The Tunnels of Tonivar: Chapter 2 The Bromosian Gambit

Characters:
John – Akira Valdez, Ex - Merchant
Chris – Nimrod ‘Nim’ Higgins, Ex- Marine Commando
Jonathan – John Hawkwood , ex Marine

Akira Valdez and Nimrod 'Nim' Higgins survived an exciting treasure hunt on Tonivar/Cabria, as related here, befriended a group of Kiang revolutionaries, and relieved a Kalar-Wi officer of his ship. After dodging through Kalar-Wi Space, the newly renamed Harmony and her intrepid crew reached the Imperial world of Celephais where they were able to dispose of their valuable cargo.

In the aftermath of the excitement of selling the Kalar-Wi Honour Chest to Ghorman Holk of Holk, Garstil and Vorshu; Antiquarians, Valdez and Nim secured a load of ACRs and ammunition for the Kiang of the Harmony, and for the Phagouran Nak Prah Revolutionary movement back on Gaidon in Cabria Subsector. Nim then decided that having another human security specialist onboard could be an asset, given that Valdez’s plan was to trade around the Subsector, raising funds for the revolution. After a bit of hunting around, Nim and Valdez hired John Hawkwood, ex Imperial Marines, as Steward and Security.

While sorting out the munitions cargo, Nim and Hawkwood became aware that the Harmony was under surveillance from another group of Kiang. Tracking them back through the starport, Nim and Hawkwood discovered that these Kiang were linked to a small Kalar-Wi ship that had recently arrived in port.

While considering their options, Nim received an X-Boat message from his father, Osiris Higgins.

“Son, if you receive this then I may be in a spot of difficulty.

Gaspar Hourlanti and I have a lead on the whereabouts of Gilbert Chor. He wasn’t on Naltor, as we had thought. Seems that Sam and Isfan, his sons, have been having some dealings with Phorgan sa Vaspran, Minister of the Interior for President for Life Count Sakkan of Bromus. The Chors have a compound in the main town, Hasamton, as well as an estate just out of Bromus Downport.

If I don’t reset the auto tag on this message every two days, it will upload to the next X-Boat. If you get this message, I haven’t made it back to the Starport.

Remember, the Bromosians are xenophobic and touchy as heck. They have a couple of ex-Imperial SDBs deployed insystem and they don’t like people taking liberties.

See you soon, Son. Let’s show those Chor’s a thing or two.”

This message provoked some debate between Valdez and Nim as to where they should head next. Eventually, they agreed that they needed to get to Bromus and see what sort of a mess Osiris “Ossi” Higgins had got himself into. Valdez was aware of his old friend’s rather shady merchant history but he wasn’t aware of the details of the feud with Gilbert Chor. All Nim could recall was that the feud was long standing and Gilbert Chor had swindled Ossi out of a cargo, though the details were a little vague as they kept changing, depending upon what sort of mood Ossi was in at the time.

Picking up a spec cargo, the Harmony cleared Celephais Downport and headed for Udara IX, the system Gas Giant, to refuel before Jump. Detecting a ship in pursuit, Valdez had Tak Tai Nok and Von Dat Goh, the two Kiang leaders and bridge crew, change course for Udara VI, a small rocky world otherwise ignored by insystem traffic. Dropping into near orbit, they quickly selected a suitable spot in a crater, landed the Harmony, and set up an ambush under an overhang in the crater wall.

As the pursuing ship drew closer, Valdez and Tak managed to work out that it was probably the 150ton Kalar-Wi yacht that was in port with them on Celephais. Then, as the yacht put itself into an overflight orbit, it was suddenly jumped by a 300 ton armed merchant that had also been on an outbound vector. The two ships engaged and the 300tonner, the Diamond Angel, quickly disabled the yacht, causing it to crash into a mountain near the crater where the Harmony was lying in wait.

Hailing the Diamond Angel, Valdez found himself talking to Sam Chor, the ship’s captain and the son of Gilbert Chor, Ossi Higgins’ old enemy. Sam Chor told Valdez that he is just a simple merchant captain, but that after a bad experience during the Kalar-Wi War, he still considered the Kalar-Wi to be “the enemy” and that, as far as he is concerned, the Kalar-Wi will resume the war as soon as they are ready.

By this stage, Celephais Traffic Control was demanding that the Diamond Angel stand down and prepare to be boarded by System Patrol as, apparently, they did not share Sam Chor’s contention that the only good Kalar-Wi is a dead one. Sam, in response, ordered his ship to full acceleration and as it cleared 100 planetary diameters from Udara VI, the Diamond Angel Jumped outsystem.

After quickly checking the crash site of the yacht for survivors, the Harmony also headed outsytem. Von and Valdez determined that to get to Bromus, the Harmony needed to head for Byer’s Planet and then transit Kamperelian Space, via Ektra, to reach Omega Vasalai IX. After that, Bromus was just Jump-2 away.

