. Understanding that the UWP is built for player Creating Amindii Words experience, the referee is therefore freed to speculate Traveller News Service: 3Q 1099 about the world at large if desired, and may use the TravellerMap: PosterMaker UWP as a guide without being bound to it, with the reasonable exception of world population. This ties in to … a minor theme in Traveller5, called Map Only As Really This issue addresses nobles in Traveller5 – but as Necessary (MOARN). The idea is that details usually do usual, learning about one portion of the Traveller not need to be generated. Therefore, a “first pass”, rough system helps the player enjoy Traveller as a whole. For estimate, or immediate in-game effect is sufficient for example, both Marc’s article on planetary governments typical game purposes. and Jim’s article on nobles state that the concept of a This issue also walks through the creation of two feudal interstellar state has been a fundamental idea of nobles using Traveller5 rules. Actually, it only generates Traveller from the start. A less-understood, but just as one character, but those rolls are re-used (well, 95% re- fundamental, concept is that the codes in the UniversalSample used) file to generate a second character as well. The result World Profile (UWP) are inherently player-character- is two casual encounters for the price of one character centric. They are there to tell players what characters generation: an Amindii, and a human, both barons on will directly experience on that world. The actual Regina. workings of planetary government may in fact be quite Two short articles in this issue were written by Marc different – and that in and of itself may be a “plot hook”. Miller: Planetary Governments, updated with two more Since the trade codes and the social characteristics codes for Traveller5, and the Word Generation article, of the UWP – Population, Government, Law Level, and which is almost identical to the article written up in Tech Level – are geared toward player experience, the MegaTraveller. It is inserted here to explain the word referee knows immediately how to describe the general generation table in this issue, newly minted for making populace encountered by the players. For example, Amindii words. when landing on Regina, the referee knows that the

Artists Editors and Contributors Tim Osborne Donald “Grima Wormtongue” McKinney Ian Stead Gregory “Aramais” Lee Andrew Boulton James Kundert Liz Danforth Robert “Thor” Eaglestone “” Andrea Vallance Publisher Marc “Traveller” Miller

Copyright © 2014 Far Future Enterprises. Published under license for Traveller. The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Imperiallines is Far Future Enterprises' trademark for its science fiction game magazine devoted to Traveller5.

