Near Infinity - A not-PanOceania Starter Army for $65

All pictures from the manufacturers websites (Infinity, Khurasan) except the Valkrie which comes from the Tiny Solitary Soldiers blog

My take on 15mm stand-in for the 300 points Starter Army List presented on the official Infinity website:

More Traveller (mega)corportions logos reloaded

And their challenger (in the Marches at least), their family crest (in GT Nobles) has a bee, I ran with that idea and ended up with this...

Traveller megacorporations logos reloaded

You might be fan of the seventies look of Traveller megacorporations logos... IMTU a relooking was long overdue!

 

SuSAG. Logo from the Montreal Sciences Centre (which, by the way, one of the best such centre I've visited, and that's quite a few): I just saw it and knew I was going to reuse it for "that Traveller corporation that does chemical stuffs and which name starts with an S"

Imperial Navy Identity Card

• All that rambling about the Imperial Personnel Identification Number actually at a purpose... The idea is to make NPC cards that double as in game props. They're B7 format (125mm x 88mm), meaning 4 of those fit on either an A4 paper or on US letter paper.
  

Captain Avram Franssen, CO of INS Agidda at the begining of FW5

And a printer friendly grayscale version

101 names for the Chrysanthemum-class (and then some)

The last surviving corvette in the Flower-class, HMCS Sackville (named after a city, not
a flower, like all Canadian flower-class, just like a local navy might do with its imperial
built escorts), now a museum ship in Halifax, NS.

• Then names: Abelia, Acacia, Acanthus, Aconit(e), Alisma, Alyssum/Alysse, Amaryllis, Anchusa, Andromeda, Anemone, Arabis, Aramanthus, Arbutus, Armeria, Arrowhead, Asphodel, Aster, Aubrietia, Auricula, Azalea, Balsam, Begonia, Bellwort, Berberis, Bergamot, Betony, Bittersweet, Bluebell, Borage, Bryony, Bugloss, Buttercup,Calendula, Camelia, Campanula, Campion, Candytuft, Carnation, Ceanothus, Celandine, Chrysanthemum, Clarkia, Clematis, Clover, Coltsfoot, Columbine, Convolvulus, Coreopsis, Coriander, Cornflower, Cowsplip, Crocus, Cyclamen, Daffodil, Dahlia, Daphne, Delphinium, Dianella, Dianthus, Eglantine, Erica, Eyebright, Fennel, Fleur de Lys, Foxglove, Freesia, Fritillary, Gaillardia, Gardenia, Genista, Gentian, Geranium, Gilia, Gladiolius, Godetia, Harebell, Heartsease, Heather, Heliotrope, Hemlock, Hepatica, Hibiscus, Hollyhock, Honeysuckle, Hyacinth, Hyderabad, Hydrangea, Iris, Ivy, Jasmine, Jessamine, Jonquil, Kingcup, Laburnum, Larkspur, Lavender, Lila, Lily, Lobelia, Loosestrife, Lotus, Lupin, Lychnis, Magnolia, Mallow, Marguerite, Marigold, Marjoram, Mayflower, Meadowsweet, Mignonette, Mimosa, Mistletoe, Monkshood, Montberatia, Myosotis, Myrtle, Narcissus, Nasturtium, Nigella, Orchis, Oxlip, Pansy, Pelargonium, Pennywort, Pentstenom, Peony, Periwinkle, Petunia, Phlox, Picotee, Pimpernel, Pink, Polyanthus, Poppy, Pontetilla, Primrose, Primula, Ranonculus/Renoncule, Rhododendron, Rockrose, Rose, Rosemary, Salvia, Samphire, Saxifrage, Silene, Snapdragon, Snowberry, Snowdrop, Spiraea, Starwort, Stonecrop, Sundew/Roselys, Sunflower, Sweetbriar, Syringa, Tamarisk, Thyme, Trillium, Tuberose, Tulip, Valerian, Verbena, Veronica, Vervain, Vetch, Viola, Violet, Wallflower, Windflower, Wisteria, Woodruff and Zinnia. 
• Most of those names have been used in both classes. 
• The French Navy was usually translating/respelling the names of ships transferred to it, hence the double spelling/naming in this list. 
• Should you use any of those name, a good search on on google and wikipedia might turn up more namesakes: e.g. HMS Godetia was transferred to the Belgian Navy after WW2 and the name has been reused for a still operating (although not in her prime) supply ship.