As the Harmony dropped down into the Byer’s Planet system, Valdez had Von scanning the Traffic Control board for word of the Diamond Angel. Eventually, they learned that the Diamond Angel had transited the system a day before the Harmony, refuelling at the system Gas Giant and then Jumping on again. Valdez decided that it was worth trying to source a spec cargo before heading for Ektra as the lag time between the Harmony and the Diamond Angel was still within the margin of error on Jump (while the mean time in Jump is 168 hours, there is a small variance, and a long Jump by the Harmony while the Diamond Angel was short Jumping could put the two ships almost on top of each other). As it transpired, Byer’s Planet didn’t have a lot going for it and the Harmony pressed on.

Arriving at Ektra, Valdez was rather put out to discover a Kamperlian import tax on all goods crossing the X-T line. While he could offload some of his cargo for a small profit, the Kamperelian “Anti-Piracy” tax would mean he was trading at a loss. Refuelling, the Harmony Jumped for Imperial space.

Omega Vasalai IX, a barren rock settled by a religious community over two hundred and sixty years ago, had little to offer the average traveller besides the basic services of a waystation. While the crew of the Harmony serviced the life support and restocked the galley, Nim took a quick walk around the concourse. Near a tea shop, he thought he spotted a familiar figure, his father’s sometimes business partner Gaspar Hourlanti. Following Gaspar into the tea shop, Nim watched with interest as the old rogue was joined in his booth by an attractive younger woman. As Nim mulled over ways of introducing himself into their intense conversation, he noticed a casually dressed man with a military-style haircut entering the teashop.

As soon as Gaspar’s companion spotted the newcomer, both Gaspar and the woman hurried out the rear exit of the teashop. As the newcomer gave chase, Nim caught up with him just as he reached the exit. During the frantic fist fight that followed, the newcomer attempted to pull a gun from his jacket pocket, only for Nim to knock him out with a right hook.

After dealing with Starport security, Nim was permitted to return to the Harmony while the newcomer is arrested for causing an affray and having an illegal weapon. Arriving back at the ship, and reporting in to Valdez, Nim checked his handcomp and discovered an old number for Gaspar. Tapping the number, Nim was surprised when Gaspar answered. After a brief conversation, Gaspar agreed to come to the Harmony and talk to Nim.

A short time later, Gaspar appeared at the main hatch of the Harmony. He was accompanied by the young lady from the teashop. Once they were safely ensconced in the crew commons, Gaspar introduced his companion as Sheri Daxunn, Imperial Intelligence Agency. To Nim and Valdez’s amazement, it transpired that Ossi and Gaspar had been working for Agent Daxunn as contractors, investigating the mysterious Stranman Society.

Aras Stranman of Gamelea was Sector Admiral of the RimWorlds under Sector Duke Neal Zuro III. When the Duke died in 842 – 267 years ago – Stranman sought to play the honest broker between the various factions and then, in an attempt to forestall the looming civil war, permitted his Fleet Officers to elect him Sector Duke. Stranman lasted two years as Sector Duke before being executed. Seen as an honest military man providing much-needed leadership in a time of troubles, who was deceived, and ultimately betrayed, by treacherous and venal politicians, a persistent mythology has grown up around the person of Aras Stranman. A Stranman Society sprang up amongst retired military officers in the 990’s, as the Sector again approached a crisis in leadership, and claimed to draw inspiration from Aras Stranman’s actions 150 years earlier. Usually viewed as a debating society and grumbling club for disgruntled ex-officers, the Imperial Intelligence Agency maintains a watching brief on the Society as, periodically, the Society has spawned dangerous conspiracies.

That such a conspiracy is currently active is the belief of senior IIA analysts and Agent Daxunn, and others, are investigating. Daxunn was following up leads amongst some of the smuggler groups active in Miazan Subsector, and had contracted Ossi and Gaspar to monitor the Chor family’s operations to see if they were tied in with the Society.

Nim mentioned the X-Boat message he received from Ossi, and described the encounter between the Harmony and the Diamond Angel in the Celephais System. Valdez recalled that the Diamond Angel had loaded a cargo of G-Carriers at Celephais. Agent Daxunn looked concerned. Given that Ossi's message had mentioned a working arrangement between the Chors and the Bromosian Minister for the Interior, and given the equipment that the Chors seemed to be shipping to that rather low-tech world, Agent Daxunn could see the makings of a potentially nasty political situation, even if the Stranman Society was not involved. As the Harmony was already heading for Bromus in search of Ossi, Daxunn requested that her team be allowed to hitch a ride to determine what was really going on there. Beginning to wonder what they had got themselves into, Nim and Valdez agreed and then set about getting the Harmony ready to lift off.