Imperiallines No. 7 Transmissions from the Empire

Edited and slightly updated term becomes nonsense when one attempts to from the original article in JTAS 9 apply it to a widespread classification system. Another reason for the labels that are provided in the government classification system is as an aid to PLANETARY imagination. The unaided imagination of even the most inventive referee can go dry after generating a few simple GOVERNMENTS worlds. Using die rolls to create the individual factors for planets jogs the imagination, forcing the referee to think of rationales for the combinations that occur. The use of too FOR TRAVELLER familiar terms (such as monarchy) can stifle imagination by One of the social factors in the Universal World Profile is allowing the referee to settle into old lines of thought. called government type, and it purports to indicate the style The list of government types given in Traveller can, by which the local government rules itself (or is ruled by however, sometimes seem obscure. The following is that others). The list of government types is long and spans the list illuminated by examples. available options from the simple participating democracy to the esoteric charismatic oligarchy. Most notable, 0. No government structure. In many cases, family however, is the absence of some routinely expected bonds will predominate. Examples: The early American government types; types such as empire, presidency, or West, Indian tribes, or frontier situations. monarchy. Similarly, breakdowns such as aristocracy, 1. Company/Corporation. Ruling functions are plutocracy, or matriarchy are also omitted. assumed by company managerial elite and most citizenry are company employees or dependents. Examples: Oil The reason, in reality, is that they are not omitted or drilling rigs at sea, and company towns such as mining absent; the many varied types of government which can be towns or self-contained manufacturing towns. imagined all fit into the basic scheme given in the 2. Participating Democracy. Ruling function decisions Traveller government tables. To understand this, it is are reached by the advice and consent of the citizenry important to remember just what purpose the government directly. Examples: New England towns (town meeting), factor is meant to serve. Traveller players and characters many clubs with parliamentary procedure by-laws, or are rarely involved with governments on the international Scientific Associations. and interplanetary level. That is to say, they do not deal 3. Self-perpetuating Oligarchy. Ruling functions are with or presidents or heads of state; they deal with performed by a restricted minority with little or no input individual members of broad government mechanisms, from the mass of citizenry. Oligarchy means rule by the they deal with office holders and employees whose few. Examples: Monarchy, especially a hereditary attitudes and actions are shaped by the typeSample of monarchy, file matriarchy or patriarchy, plutocracy, and the government they serve. As a result, travellers are rarely communist party, in the sense that membership is interested in the upper reaches of government; they want restricted, and the party, rather than a single individual, to know what they can expect from the governmental rules. structure at their own level. For example, if a group of 4. Representative Democracy. Ruling functions are travellers were to journey across the United States from performed by elected representatives. Examples: The coast to coast, they would be interested in the degree of United States, each individual State, the United Kingdom responsiveness they could expect from local governments, (a constitutional monarchy), and many corporations (shareholders elect a board of directors). in how easy the local court clerk would respond to 1,2 information requests, or in the degree of difficulty that 5. Feudal Technocracy. Ruling functions are could be expected in obtaining certain licenses. As they performed by specific individuals for persons who agree to moved through Nebraska, the fact that that state has a be ruled by them. Relationships are based on the unicameral legislature would be of little or no importance. performance of technical activities which are mutually For this reason, among others, labels such as monarchy beneficial. The lower levels of government (all the way to have been eliminated. Calling a government type the citizens themselves) support the upper levels of “monarchy” would conjure up images of a and his government for as long as the general system provides a retinue, but still leaves a lot of information unrelated. Within living for all. Examples: Japan (in that companies tend to the Traveller system, such a government could be hire employees for life, and strong loyalties are formed), classified as a self-perpetuating oligarchy (hereditary and the United States (in that some populations have monarchy), representative democracy (constitutional strong party loyalty in return for local assistance by the monarchy), feudal technocracy (enlightened feudal party in the form of jobs and handouts). monarchy), captive government (puppet monarchy), civil 6. Captive Government. Ruling functions are performed service bureaucracy, or any of several others. The simple by an imposed leadership answerable to an outside group.

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A colony or conquered area. Examples: The military expect to encounter. Looking at the individual classification (especially military bases with dependents; they have little can provide a springboard to usable information for an or no say in local government). Manchukuo. France under adventure or a campaign. the Nazi occupation, or prisons and prison camps. By the very nature of the classification system, it is also 7. Balkanization. No central ruling authority exists; rival possible for the referee to create and add additional governments compete for control. Examples: The Balkans, government types for any specific campaign. Remember 1910 to 1920 (as a result of the power vacuum created by that the generation system is intended primarily as a prod the breakup of the Ottoman Empire). Iran during to imagination. For example, a referee may wish to define Meirislamie Revolution (as rival factions each claimed a specific type of government more fully, and to establish a power and authority and then attempted to consolidate specific factor or code for it. their holdings), and Earth. M. Military Rule. Although it is possible to envision a 8. Civil Service Bureaucracy. Ruling functions are military government within several of the existing codes, it performed by government agencies employing individuals is also possible to define one specifically – perhaps as the selected for their expertise. Examples: Imperial China result of a coup, or as the rule of a militaristic society (where selective tests determined the fitness of the similar to that of Sparta. In such a case, the letter M could individuals to assume government posts), and some be allocated to military or Spartan government. Once such aspects of the Federal government of the United States. a note is made, the referee can then impose that 9. Impersonal Bureaucracy. Ruling functions are government where he or she thinks it appropriate; the performed by agencies which have become insulated from adventure or campaign effects follow from that point. the governed citizens. This type of bureaucracy is typified by “red tape” entanglements. Examples: Most welfare Footnotes agencies, customs officials, and tax departments. 1Feudal Technocracy was the dominant government A. Charismatic Dictatorship. Ruling functions are form in H. Beam Piper’s Space Viking. Organized in a performed by agencies directed by a single leader who system of kingdoms, duchies and other small states, ruled enjoys the overwhelming confidence of the citizens. by (frequently-warring) noblemen. Despite (or perhaps Examples: Germany under Hitler, Italy under Mussolini, because of) the political instability, the government China under Mao, the USSR under Lenin, and the United achieves significant technological and economic gains. States (to some extent) under FDR. 2I would call the structure of the Imperium a Feudal B. Non-Charismatic Leader. A previous charismatic Technocracy. dictator has been replaced by a leader through normal channels. Examples: The Soviet Union after Stalin or China after Mao. C. Charismatic Oligarchy. Ruling functionsSample are file performed by a select group of members of an organization or class which enjoys the overwhelming confidence of the citizenry. Examples: The Communist Party in the USSR, the Fascist Party in Italy, or the Democratic Party in Chicago. D. Religious Dictatorship. Ruling Functions are performed by a religious, mystic or psionic organization without regard to the specific individual needs of the citizenry. Example: Iran as an Islamic Republic. E. Religious Autocracy. Government is by a single religious, mystic, or psionic leader wielding absolute power. Examples: Moses (before Exodus 18), or the People's Temple cult, led by Rev. Jim Jones. F. Totalitarian Oligarchy. Government by an all- powerful minority which maintains absolute control through widespread coercion and oppression. Example: the German Nazi party (for instance, in its occupation of Holland). Note how the above list of government types gives considerable overlap. No classification of governments can cover all aspects in one listing; the list is, however, a guide to the types of situations which a referee and players can