Naming the Chrysanthemum-class

• I've always liked how Captain Picard (and earlier Captain Archer) have a models (drawings) of their ship earlier namesakes (both real "wet" and space ships, and fictional ones) on display in their ready rooms. Sailors are nothing if not traditional!

 Archer's Ready Room, from John Eaves' blog. I especially like how just four drawings go all the
way from age of sail to sci-fi going through "modern" naval and "early" space exploration!

• Based on Mongoose Traveller: Sector Fleet, a typical named fleet deploys some 130-160 destroyer escorts (8 4-ships desrons at sector level and 6 to 8 units in each subsector fleet). Counting for roughly 23 sectors, we end up in the 3000+ DE in service within the Imperial Navy. Even taking into account several dozen of classes in that specific type, you still need a couple hundreds names for each class! IMTU, all Chrysanthemum-class DE are named after plants.
• A quick (yeah, right) browse on wikipedia turns out two major source of naval ships named after plants: the Royal Navy Flower-classes (also known as Cabbage-class), WW1 sloops and WW2 corvettes,  and several classes of Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers.

Chrysanthemum-class Destroyer Escorts badges

• I was asked to look into a ship's badge for INS Okha. So here is a sketch...

• Inspiration came from Battlestar Galactica (the new one)...

• And from French Navy tempions (which serves as their ships main heraldic device)...

  

• The monochromatic nature of Japanese kamon lends itself well to this sort of plaquish design, not sure how well it would systematically adapt to heraldry from occidental design, though!
• And while at it, I did INS Chrysanthemum too... 

• Please let me now if you have:
• A good source of vector graphs (kamon, occidental, anything, really);
• Strong feelings on what Okha and Chrysanthemum canon hull numbers should be;
• Specific requests for more!

Low Passage

• A point to consider in line with my revision of travel classes is the role of low passage. Back in my early blogging days Isocahedron and Tinker123 came up with, and elaborated on, an interesting idea. And by the way: I don't want to start a war on survival rates across various ruleset; IMTU freezing people is a routine operation and under decent circumstances everyone survives.
• "Passengers are not frozen/thawed by the ship's medic, but by the local hospital, then loaded aboard like cargo. If they are travelling long distance they are simply transferred ship to ship without thawing." The idea there was to avoid most of the survival checks and to make only one  at the end of the entire trip. Now, with my take on survival rates, that point is kind of moot. But wait...

You had it coming when you asked Apple to design your low berths. Picture from Prometheus.

• "I presume that all the cooling and health-monitor equipment is packaged in some sort of packing-crate with the passenger in it, so the fitting-out cost for the cold berths is essentially a storage rack. Maybe with some interfaces in it to supply power the crates and collect the readouts off the berths that have been filled. The crates could have independent power for transfer and for emergencies. If you follow that approach, then there's no freezing-gear for the crew to use in an emergency. Unless they keep a couple of spare empty crates around. Maybe the fitting-out cost for the low berth includes the crate? Then the rack would start by being full, and the crew would have to pull out an empty crate every time they load a full one aboard. Do they hand over the empty to the starport crew, or stick it in the hold? If they stick it in the hold, can they still use it in an emergency, or do they have to pull one out of the rack first? Lots of lovely questions to hassle the players with..."

Not really space efficient, isn't it? Picture from the original quadrilogy...

• Even if there is no significant risk to low berths IMTU, it make sense: by remaining frozen between jumps, you spare (that's all low berths are about, after all) on accommodation and food while waiting for your next jump. Beside, the freezing/thawing can be conducted much more comfortably (both for the personnel and the passenger) in a roomy land based facility than on board a cramped ship. The low berths proper are 2m x 1m x 1m  (around 7' x 3' x 3') integrated units including the berth proper, cooling and monitoring equipment and a battery (feeding the berth while it's moved from one mode of transportation to the other), and a small trunk for passenger belongings (think carry-on luggage).