Noble Houses – Small ones, large ones, some as big as your ‘ead

Sometimes you just need a couple of ideas to define an NPC, and sometimes you need a complete character sketch. For “crowd scenes”, there is often little point in minutely detailing a host of NPCs as odds are on that the Player Characters will breeze through the encounter and be on the next ship outbound before you can reveal all the clever quirks you’ve written up. But on the other hand, to avoid all the NPCs becoming cookie-cutter caricatures, they do need some defining points.

Given my current interest in Noble Houses Major and Minor, I was intrigued to discover a post on The Welsh Piper Blog about randomly generating character quirks for Noble Houses in a Fantasy setting. “How hard would it be to convert this to Traveller?” I asked myself. And so here are some thoughts ...

This Character Sketching system is aimed more at Houses Minor than Houses Major as basically, there are many more Houses Minor than Houses Major. Depending upon your take on Traveller Noble Houses, these character sketches should also work for system- ruling Houses Major as well. Be aware, though, that Houses Major come under more intense scrutiny from various Imperial Authorities than what Houses Minor are subject to, so some of these results may require a little massaging.

House Rank
If a hierarchy of Houses Minor within a given area (usually a planet or planetary system) has not been fully mapped out, then the Social Status (and Rank) of the House is generated:

Roll 1d6	SOC Status	Rank
-1	11	Honour Knight
1 - 2	11	Enfeoffed Knight
3 - 4	12	Baron
5	13	Marquis
6	14	Count

DM: -1 per result of SOC 12+.

The intention is to create a Social Pyramid by restricting the number of “high-end” Houses Minor on a given planet or in a given system.

Head of the Household
If not already known, dice to see if the local society practises Male Primogeniture (1 – 3 on a d6) or Absolute Primogeniture (4 – 6 on a d6). Other forms of succession are also possible, such as Lateral Succession, Dynastic Rota or Dynastic Election, but Male Primogeniture and Absolute Primogeniture tend to be the succession practises we are most familiar with.

Roll for the sex of the current title holder – Male (1 – 3 on a d6) or Female (4 – 6 on a d6).

The Patriarch (1 – 4 on a D6) or Matriarch (5 – 6 on a D6) is the person who dominates the decision-making for the House. A Matriarch result in a Male Primogeniture society indicates that the Nobleman’s mother, aunt or sister is the dominant personality within the House. A Patriarch in a Male Primogeniture society result where the title holder is female indicates that a grandfather, or an heirless Uncle, is dominating the House’s decision making until he can marry off the title holder.

Dice for the Age Band and personality of both the Title Holder and the House Patriarch or Matriarch.

Roll 1d6	Apparent Age	Personality
1	Young	(1d6: 1 Trusting; 2 Bold; 3 Confident; 4 Arrogant; 5 Rash; 6 Immature)
2 – 4	Middle-aged	(1d6: 1 Assertive; 2 Aggressive; 3 Savvy; 4 Cautious; 5 Swaggering; 6 Calculating)
5 – 6	Old	(1d6: 1 Cunning; 2 Strident; 3 Cautious; 4 Meticulous; 5 Bullying; 6 Detached)

Compare the Age Band results of the House Title Holder with those of the House Patriarch or Matriarch and decide whether the two characters can be rolled into one, or whether it is better to retain the two separate characters.

Prior Service
Roll to see which career the Title Holder pursued prior to attaining the House Title

Roll 2d6	Prior Service
2	Business Executive
3	Army Officer
4 - 5	Naval Officer
6 - 7	Diplomat
8	Bureaucrat
9	Scientist
10 - 12	Noble

Moral Stance
This is the over-arching moral stance adopted by the House in the pursuit of its goals:

Roll 1d6	Moral Stance
1 – 2	Scrupulous: While the House will pursue its goals with the uttermost vigour, it will, at all times, operate within both the letter and the spirit of the Law.
3 – 5	Law abiding: Whilst pursuing its goals vigorously, the House will stick within the letter of the Law – what is not forbidden is possible.
6	Pragmatic: The Ends justify the Means. Laws are for lawyers to worry about.

Influence
A measure of the power, prestige and wealth of the Noble House, and how it is viewed by its peers. In game terms, a House’s Influence determines how difficult it is for that House to archive its goals or ambitions, how likely it is to be courted as a power broker, and how much weight and respect its views and interests are given by other Houses.

Roll 1d6	Influence
1	Nil
2	Scant
3	Minimal
4	Average
5	Significant
6	Considerable

To archive a favourable result when undertaking an action, or when pursuing the House’s goals, the House must roll its Influence or less on 1d6. Skills possessed by the Patriarch/Matriarch and/or the Head of the House that can assist the Influence roll include: Leader, Bribery, Carousing, and Liaison. Each of these skills will reduce the actual roll by one: eg House Smarfii has an Influence of 3. Lord Garron Smarfii has Liaison-2. To archive his current objective, Lord Garron must roll 3 or less (his House’s Influence). He has Liaison Skill so this can either be viewed as temporarily increasing his House’s Influence to 4 (so he has to roll 4 or less to succeed) or reducing the result on the die he rolls by 1, making it easier to roll 3 or less.