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Nobility in the Third Imperium

(Part One) Since the publication of Book 1 for the original edition in sector, but generally mirror the scope of the Landed 1977, nobles have been an integral part of Traveller. The Nobility. grand tale that is the timeline of the Third Imperium, told Very few Ceremonial Nobles hold seats or proxies in the over the last 35 years, has often followed the exploits of Moot. Only rarely will a PC Noble be a Ceremonial Noble, one noble in particular, Norris Aledon, of Regina though a PC born to nobility with no social advancement of Subsector, but the Imperium has thousands of others. This title could conceivably have retired from such a position, article will attempt to make clearer their place in and leaving it to a child or favored niece or nephew, or having effects on the Imperium, and your T5 game. that title pass to another by Imperial decree. Landed Nobility hold responsibility for one or more Ceremony, Honor, Land worlds of the Third Imperium. These are the nobles The Imperium recognizes three different groups of indicated by the table on page 96 of the Traveller5 core Nobility, each of which includes every noble title from rules, and are typically differentiated during character to Duke. Their relative importance to each other is generation by the acquisition of Moot Proxies. Unlike not fixed, as all three types of and Barons are Honor Nobility and most Ceremonial Nobles, all Landed roughly equal in rank, while Honor titles above tend Nobles above the rank of Knight also hold a seat in the to fall behind their fellow peers with ceremonial and landed Moot, though some will actually visit the Moot only once, titles. They are also considerably more rare. and some not at all. Each Landed Noble is granted control Honor Nobles are those with no set function within the over a part of each world to which their title applies. In the Imperium. They are simply noble by acclamation, typically case of this can be almost an entire World Hex on as a reward for service to the Imperium under arms or in a one world and one or more Terrain hexes on every other field of beneficial endeavor, including the arts and world in their fief. The income these territories generate is sciences, diplomatic service, or because they or their the reward and recompense for their service, though the family no longer holds a ceremonial or landed position, or land itself remains the property of the . The are expected to gain one of those positions when theSample time Landed file Nobility hold the unique right on each world to be is right. While Honor Nobility can come with benefits, called "The" Noble of that world. There is only one person including land, they are not considered Landed Nobility in who can claim to be "The Marquis of Regina", though there the same way that the Duke of Regina is. may be others of that rank who came from Regina. A land award can provide some income, but does not confer a seat in the Moot. Player characters who began Once a Knight, Always a Knight prior experience as a non-noble and emerged with a noble Knights hold a special place within the nobility. As the title are most likely Honor Nobles, rewarded for doing nobles most often encountered by common citizens, and something right. the one title a citizen can readily aspire to, Knights are Ceremonial Nobles hold a position within the power often seen as the most immediate face and voice of the structure of the Imperium that does not involve direct Imperium. Knights of all three types, Ceremony, Honor, control or responsibility over a world or worlds. Sector or and Landed, exist within the Imperium, but there are also subsector Masters of Exchequer, , Sector Chiefs Orders and Rank within the title. Most notably, not all of the Ministry of Justice, and other similar positions are Knights are recognized by the Imperium as a whole. equipped with noble titles to make the commission of their Retainer Knights are those named by a Subsector or duties run more smoothly and allow them to get the sort of Sector Duke to serve his or her interests and household. noble attention they may need. Ignoring un-titled Within the reach of that Duke, they are treated as Knights. functionaries is one thing, but having Hassiway, While there is no hard limit to the number of Retainer Commander of the subsector Ministry of Justice, seek a Knights a Duke can name, a Duke who keeps a large Ducal audience is another entirely. The specific positions number of Retainers who have not been recommended to and associated noble titles vary somewhat from sector to the Emperor for Imperial Knighthood could be regarded with some suspicion.