That's more like it... Make each cell removable, hand a couple of handles
to pull it out, and a small monitor to check on the occupant status...

• The low berths bay of a starship is thus no more than a collection of rack with power and data feeds, a 'crew station' (ranging from a simple screen in the wall, to a full fledged manned around the clock crew station, depending on the size of the bay), and a first aid station (ranging from a locker with some equipment to a full fledged infirmary). And emergency low berth are not standard on private ships. Again, I don't care to go in a fight over compared misjump probabilities. IMTU it's a quite unlikely event. Think plane crash unlikely. Now if the PC want to buy some...

Staterooms in Traveller

• A repost from my (5-year old and short lived) Traveller blog revising the canon travel classes (low, middle, high) and replacing by a (slightly) more developed system. Upgraded with pictures of real world equivalent to each stateroom.
• First Class gets you 8 dTon of living space (about 4 of those are your actual stateroom, the rest being used for lounge, gangways...) This is a luxurious way of traveling, with matching service, used by noble, managers and wealthy people, roughly comparable to real world airplanes First Class.

A Deluxe Balcony Stateroom on board RMS Queen Mary 2: 4 dTon.
But then again, the balcony might not be such a great idea in space...

• Business Class gets you 4 dTon of living space (2dTon the actual stateroom). It's the equivalent of a OTU stateroom and the way most people travel (e.g. businessmen, public servants and military people on a mission, tourists). It's roughly equivalent to real world airplanes Economy Class.

An interior stateroom on board cruise ship MV Allure of the Seas: 2,25 dTon

• Economy Class gets you 2 dTon of living space (1dTon the actual stateroom). It gets really cramped and service is minimal (think disposable sheets and towels, reheated food and paying drinks). This class (used by students, families on paid holidays and other people with just enough money to avoid cold sleep) is the equivalent of real world low cost carriers.

A Deluxe Sleeping Compartment on board a DB City Night Line train: 0,9 dTon

• Note that all staterooms can be shared (effectively reducing the per person price by half) either with someone you know and travel with or with another random passenger (not all lines allow for the later). Some lines charge let's say 10% extra for this (the extra service and consumables required by that second person), other go the other way around and grant a 10% reduction for single occupancy.
• Better staterooms are sometimes offered. This is usually only seen on large liners proposing a couple of prestigious suites in addition to their First Class staterooms. The exact size and configuration (and price) of those suites vary a lot from line to line (even a given ship can have several suites of various size and prices). One thing common to most  of those suits is a private lounge (although the guests of a suite usually retain access to the First Class lounge should they enjoy a bit of social interaction). 

The living room of the Grand Duplex on board QM2

• Unlike in the OTU, staterooms are build for a certain class and cannot be upgraded by providing better food and bigger smiles...  Upgrading (or downgrading) a stateroom is possible but require removing (adding) bulkhead and refurnishing the newly made space. Most small starships only have one type of stateroom, lacking the space needed to provide the different level of service matching each class. Larger starships generally have either both First and Business or Economy only, and only a few line have experimented with three classes ships, with very moderate success. 
• Actual class designation vary a great deal between lines: Standard, Basic, Essential, Ivory, Silver, Gold, Noble, Premium, Elite, Prestige, Imperial are some of the designations encountered. Note that a single designation can be used for different class depending on the line: a given line could provide Business and First under the names Silver and Gold while an other provide exactly the same service under the names Gold and Platinum. To add to the confusion, low cost lines providing Economy only often give them impressing designation trying to avoid a low comfort reputation.

Picture of the above train sleeper compartment: very nice indeed for
a train night, but think about spending one week in jump in there...

• In the same logic, cold sleep passages are often given idyllic names (e.g. Dream Class),  trying to make the prospect of being shipped in a freezer a bit less gritty...

