The Ties That Bind (Traveller PbP)

Kaji-Oni

Kaji-Oni

Senior Member
The Zeflan Sector is home to proud and ancient families who have forged places for themselves on the borders of imperial space near the Zagreb Kingdom. The oldest worlds in the sector were colonized nearly a thousand years ago and have weathered many changes, some better than others.


At the founding of the Imperium when communication between worlds was slow and ponderous, the nobility was created to rule the empire on behalf of the Emperor, as he could not exert his will far from the capital. The majority of the empires nobility is descended from those chosen by the emperor to govern in his stead, with occasional titles created to reward exemplary military or scientific service. With the advent of FTL communications orders from Capital can be quickly relayed to all corners of the empire easing the administration of government. With the central government able to exert its will the old monopoly on political power the nobility had was broken. The nobles find themselves in a precarious position having to share power with other forces and justifying their existence now on cultural and economic grounds and their privileges have been limited. But this is not the only challenge that they have faced. Spend thrift nobles have wasted away their inheritances, disregarding tradition and losing the estates that their ancestors worked to build. The business classes in the sector are rising; demanding a greater say in the governments of the sector, wresting control away from the landed nobility. The Duke has recently been forced to give greater and greater concessions to the rising interstellar conglomerates, creating a new parliament to govern with him that represents the interests of the corporations and the commoners. Haxby, the sector capital is now a bed of riotous intrigue as the conglomerates maneuver against the noble houses to pass favorable legislation.


In its history the Zeflan Sector has experienced famine, revolution, civil war, and alien invasion. With every event fortunes were made and lost, legacies destroyed, and new names were made. The most recent crisis to grip the sector was the Great War launched by the Zagreb Kingdom. A small border skirmish between the Kingdom and the Imperium escalated and resulted in a large invasion of the sector by the Kingdom. Thousands of ships were deployed, and the nobility trying to prove its worth as a social institution volunteered in high numbers to defend the Imperium. Fighting was bloody and the Kingdom gave no quarter, twenty percent of the nobility perished in the conflict leaving many houses in ruin. Those that survived were forced to sell estates to make ends meet. That was nearly five years ago now.


Our story begins in this time of change. The players in this drama have gathered at the manor of Count Grantham on their ancestral home world of Carlisle to be at his deathbed. The count has witnessed many good relatives perish and his house fall from grace, he wants to give one last order to the members of his house: to reclaim all that was lost.





  • This is a game focused on business, intrigue, and dynasty building. All players are members of a Noble House which has fallen on hard times recently. Your family’s estates were destroyed in war, gambled away, or tragically mismanaged so not much is left besides a few titles and stocks. The goal of the campaign is to rebuild your house to greatness. I am looking for 4-6 players for this game, and only character concepts that care about rebuilding the family will be approved.


    The only thing left of the families once vast estate is the CSS Cleopatra, a ship which has been left to the party with a crew composed of old servants of the family.


 
HABLARGHYBLERGH


I'm interested.


EDIT: I made my character. A successful dilettante twat, the black sheep of the family that slept his way through business deals to become a rather profitable venture capitalist/celebrity.


Obsessed with profit, profit, more profit, doing space coke off of buns, more profit, and a little bit more profit to go with some more space coke.


Events List -


Term 1 - Became friends with person who left me things in their will.


Term 2 - Apparently got super busy being an alcoholic druggie man-slut. Free level of carouse!


Term 3 - Reporters keep stalking me, following my every debauched, horrible move. Later on an ex marine sidles up to me and teaches me things in exchange for involving him in my depraved, hilarious antics. (Oh man this backstory is going to be so much fun).


Term 4 - A drunken noble crashes into my family's aircar, killing everyone but me. I gain an enemy! Yay!


Term 5 - Got kidnapped at the wake, fought my way out using my ex-marine buddy's lessons, and gained another enemy! Yay!


Rank 5 in the Wastrel branch of the dilettante career.


Anyways, basic gist of it - was born to a wealthier section of the family, wasted no time in spending most of my time drunk, high, sexing things, and pursuing dangerous situations. Lived the golden life until things started changing when I couldn't quite keep up with my nose-dive into self-destruction. Family get's killed by a drunken noble (who got off on technicalities. Assassination? Being a jerk?), I vow revenge, I get kidnapped, I vow extra revenge, but first spend some time doing a little bit more coke, and then I find myself at Count Grantham's deathbed.


With a new lease on life, a group of family member's set out to restore our name, and a ship (oh and a small amount of assets that I inherited), I set out to gain vengeance on the jerks who killed my immediate family and tried to kill me, and prove to the world that I'm good at more things than snorting things through my nose.


I'll obviously upload a real character sheet and associated things once we get a forum or something to do that with.
 