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Imperial Knights are those recommended to and the Duchy in the 900 years Mora has been part of the confirmed by the Office of the Emperor, often with the Imperium. consultation of the Master of any Order they were The central parts of the Imperium are often home to old recommended to. The Emperor is the Master of several families, usually the former rulers of their worlds or Orders, including the Order of the Emperor's Guard (OEG) clusters, who joined the Imperium willingly during its and the Order of the Knights Imperial. The latter is the formative years and were granted Imperial noble status. largest Order in the Imperium, and comprises mostly These families can hold high Titles as Honor nobility while Ceremonial and Honor Knights, while the OEG is also holding specific fiefs that may equate to lower Landed overwhelmingly populated by Landed Knights with a Titles. While each Title passes through the family minority of Honor and Ceremonial Knights. Once a separately, in practice the Titles often group together in candidate, whether a Retainer Knight or someone individuals or siblings. Fiefs can come and go over time, recommended directly for their deeds, has been confirmed but the families have been in their positions for so long that by the Emperor, they become an Imperial Knight and are they are institutions on their home worlds, and own accorded the rights and privileges of the rank in all corners considerable property not affiliated with their Titles. of the Imperium. One important way in which Imperial Knights differ from Every world in the Imperium, save those under interdict the higher nobility is that Imperial Knighthoods are not and worlds with no permanent populations, has an normally passed along to the title holder's children. An assigned Landed Knight. The specific title varies by region Imperial Knighthood is earned by and granted to the and the influence of Terran or other traditions. Most are individual, and dies with the individual. There are members of the OEG, but other Orders are represented. exceptions. The most frequent exception is Landed The specific role each Knight plays on his or her world Knights, many of whom are able to pass their Title and Fief varies considerably, from mere social gadfly, to a chief of to one child, subject to the same Imperial approval that law enforcement, Port Warden of the local starport. On affects higher Titles. Retainer Knighthoods are never lower population worlds, the knight may even be the ruler formally inherited, but the increased familiarity and of the world. Because their role is so different from the role opportunities available to their descendants can result in played by the higher nobility, it is rare for these Knights to such positions being accorded to future generations. also hold higher Title unless it is a Ceremonial or Honor Service often begets a tradition of service. Title. A Landed Knight represents the Imperium to the inhabitants of his world, while the higher nobles typically and Barons represent the interests of their assigned worlds or regions Assigned to fledgling worlds that show some promise of to the rest of the Imperium. Some higher Nobles spend expanding their role in the Imperium, Landed Baronets are very little time on their assigned worlds, while a Landed given the responsibility to promote that growth and Knight will rarely leave his world or system. For thisSample development, file and are typically promoted to Barons when reason, Landed Knights are typically chosen from those their world attains that potential as an Agricultural asset or Knights native to the world. comfortably developed Rich world. Baronets are often equated with being a "Baron in Training", though it is the Pass It On world they oversee that is really being tested. Noble ranks typically come with conditions of Baronets and Barons can be created and assigned by inheritance, written into their patents of nobility at the time either the Iridium Throne or, in some parts of the Imperium, the Title is granted. Having a patent's conditions of by the Archdukes of Domains. Those created by an inheritance modified after the fact is noteworthy, and Archduke are officially ranked below those created by the usually bad. The vast majority of patents assert the Emperor, but are usually recommended for Imperial holder's right to nominate an heir to the full Title and appointment. Domain Baronets and Barons are only rarely Privileges, the Iridium Throne's right to accept or reject that Landed in the traditional sense. heir, and what happens if rejection occurs. In most cases, the specific method used to determine the nominated heir Marquis and is left undefined, or is left vague to allow a Title holder Worlds with the potential to become significant centers some leeway. In some cases, such as the Duchy of Mora of industry and manpower are assigned to a Marquis or in the Spinward Marches, the method is specifically , respectively. Equipped with enough of a land defined to conform to the existing traditions of the world. grant to theoretically kick-start an industrial surge all by Mora is ruled by an Elected-for-Life Matriarch who also themselves, Marquises are also given control of enough becomes the new Duchess of Mora Subsector. While the off-world territory to see to supply chains where those are position of Duchess of Mora is technically subject to necessary. Viscounts, by comparison, are more focused Imperial approval, the Matriarchy is not, and the Iridium on broad issues of infrastructure that will allow a world's Throne has not chosen to reject a new Matriarch's claim to population to expand. Neither has an easy task, as many