Holdings
Holdings can be physical land – in fact Noble Characters can receive estates as benefits – but it is more usual that a Noble House will measure its holdings in such things as wealth generating stock and bond portfolios, real estate, and corporate control.
As a fast and dirty determinate of a Noble House’s Holdings roll 1d6:

Roll 1d6	Size of Holdings
1 – 2	Modest Holdings – generates 1d10 x Cr100,000 per annum
3 – 4	Appreciable Holdings – generates 1d10+10 x Cr100,000 per annum
5	Extensive Holdings – generates 1d10 +20 x Cr100,000 per annum
6	Massive Holdings – generates 1d10 x Cr1,000,000 per annum

These sums are in addition to any other benefits individual members of the Noble House might be granted.

House Size
The House Size is the number of members of the extended Noble Family who can expect to draw upon its resources. Also, it is the core group that the Head of the House, or the Matriarch/Patriarch, would expect to count upon for support – unless of course he or she can’t.

Roll 1d6	Family Size
1 – 2	Small Family (2d6)
3 - 4	Medium Family (2d6+6)
5 - 6	Large Family (2d6+12)

Recent House Activity
These are significant unplanned events in the Noble House’s recent history. Such events can explain a Noble House’s attitude or reaction to events and circumstances, or indicate their probable reaction.

Roll 3d6	Activity
3	Favoured by the Subsector or Sector Duke for (d6: 1 - 2 staunch loyalty; 3 - 4 the ability to generate funds; 5 - 6 political acumen and deal making).
4	Achieved overwhelming military victory.
5	Achieved Pyrrhic military victory.
6	Sponsored a House of lower SOC to rise to House Minor Status or, if the House is of House Major status, sponsored a House Minor to House Major status.
7	Returned from expedition (1d6: 1 - 3 in local system; 4 - 5 in wilderness world in Subsector; 6 beyond Imperial border).
8	Captured (d6: 1 - 2 pirate band; 4 revolutionaries; 5 spies; 6 raiders).
9	Brokered diplomatic agreement on the Subsector or Sector Duke’s behalf (d6: 1 - 3 trade agreement; 4 - 5 mutual defence pact; 6 truce).
10	Discovered valuable commodity (d6: 1 - 2 precious metal; 3 anagathics; 4 - 5 Indistrial material; 6 gemstones or radioactives.
11	Birth in the Family.
12	Death in the Family (d6: 1 - 2 natural causes, 3 - 4 tragic accident; 5 battle; 6 suspicious circumstances.
13	Participated in dual (d6: 1 - 2 won; 3 - 4 lost; 5 - 6 draw).
14	Adventuring family member (s) presumed lost or dead.
15	Losing money as a result of (d6: 1 stolen heirloom; 2 - 3 bad business; 4 corporate raiders; 5 rival House; 6 freak accident).
16	Vassal settlement in jeopardy of (d6: 1 attack by raiders; 2 - 3 plague; 4 - 5 failing food supplies or life support; 6 revolutionaries).
17	Suffered military defeat.
18	Snubbed by Subsector or Sector Duke because (d6: 1 - 2 poor military performance; 3 use of anagathics/cloning or cyborg technology; 4 late paying taxes; 5 - 6 causing trouble at court.

Current House Goal
This is the project that the head of the Noble House is currently focused upon. While there could be many motivations, such as pursuit of wealth, power, favour or prestige, the noble will set out to archive this goal with all possible resources at the disposal of the House. The Moral Stance of the Noble will temper what the Noble will do, though there is no guarantee that a Scrupulous Noble won’t fall victim to the machinations of a more Pragmatic Noble.

Roll2d6	Goal
2	Support the Subsector or Sector Duke’s plan for (1d6: 1 - 2 expansion; 3 warfare; 4 - 5 diplomacy; 6 rooting out dissidents/revolutionaries.
3	Acquire larger holdings (d6: 1 - 2 strategic location; 3 - 5 valuable resource; 6 special feature).
4	Dispose of (d6: 1 - 2 another noble; 3 courtier; 4 military officer; 5 high-level bureaucrat; 6 powerful adventurer or celebrity).
5	Marry into a particular family for (d6: 1 wealth; 2 love; 3 - 4 political advantage; 5 lust; 6 nefarious purposes).
6	Bring about political reform.
7	Bring local pirates or raiders to justice.
8	Boost local defences by (d6: 1 - 3 acquiring System Defence Boats; 4 - 5 upgrading the Tech Level of the defence forces’ equipment; 6 hiring experienced offworld mercenaries).
9	Establish a new colony.
10	Upgrade infrastructure or Tech Level within the House’s estates.
11	Remove stain from family name.
12	Increase the Family’s prestige and influence by (d6: 1 - 2 funding and leading an exploration mission or scientific research project; 3 - 4 amassing wealth; 5 military prowess; 6 political influence).