This post will be edited with my character. Right now, I've yet to settle on a concept, but here's some of the things I'm considering:


- scheming information broker/gamer who's always two steps ahead of the action (think ledaal kes, but with VR games)


- genius scientist/ship engineer with an insatiable curiosity and a rough demeanor (something's broken? smack it! does it work? no? AGAIN!)


- shifty tradesman/smuggler with a off-and-on-again relationship with Lady Luck (a rich Han Solo sans piloting skills and the hairy buddy)


EDIT: Decided I'm going to roll up all three and decide which one like best. I just started work on the first concept, who from characteristics alone is looking more like a Sesus Nagezzar than Kes. Working code name - Baron McWalrus, the gamer-lord. >_>


EDIT2: Holy rolls, batman :confused:. For now, I'll just leave up you with the Events.


Term 1 - Goes on a winning streak, then loses on a technicality. A number of rules are called into question as a result and flaws in Super Crack Warriors Attack Omega Prime Go! (just roll with it) are fixed.


Term 2 - A veteran of SCWAOPG! tells him to stop playing like a 12-year old noob and teaches him how to read opponents. As a result, he becomes a jedi-wizard-hax0r.


Term 3 - Loses a game, goes on rant about it at a private after party. Someone drugs his drink with some ground-up space-chronic (Serene) and screws up the dosage. He's quickly high as balls and super-chill, like far out, man. Now he can't get enough of the stuff.


Term 4 - A crazy fan asks for his autograph, which he happily signs. A couple lucky words pushes the fan's buttons in the right way, revealing her as the famous [insert name here]. Now he's even more of a baller.


Term 5 - Gets caught driving while he's spaced out on Serene, and gets stuck doing community service teaching sewer-dwelling molerat children how to use computers. Media circus ensues, and any publicity is good publicity.
 
I may play. My current concept is the long-suffering but eternally-loyal manservant to the House, whose family has served theirs for generations. Mechanical and some military skills help the nobles manage their affairs. Somewhere between Alfred and Blackadder.
 
This game meets the standards for the community and I have been told by The Dark Wizard The Dark Wizard , you have received the adequate number of players for your game. So this game is marked as approved.


You can create a submission thread in the Storyteller forum which should now be available to you.
 
I will make a character after work, but I'm thinking something along the lines of a student who resents getting called back after trying to distance himself from his family, but cares about them too much, deep down, to let them fail. Michael Bluth in space, basically.
 
I am Han Solo. Except a noble(This is extremely debatable considering my social standing. >.> ). Still bad with money, but god damn can I fly a ship! This character's personal dream is to own a ship of his very own and explore the stars. He's not very interested in money(Some Aristrocrat he is) so other than for his ship he'd probably end up dumping all of the money he makes from finding/doing awesome shit into restoring his house.


1: Got leg blown off doing god knows what.


2: Spent 7 years exploring the fringe because EXPLORING!


3: Tried to recover Alien Intelligence and failed miserably. Shot in the chest with no significant damage... Somehow.


4: Found something awesome for Imperium and got promoted on the spot.


5: Discovered more information on an Alien Race. Made an Ally!


Ended up rank 6 in the Explorer category of Scouts.


Also, I have a badass gun. I'll be uploading the character sheet and actual back story with the events strung together and more fleshed out soon.
 
Alright, so, here's what I got on my rolls.


Term 1: Assigned to work on a secret project for an organization.


Term 2: Made a major breakthrough in the field of space science.


Term 3: While under a deadline from the above shady organization, she may have stolen some of her colleague's research data and claimed it as her own. The colleague was less than thrilled, and made it their goal in life to discredit her.


Term 4: Her theoretical findings on the mechanics of space-time were published to wide acclaim among the scientific community.


Term 5: Her research assistant, who she may or may not have been boning, found out about the fact that she stole research data, and promised to help her old colleague out her as a fraud.


I'm a Rank 5 Scientist (In the scholar career)


Not sure how buying works, with the whole portfolio thing. It replaces cash AND ships under your houserules, right?
 
He's on a trip, but I went through it with him.


In this case, he's altering the rules as such:


Normally, when mustering out, you get x number of benefits, and split them between "Cash benefits" and "other benefits."


In this case, "Cash benefits" now become "portfolio rolls," which work by you rolling 2d6 (no modifier) to determine the type of investment, and then 2d6 + SOC modifier to determine it's net worth. Multiply property and estate net worth by 0.5%, all other by 0.75%, and add together to get monthly income (there are other things to do, but this is at char gen).


Other benefits may include things like a ship share, a "ship" (like Corsair, or Scout Ship), or even multiple ship shares. These all translate to one more portfolio roll, e.g. If I get Corsair as my benefit, I get one extra roll, or if I get 3 ship shares (in one roll), I get one extra roll on the portfolio.