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worlds face significant challenges, both natural and from there could technically be Honor or Ceremonial Archdukes, the existing developed worlds around them, in making the the Imperium does not have any but Landed Archdukes final steps to becoming major economic powers. following the reinstatement of the Domains under Strephon. Originally created to oversee large parts of the Imperium during its early growth and to provide a "first Landed Counts are assigned to worlds that have among equals" over the Dukes of each region, successfully taken that step to industrial powerhouse, and the positions were often allowed to go empty beginning replace (or are promoted from) the Marquis that pushed after the Civil War in the 600s due to political concerns and the process forward. Counts hold a significant land grant the increasing efficiency of the X-Boat network. When on their assigned world, and often have smaller holdings Strephon became Emperor (and thus the Archduke of on the worlds it has successfully incorporated into its Sylea) in 1086 there were only three other sitting economic engine. Because an Industrial world's economic Archdukes, in Vland, Antares, and Gateway, and only reach can affect an entire sector, so too can a Count have Vland and Gateway had kept an unbroken line of sitting estates, offices, and holding companies spread across the Archdukes. In 1087 Strephon gave the Sol Domain seat to same reach. By any measure, Counts are powerful people. the grandson of Archduchess of the Solomani March Arielle Adair in recognition for his family's long Dukes service. A mere formality in practice, it nonetheless spoke Outside of the relatively simple measure of the Trade of Strephon's intentions. By 1096 there was a new Codes that control the presence of lesser nobles, some Archduke in the Ilelish Domain, who would die without an worlds rise to prominence through location, old family heir in 1104 and be replaced in 1105. By 1116 only Deneb influence, or some other intangible factor. Industrial worlds remained without an Archduke. are often the linchpins that hold it all together. These Like Dukes, Archdukes have some power to create worlds are important enough to attract special attention, lesser nobles. There are Orders of Knighthood associated and the Imperium gives them Dukes to make sure that with each Domain, which rank higher than Retainers but proper attention is given. Most Dukes are given authority below the Imperium-wide Orders. Despite this, the over not just one world, but an area the size or significance members of the Domain Orders are Imperial Knights. of an entire subsector. Archdukes may also create Honor and Ceremonial Not all Dukes hold such obvious territories and Baronets and Barons. Typically functionaries at the responsibilities, however. Some are placed in trouble Domain level, they rank below Imperial appointees of the spots, whether that trouble is caused by fractious lesser same Title. nobles, citizen unrest, natural disaster, or outside interference, and are given the same authority over Fiefs and other Holdings Imperial assets that the subsector Dukes have in orderSample to Allfile worlds in the Imperium cede a certain amount of resolve the problem. While they are officially Dukes like all territory to direct Imperial control when they join. This land the rest, these troubleshooters will often attract unofficial is used by the Imperium as it sees fit, and is usually where modifiers to their Titles, some descriptive, others insulting starports are located. The remainder is left fallow or or approving. Those assigned to border areas often get assigned to a Noble for his use. Traveller5 core (page 96) called March Dukes, for example, while "Short" Duke is not indicate how large an area each rank of Noble can expect uncommon when talking about an overseer of some sort of to have control over. The number of hexes in the first special administration district that isn't expected to last column indicates how many Terrain hexes they control on long. Regardless of expectations, these positions can last their main world, with the next column indicating how many as long as any Subsector Duchy and pass from parents to hexes are controlled among the other worlds in the same children many times, or vanish when the crisis does, system. This territory is all Imperial property, granted to the leaving only a Title and an Imperial opinion of the holder Noble for his use and discretion based on his Title. The that may come in handy when a Subsector Duchy needs a Imperial Land Grant is not always contiguous, particularly new Duke. Even more so than Counts, Dukes can and on worlds with existing populations, though it is rare to find often do have offices and other resources under their Imperial Land Grant segments smaller than a typical city control across an entire sector. Whether they use these block. A noble may derive income from this land by resources in the pursuit of Imperial goals or simply to developing it and renting to appropriate tenants, or may enrich themselves is up to each Duke, but the assumption run some enterprise from the land directly. On some of the Iridium Throne is that both are happening. worlds this can include ocean territory, which the controlling noble might rent fishing rights to, for example, Archdukes or develop a resort on. The uses vary as much as the Created and appointed by the Iridium Throne to oversee worlds of the Imperium do. the Domains, Archdukes are limited to a handful. While