House Scandal
Most families have secrets, some dirtier than others. Some secrets may be rumoured or known about by many members of the House, while others are known to only a few. In any case, these secrets are kept carefully hidden away from outsiders for fear of financial loss, political fallout or the loss of prestige such knowledge will bring.

Roll2d6	Scandal
2	None – outwardly the behaviour of the House is perfect, perhaps a little too perfect.
3	Party to treasonous activity with (d6: 1 revolutionary cell; 2 - 3 official body; 4 - 5 foreign power; 6 dissident noble faction.
4	Committed and covered up a capital or High Justice Crime.
5	Addicted to (d6: 1 - 2 drugs; 3 - 4 alcohol; 5 - 6 unseemly, illegal, or immoral practises).
6	Manipulates the system to avoid Imperial service.
7	Supports a band of (d6: 1 - 2 pirates, 3 revolutionaries, 4 unregistered mercenaries, 5 psionics, 6 musicians and entertainers).
8	Embezzling tax revenue to (d6: 1 - 2 amass a personal fortune; 3 - 4 divert to fund a revolutionary movement; 5 cover gambling debts; 6 pay an extortionist).
9	Moonlights as (d6: 1 - 2 resource poacher; 3 - 4 corporate raider; 5 gunrunner; 6 smuggler).
10	Secretly a psionic.
11	Family History of mental illness.
12	Under the control of (d6: 1 - 2 a Psionic manipulator; 3 - 4 a glamorous fortune hunter of the opposite sex; 5 - 6 a charismatic faith healer.

Lastly
Houses Minor and Major can feature in a Traveller campaign in a variety of ways. They can be the patrons and employers of bands of adventurers, as well as the targets and foes of such bands. Conflicts between Houses can set up situations that require a “few good sophonts to act in an unofficial capacity”. Such conflicts can also impact upon events in the wider campaign area as scandals are uncovered or military or intelligence units have to be redeployed to foil acts of treason or dishonesty on a system-scale, or markets can be thrown into turmoil by actions, or the rumours of actions, taken by Houses pursuing their own agendas. By looking at the motives of the Houses, such events become less the result of random rolls on a table and more like the shifting and flexing of a power structure responding to its natural rhythms.

Website Update #22

After a productive month of puttering around in my lead pile, I've finished painting up some figures and have added pictures to my Website Modeling Log.

Working on TO&Es for the Marine Divisions in the RimWorlds inspired me to complete a couple of Grav Tanks (like the one here) and a Grav APC and a Light Grav Tank for the LAR Battalion. I just need to add some decals and they're complete.

Both the tank and the marine figure are from Ground Zero Games - the tank model weighs 230 grams!

Marine COACC and Lift Units – Design Notes

The 301st Imperial Fleet, assigned to Miazan Subsector, provides the dedicated Carrier Task Groups that transport all elements of the four Marine Expeditionary Units drawn from the 478th Marine Division. Each Task Group consists of a Da’sanai Class Assault Carrier and its attendant escorts.

The 478th Marine Division contains the 97985th Close Orbit and Airspace Control Command Wing. The COACC Wing consists of three Groups of interface craft crewed by Marine crews and tasked with both landing Marine ground elements safely and providing them with Close Orbit and Airspace support.

1st Group – Jasaugee Class 1500 Ton Battalion Landing Craft, six squadrons; 9791, 9793, and 9795 Squadrons are stationed at Miazan/Miazan and 9792, 9794 and 9796 Squadrons are stationed at Celephais/Miazan. Each squadron consists of six Jasaugee Landers, in two flights of three. Two squadrons are on active duty at all times with the third refitting. Each Da’sanai Carrier carries a flight of Jasaugee landers. Each lander can deploy two infantry platoons with their Grav APCs, as well as five Grav tanks.

2nd Group – Fhrenrhis and Lorjander Class 50 Ton Close Support craft, six squadrons; 9802 Fhrenrhis, 9806 Lorjander, and 9807 Fhrenrhis Squadrons are based at Celephais/Miazan and 9803 Lorjander, 9805 Fhrenrhis and 9808 Lorjander Squadrons are based at Miazan/Miazan. Each Squadron consists of two 15 craft flights. Two flights – usual a flight of Fhrenrhis’ and a flight of Lorjanders – are carried aboard each Da’sanai Carrier to act as dedicated COACC support for Marine landings.

3rd Group - Lift Units, one squadron; 9800 Squadron. 9800 Squadron is equipped with two marks of 50 Ton pinnace produced by Combine-Tolvyk, the KA-843 and the KA-844. The KA-843 is fitted to carry 42 Marines and their personal equipment, while the KA-844 is configured to carry 3 Grav APCs or two Grav tanks. A Da’Sanai Carrier will normally carry eight KA-843 and 16 KA-844 pinnaces. 9800 Squadron deploys 40 KA-843 and 80 KA-844.