Attributing IPIN

• Following my earlier post on the IPIN, here is another extremely nerdy post on how to attribute an IPIN to a character.
• System segment: 24 (the Spinward Marches being the latest and 24th addition to the 3rd Imperium) followed by the hexagon number of the system. E.G. character born in Glisten: 242036
• Date of Birth segment: self explanatory. E.G. a character born on 101-1060: 1060101
• Serial Number segment: take the population code of the system minus 3 and roll that many D10 to get the last number of this segment and fill the segment with 0. E.G. Glisten is a population 9 system, rolling 6 dice (9-3) I get 050465, filling the segment with 0 gives me 000050465.

Some planetary governements might just be take the whole
IPIN business a bit too far... Terrific games, terrible movie!

•  For a low tech system, use the system as it is with the understanding that only the last or two last digit(s) of the segment are the actual sequential number of the person and that the rest of the significant numbers are actually a code indicating which census division they were born in.
• If your dealing with a balkanized system take the population code minus 4 (less than 10 "countries" on the planet), minus 5 (up to 100), and so on. The segment is made of 3 parts: the 1, 2 or 3 first digits are a code indicating which "country" issued the IPIN (assign or roll, but character from the same "country" should have the same digits), the rolled number makes the end of the segment, and 0 are added in between those parts to make the segment 9 digits long. E.g. Yres is a balkanised Pop 7 world, I decide that it's split in dozens of independent entities: 7 - 5 = 2: I roll 2 D10 for the two first digits (a code for the entity which issued the IPIN), and 2 more for the actual individual. In between those two group of two digits I add 5 "0" to get the required 9 digits.
• Check Sum Digits: take the modulo 997 of the number formed by the 3 first segments. E.G. 2420361060101000050465 mod 997 = 700
• Et voilà, the IPIN of a character born on Glisten on 101-1060:

 242036-1060101-000050465-700

•  The IPIN of a boy from one of the city-states on Yres would look more like this:

241802-1093228-130000070-118

•  I know, I really need an Excel sheet to do that for me...

Imperial Personal Identification Number

• I'm currently designing a set of Traveller identity cards to be used as props and/or NPC cards in our games. One of the features I cannot imagine any kind of post-industrial society without some kind of serial number displayed on identity cards. Not wanting to make it entirely random, nor wanting to invent a new system for every Traveller organisation, I'm going with a "universal" Imperial Personal Identification Number (IPIN) that's use by most imperial and local organisations.
• Because of the lack of FTL comms in Traveller, such a number would have to be attributed locally (out of a preassigned block) and then transmitted to central databases. So here's my take at it.

System - Date of Birth - Serial Number - Checksum

• System: a unique identifier for each issuing planet. I'll just go with a number for the sector followed by the hexagon number of the system. The easiest way would probably be to go with two letters for each sector, like "SM" for Spinward Marches, but that would make the checksum mechanism too complicate for my taste, so 2 digits it is. Not a very efficient scheme, 7 digits to code the  9000ish systems of the imperium; but one that present the advantage of using information readily available to any GM.

TTL5/GTL6 cogs of bureaucracy. In one of my very favourite movies of all time!

• Date of Birth: YYYY-DDD, the standard imperial date system with the year up front.
• Serial Number: a number unique to each individual born on a given day in a given system. Now the most populous system in Traveller (population code "B") can have 1 trillion (10^12) inhabitants. Give them an arbitrary life expectancy of 27 years and you got an average of 100 millions (10^8) births each day. Note that the higher the life expectancy is, the lower the birth rate needs to be to sustain a given population. Even taking into account "seasonal" variation in the birth rate, 9 digits should be amply enough to unambiguously code anyone. The defaut mechanism to assign those is sequence of birth. But balkanized systems, or ones too lowtech to maintain a single readily accessible central database might need to further split that serial numbers in blocks assigned to political entities or census subdivisions. A noteworthy side effect is that a sophon born, let's say, on a Pop 6 world will probably have "0" for the 6 or 7 first digit of this block.

• Cheksum: not my forte and there are probably smarter ways to do it, but let's start with the modulo 997 of the rest of the IPIN. If you happen to have ideas of better ideas to do it, please let me know!
• Bottom line: a whoping 25 digits! 

 SSHHHH-YYYYDDD-PPPPPPPPP-CCC