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Nobles are not limited to their Land Grants, and often nobles in the Imperium are non-Humans or minor Human acquire additional land using the income from the Land races that have diverged significantly from the Sylean, Grants. While this additional land is not Imperial Vilani, and Solomani norm, and the Human half includes property, the Imperium does periodically audit its nobles those minor races that remain part of the main Human and their holdings, and this land is subject to seizure and genetic pool. In general, no other race comprises more resale should grave misconduct be discovered. Audits are than 5% of the non-Human noble population, though the rarely public; any negative results are often cloaked in Vargr have exceeded that number at times, and the Aslan, euphemism or misdirection. Such nobles die in traffic Bwaps, and Suerrat routinely approach it. Even within accidents or misadventures, or decide to retire to their Humaniti, the individual branches often identify strongly estate to be with family. with others of the same branch, including the dominant Solomani, Vilani, and Sylean groups. The result is that no The Alien Majority single race has a majority. No matter what group a noble While the Imperium was created by Humaniti and emerges from, there are always more nobles who aren't continues to be dominated by humans, roughly half of the part of that group than are. Everyone is a minority.

Understanding Your Patent Of Nobility

Noble Name (not shown)

Noble Title

Sample file Sector Hex UWP WorldName A Patent of Nobility (or Knighthood) includes some (but not necessarily all) of the information shown. Sector is a four letter abbreviation for the sector name within the Imperium. SPIN, for example, is the Spinward Marches. Hex is the four digit location of the fiefworld in the format xxyy where xx is the column and yy is the row. 1910, for example, is column 19 and 10 is the row. WorldName is the specific name of the MainWorld in the system (and since Systems take the MainWorld for identification) it becomes the system name as well. UWP is the Universal World Profile for the MainWorld. Noble Title is the noble rank for the bearer of the Patent of Nobility. In most cases, the Noble Title is for an undifferentiated person (assumed to be male). In some cases, the Noble Title is specifically Female (Baroness, for example, or Marchioness, Viscountess, Countess, or Duchess). Many Knighthoods are identified by their Order or Sector. For example, Knight of the Iridium Throne (from the hand of the Emperor) or Knight of Deneb (issued by the Archduke of Deneb). Noble Name. Many Patents of Nobility are personalized with an individual name. Others lack this information. In almost all cases, the WorldName is shown in its appropiate location on www.TravellerMap.com. Visit that location and enter the WorldName to find the specific world involved. PIN. For production purposes, each Patent of Nobility has on its reverse side a unique 4-digit or 5-digit Patent Identification Number.

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