---

Ship: KA-5322109
Class: Combine-Tolvyk KA843
Type: Pinnance
Architect: David Billinghurst
Tech Level: 15

USP	KA-	0306G23-	700000-	00003-0	MCr 58.575	50 Tons
Bat Bear				1	Crew: 44
Bat				1	TL: 15

Cargo: 0 Fuel: 4 EP: 8 Agility: 6 Marines: 42
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops

Architects Fee: MCr 0.586 Cost in Quantity: MCr 46.860


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
50.000 tons standard, 700.000 cubic meters, Cylinder Configuration

CREW
2 Officers, 42 Marines

ENGINEERING
Jump-0, 6G Manuever, Power plant-16, 8.000 EP, Agility 6

AVIONICS
No Bridge Installed, Model/3 Computer

HARDPOINTS
1 Hardpoint

ARMAMENT
1 Triple Missile Turret organised into 1 Battery (Factor-3)

DEFENCES
Armoured Hull (Factor-7)

CRAFT
None

FUEL
4 Tons Fuel (0 parsecs jump and 14 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
44 Acceleration Couches, 0 Ton Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
None

COST
MCr 59.161 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.586), MCr 46.860 in Quantity

CONSTRUCTION TIME
24 Weeks Singly, 19 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
Capacity for 1 Platoon (5 squads) of Marines



Combine-Tolvyk KA843 Class Pinnance

Book 5 Crew Breakdown
Command section: 2 officers and 0 ratings; Engineering section: 0 officers and 0 ratings; Service section: 0 officers

and 0 ratings; Medical Section: 0 officers and 0 ratings; Marines: 42
HULL
Hull: 0.000 Td; MCr 5.000
Armour Factor-7: 4.000 Td; MCr 4.000

ENGINEERING
M-Drive Factor-6: 8.500 Td; MCr 4.250
J-Drive Factor-0: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
P-Plant Factor-16: 8.000 Td; MCr 24.000; +8.000 EP

FUEL
P-Fuel: 4.000 Td; MCr 0,000
J-Fuel: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Scoops: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Purification: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
L-Hyd Drop Tanks: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000

AVIONICS
Bridge: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Computer Model/3: 3.000 Td; MCr 18.000; -1 EP

WEAPONRY
1 x Missile Turrets: 1.000 Td; MCr 2.250

SCREENS

CRAFT

ACCOMODATIONS
42 x Couches: 21.500 Td; MCr 1.075
Cargo: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000

---

Ship: KA-3452109
Class: Combine-Tolvyk KA844
Type: Pinnance
Architect: David Billinghurst
Tech Level: 15

USP	KA-	0306G22-	700000-	00003-0	MCr 57.550	50 Tons
Bat Bear				1	Crew: 2
Bat				1	TL: 15

Cargo: 20.500 Fuel: 4 EP: 8 Agility: 6
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops

Architects Fee: MCr 0.576 Cost in Quantity: MCr 46.040


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
50.000 tons standard, 700.000 cubic meters, Cylinder Configuration

CREW
2 Officers, 0 Ratings

ENGINEERING
Jump-0, 6G Manuever, Power plant-16, 8.000 EP, Agility 6

AVIONICS
No Bridge Installed, Model/3 Computer

HARDPOINTS
1 Hardpoint

ARMAMENT
1 Triple Missile Turret organised into 1 Battery (Factor-3)

DEFENCES
Armoured Hull (Factor-7)

CRAFT
None

FUEL
4 Tons Fuel (0 parsecs jump and 14 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
2 Acceleration Couches, 20.500 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
None

COST
MCr 58.126 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.576), MCr 46.040 in Quantity

CONSTRUCTION TIME
24 Weeks Singly, 19 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
Capacity for 3 TL15 APCs or 2 TL15 Grav tanks



Combine-Tolvyk KA844 Class Pinnance

Book 5 Crew Breakdown
Command section: 2 officers and 0 ratings; Engineering section: 0 officers and 0 ratings; Service section: 0 officers and 0 ratings; Medical Section: 0 officers and 0 ratings
HULL
Hull: 0.000 Td; MCr 5.000
Armour Factor-7: 4.000 Td; MCr 4.000

ENGINEERING
M-Drive Factor-6: 8.500 Td; MCr 4.250
J-Drive Factor-0: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
P-Plant Factor-16: 8.000 Td; MCr 24.000; +8.000 EP

FUEL
P-Fuel: 4.000 Td; MCr 0,000
J-Fuel: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Scoops: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Purification: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
L-Hyd Drop Tanks: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000

AVIONICS
Bridge: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Computer Model/3: 3.000 Td; MCr 18.000; -1 EP

WEAPONRY
1 x Missile Turrets: 1.000 Td; MCr 2.250

SCREENS

CRAFT

ACCOMODATIONS
2 x Couches: 1.000 Td; MCr 0.050
Cargo: 20.500 Td; MCr 0.000

---

Ship: FMNF-12649
Class: Fhrenrhis
Type: Fighter
Architect: David Billinghurst
Tech Level: 15

