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Bundle: 559
Archive-Message-Number: 7033
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 94 21:13:00 CST
From: [-- REDACTED --] (David Johnson)
Subject: TNE Background 5

Gentlesophonts:

Okay, we've begun to move beyond the TNE vs. CT/MT issue.  Let's look now
at the particulars of campaigning in the TNE background.

Ted7[-- REDACTED --] (???) writes:
 
> 3. RCES campaigns seem designed to turn the PCs into cynical fascisti.  Or
>    mutineers.  "OK, lads, we're going to go and remove the obstacles near 
>    the last working fusion plant on this planet so it can be used by our
>    Corporate sponsors on Aubaine.  Intel reports that none of the obstacles
>    has anything worse than an LMG..."  Seriously folks, raiding ailing 
>    planets to take away assets to your own ailing planet doesn't have much
>    in common with some of the CT adventures I enjoyed so much.  From the 
>    descriptions of the planets that make up RCES, these folks ain't about to 
>    save any minor (much less major) chunk of universe anytime soon - nor 
>    support the military machine big enough to dominate it!
>    RCES seem to me to make much better bad guys than good guys. While it 
>    makes an interesting change to play bad guys once in a while, it is not
>    a good campaign basis (IMHO).

Here's a good point.  The RCES (the Reformation Coalition?) sounds a lot like
the Space Vikings of H. Beam Piper's novel of the same name.  (You notice I
mistakenly referred to the `Star Vikings' in my last posting as the `Space
Vikings'.  Clearly, I'm not the only one making this connection.  Those of
you who are familiar with Piper will recall that those `high-tech barbarians'
that raided the remnants of the `Empire' came from the Sword Worlds - which
were `appropriated' by the folks at GDW a long time ago.)  Sound familiar?

Also, if you've read Piper's novel, it's not at all the case that these
`barbarians' have to be `bad guys'.  Yes, most of them slaughtered innocents
pretty much indiscriminately (they used nukes rather than a Virus - more
honorable Space Vikings called this `chicken stealing') but there were a few,
like the novel's protagonist Lucas Trask, who had the idea of rebuilding a
new civilization.

So, does this make TNE sort of a GURPS Space Vikings but with the GDW House
Rules and the names changed to protect the innocent?  Hopefully, Steve
Jackson (and the holder's of Beam's copyrights?) reads TML too!  :-)

>    What of all those TL7 worlds with hardcopy libraries of imperial tech?

A good question.  I've still got mine.  :-)

> Beyond my general bitching (items I can't swallow, above), I find TNE FAR
> more limited.  In CT (or even MT, away from teh rebellion), you could select a
> variety of settings for the SAME campaign.  Go to the Imperial edges for a
> while, trade, get involved in a brushfire war, come back within the imperium
> for some more civilized adventures, brush shoulders with some high mucketies
> for some intrigue adventures - rather wide choice.  Now you are forced to
> choose ONE or TWO basic styles and shift between them.  The places where the
> styles can mix are too wide apart:
> 
> You can be raiders/commando for RCES (I presume there will be wrangling
> within RCES govt)
> 	OR
> You can be traders within the Regency (or adventures on civilized planets,
> but if you want that, why not just stay with CT?)
> 	OR
> Traders outside the regency (If you leave you can't really go back)
>         OR
> Start as barbarians and re-learn what technology is
>         OR
> Start within an expanding pcoket universe - BUT that will last only until
> GDW chooses to trod over your work (pick an area out by the edge; you'll 
> last longer).
> 
> I see a lot of OR, but very little AND.

Okay folks, if TNE is inevitable despite the fact that it doesn't offer any
thing that wasn't possible in CT/MT, let's try to `lie back and enjoy it'.
Anyone see any options for TNE other than those above?  Any way to turn
any of those `ORs' into `ANDs'?  Which situation are you adventuring in?
Please tell us about it.

As for other options, we've heard from folks who continue to use the CT/MT
background (often with `unofficial' regions on the Imperium's fringe) where
the Virus, and sometimes even the Rebellion, never happened.  What are you
folks up to now?  Any folks adventuring even farther back in the Imperium's
past?

And finally, has anyone else out there abandoned Imperial space altogether
and developed a campaign background that's unrelated to the Imperium at all?

Peace,

David Johnson
Houston, Texas, USA

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