As for buying, just take it from your monthly income. Presumably, Kaji would also let you liquidate an investment at char gen if you needed to, but don't do that just yet (we can always pool resources).
 
Also note that extra cash benefit rolls become portfolio rolls.


Extra benefit rolls get added to your total benefits rolls as normal.
 
Term 1: Entered the Army in order to get useful skill as a bodyguard. Enlisted as Infantry, where I was assigned to a field position and learned basic stealth. Unfortunately, the position I was scouting was overrun and I was thrown into the thick of combat. Fortunately, I survived and I was promoted to Lance Corporal for my service, then I was voluntarily discharged in order to train elsewhere. The Family needed me well rounded, not a walking gun.


Term 2: I just barely got accepted to a three-year stint helping rich kids hunt the deadliest creatures alive. At first, I was put through training that made the Army look like boy scouts. Some days, I thought I wouldn't survive. Other days, I wished it. At one point, they dropped us alone into the jungle for 12 hours. If we survived, we pass. As luck would have it, I was dropped right on a nest of Black Killers-a local great cat known for killing anything it crosses at night. The management found me the next day in a pile of dead Killers, training the last cub how to fetch. I was promoted on the spot.


Term 3: I stayed on with the hunters, putting my skills to good use. My cub grew up fast and I spent nearly as much time training it as I did helping the clients. While out ranging, I discovered a strange artifact. Dutifully reporting this amazing find, I discovered myself promoted again and given benefits and standing beyond reason.


Term 4: I left the excitement of the hunters behind me to round out my skills in the civilian sector. Hiding my adventurous past, I got a job at a corporation where I learned the basics of managing daily affairs and processing business. My skill was quickly recognized, however, and I was forced up the ranks into a management position in short order.


Term 5: My period of world-walking was nearly at an end. I slip back into high society, becoming a Chevalier to better understand how to protect nobles from themselves. After a fairly uneventful first year, I accidentally found a Duke trying to sneak out of the window of a married Lady. He knighted me in exchange for my silence. That is the last time I ask a noble for directions.
 
Just want to clarify how I handle benefit rolls. Only the careers in dilettante + the noble career in the core book replace cash benefit rolls for portfolio rolls. Everyone else uses cash for mustering out. Azreal is 100% correct about the ship benefits being replaced by portfolio rolls. The idea behind it is that everyone will have some assets, while the people who were nobles are rich. I apologize for any confusion and please ask any questions that come to mind.
 
I am really liking what I am seeing from your characrers. I am glad that you have all had an easy time of making them. Now onto family business, does anyone have preferences over a family name or a feel for the family?


Also I am working on the forum and ill try to have it up sometime this weekend.
 
Do you still have room for one more?


Concept: The Vancrest family, a branch family of the Grantham, had always been one of the few truly caring noble households and wished to better the lives of those below and around them, themselves included of course. When the war came the family opened its doors to the needy and the refugees that came pouring in from neighboring areas, they allowed anyone in who was in need of aid. They spent a vast amount of their fortune helping those in need and supporting the system and the war effort, but that wasn't what destroyed their house in the end. Due to the number of refugees, those receiving medical treatment, and important personnel that came to call the estate a temporary home it slowly be became an important staging ground and asset to the war effort. This unfortunately also made it a target and its importance was only growing by the day.


The Kindgom decided to launch a sneak attack upon the estate and the planet. The military tried everything they could to fend off the invading force, and managed to delay them long enough for most of the people to escape the planet. Sadly though most of the Vancrest family didn't make it off, as they had stayed till the last ship helping people to escape, those that did escape were left with very little. The great and powerful estate was sacked and laid to waste by the invaders, when they were finally repelled once and for all and the family could return they found nothing but ashes and looted rooms.


Though ruined they were not destroyed, and only their legacy of generosity to both the Imperium and the common saved them. Though even this was hampered by other nobles and corporation that saw this as a chance to rid themselves of a long standing enemy. The Vancrest family before the war had helped several investigation that led to the arrest, seizure of goods, or legal cases against a number of other powerful families and entities. If not for the interference of the old enemies the family might have made a complete recovery, but that was five years ago and the family is still on hard times. In this time of change Rayiless, a young man who although aims for an idealistic goal, is far more pragmatic and underhanded then his predecessors. He has seen too well what happens when you let something slip through the cracks, instead of crushing it, it merely festers and grows stronger waiting to strike back.


What do you think?
 
Sorry Craziest Ivan but I am all full up. If you like I can put you at the top of the waiting list for the game. I just want to cjeck iin with everyone else, how is your character generation going and odes anyone else have a name preference? Unless someone speaks up Unbridled will pick, some names I like are Phantomhive, Inglehart, Payne, Sitt, Ancona, and Perseus.
 
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