USP	FH-	0106Q52-	E00000-	05000-0	MCr 118.050	50 Tons
Bat Bear				1	Crew: 2
Bat				1	TL: 15

Cargo: 0 Fuel: 12 EP: 12 Agility: 6
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops

Architects Fee: MCr 1.180 Cost in Quantity: MCr 94.440


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
50.000 tons standard, 700.000 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge Configuration

CREW
2 Officers, 0 Ratings

ENGINEERING
Jump-0, 6G Manuever, Power plant-24, 12.000 EP, Agility 6

AVIONICS
No Bridge Installed, Model/6 Computer

HARDPOINTS
1 Hardpoint

ARMAMENT
1 Dual Fusion Gun Turret organised into 1 Battery (Factor-5)

DEFENCES
Armoured Hull (Factor-14)

CRAFT
None

FUEL
12 Tons Fuel (0 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
2 Acceleration Couches, 0 Ton Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
None

COST
MCr 119.231 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 1.180), MCr 94.440 in Quantity

CONSTRUCTION TIME
24 Weeks Singly, 19 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
Imperial Marine Ground Attack craft



Fhrenrhis Class Fighter

Book 5 Crew Breakdown
Command section: 2 officers and 0 ratings; Engineering section: 0 officers and 0 ratings; Service section: 0 officers

and 0 ratings; Medical Section: 0 officers and 0 ratings

HULL
Hull: 0.000 Td; MCr 6.000
Armour Factor-14: 7.500 Td; MCr 12.750

ENGINEERING
M-Drive Factor-6: 8.500 Td; MCr 4.250
J-Drive Factor-0: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
P-Plant Factor-24: 12.000 Td; MCr 36.000; +12.000 EP

FUEL
P-Fuel: 12.000 Td; MCr 0,000
J-Fuel: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Scoops: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Purification: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
L-Hyd Drop Tanks: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000

AVIONICS
Bridge: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Computer Model/6: 7.000 Td; MCr 55.000; -5 EP

WEAPONRY
1 x Energy Turrets: 2.000 Td; MCr 4.000; -4 EP

SCREENS

CRAFT

ACCOMODATIONS
2 x Couches: 1.000 Td; MCr 0.050
Cargo: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000

---

Ship: FMSF-12649
Class: Lorjander
Type: Fighter
Architect: David Billinghurst
Tech Level: 15

USP	FM-	0106J52-	E00000-	00003-0	MCr 107.300	50 Tons
Bat Bear				1	Crew: 2
Bat				1	TL: 15

Cargo: 7 Fuel: 9 EP: 9 Agility: 6
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops

Architects Fee: MCr 1.073 Cost in Quantity: MCr 85.840


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
50.000 tons standard, 700.000 cubic meters, Needle/Wedge Configuration

CREW
2 Officers, 0 Ratings

ENGINEERING
Jump-0, 6G Manuever, Power plant-18, 9.000 EP, Agility 6

AVIONICS
No Bridge Installed, Model/6 Computer

HARDPOINTS
1 Hardpoint

ARMAMENT
1 Triple Missile Turret organised into 1 Battery (Factor-3)

DEFENCES
Armoured Hull (Factor-14)

CRAFT
None

FUEL
9 Tons Fuel (0 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
2 Acceleration Couches, 7 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
None

COST
MCr 108.373 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 1.073), MCr 85.840 in Quantity

CONSTRUCTION TIME
24 Weeks Singly, 19 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
Missile-armed fighter assigned to Imperial Marine COACC units



Lorjander Class Fighter

Book 5 Crew Breakdown
Command section: 2 officers and 0 ratings; Engineering section: 0 officers and 0 ratings; Service section: 0 officers

and 0 ratings; Medical Section: 0 officers and 0 ratings

HULL
Hull: 0.000 Td; MCr 6.000
Armour Factor-14: 7.500 Td; MCr 12.750

ENGINEERING
M-Drive Factor-6: 8.500 Td; MCr 4.250
J-Drive Factor-0: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
P-Plant Factor-18: 9.000 Td; MCr 27.000; +9.000 EP

FUEL
P-Fuel: 9.000 Td; MCr 0,000
J-Fuel: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Scoops: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Purification: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
L-Hyd Drop Tanks: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000

AVIONICS
Bridge: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Computer Model/6: 7.000 Td; MCr 55.000; -5 EP

WEAPONRY
1 x Missile Turrets: 1.000 Td; MCr 2.250

SCREENS

CRAFT

ACCOMODATIONS
2 x Couches: 1.000 Td; MCr 0.050
Cargo: 7.000 Td; MCr 0.000

---

Ship: Vurchursuii
Class: Jasaugee
Type: Marine Lander
Architect: David Billinghurst
Tech Level: 15

USP	WH-	A206FF4-	E55500-	20000-0	MCr 1,596.780	1.5 KTons
Bat Bear			2	2	Crew: 157
Bat			2	2	TL: 15

Cargo: 150 Fuel: 225.000 EP: 225 Agility: 6 Marines: 124
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and On Board Fuel Purification

Architects Fee: MCr 15.968 Cost in Quantity: MCr 1,277.424


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
1,500.000 tons standard, 21,000.000 cubic meters, Cone Configuration

CREW
12 Officers, 21 Ratings, 124 Marines

ENGINEERING
Jump-0, 6G Manuever, Power plant-15, 225.000 EP, Agility 6

AVIONICS
Bridge, Model/6fib Computer

HARDPOINTS
15 Hardpoints

ARMAMENT
10 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-2)

DEFENCES
5 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 2 Batteries (Factor-5), Nuclear Damper (Factor-5), Meson Screen (Factor-5), Armoured Hull (Factor-14)

CRAFT
None

FUEL
225.000 Tons Fuel (0 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
82 Staterooms, 150 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
None

COST
MCr 1,612.748 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 15.968), MCr 1,277.424 in Quantity

CONSTRUCTION TIME
127 Weeks Singly, 102 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
1 x Marine Tank Platoon (5 tanks)
2 x Marine Infantry Platoons (12 APCs)



Jasaugee Class Marine Lander

Book 5 Crew Breakdown
Command section: 7 officers and 4 ratings; Engineering section: 1 officers and 4 ratings; Gunnery section: 2 officers and 11 ratings; Service section: 1 officers and 2 ratings; Medical Section: 1 officers and 0 ratings; Marines: 124
HULL
Hull: 0.000 Td; MCr 165.000
Armour Factor-14: 225.000 Td; MCr 382.500

ENGINEERING
M-Drive Factor-6: 255.000 Td; MCr 127.500
J-Drive Factor-0: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
P-Plant Factor-15: 225.000 Td; MCr 675.000; +225.000 EP

FUEL
P-Fuel: 225.000 Td; MCr 0,000
J-Fuel: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Scoops: 0.000 Td; MCr 1.500
Purification: 3.000 Td; MCr 0.030
L-Hyd Drop Tanks: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000

AVIONICS
Bridge: 30.000 Td; MCr 7.500
Computer Model/6fib: 14.000 Td; MCr 83.000; -5 EP

WEAPONRY
10 x Laser Turrets: 10.000 Td; MCr 30.000; -30 EP
5 x Sand Turrets: 5.000 Td; MCr 3.750

SCREENS
Nuclear Damper Factor-5: 10.000 Td; MCr 35.000; -50.000 EP
Meson Screen Factor-5: 20.000 Td; MCr 45.000; -15.000 EP

CRAFT

ACCOMODATIONS
82.0 x Staterooms: 328.000 Td; MCr 41.000
Cargo: 150.000 Td; MCr 0.000

---

Ship: Olon D. Garthoi
Class: Da'sanai
Type: Assault Carrier
Architect: David Billinghurst
Tech Level: 15

USP	CP-	P4347EB-	799900-	90047-2	MCr 39,524.190	50 KTons
Bat Bear			3	3   24	Crew: 1525
Bat			4	4   26	TL: 15

Cargo: 160 Passengers: 50 Fuel: 18,500 EP: 3,500 Agility: 4 Marines: 1009
Craft: 15 x 50T Fhrenrhis Fighters, 15 x 50T Lorjander Fighters, 8 x 50T KA843 Pinnaces, 16 x 50T KA844 Pinnaces, 3 x
1500T Jasauger Landers, 30 x 5T Grav Tanks, 151 x 4T APC/AirRafts, 2 50T Launch Tubes

Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and On Board Fuel Purification

Architects Fee: MCr 295.472 Cost in Quantity: MCr 33,614.750


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
50,000.000 tons standard, 700,000.000 cubic meters, Close Structure Configuration

CREW
37 Officers, 449 Ratings, 30 Pilots, 1009 Marines

ENGINEERING
Jump-3, 4G Manuever, Power plant-7, 3,500.000 EP, Agility 4

AVIONICS
Bridge, Model/5fib Computer

HARDPOINTS
2 50-ton bays, 140 Hardpoints

ARMAMENT
2 50-ton Meson Bays (Factor-4), 60 Triple Missile Turrets organised into 6 Batteries (Factor-7), 40 Triple Beam Laser
Turrets organised into 4 Batteries (Factor-9)

DEFENCES
40 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organised into 4 Batteries (Factor-9), Nuclear Damper (Factor-9), Meson Screen
(Factor-9), Armoured Hull (Factor-7)

CRAFT
15 50.000 ton Fhrenrhis Fighters (Crew of 2, Cost of MCr 118.850), 15 50.000 ton Lorjander Fighters (Crew of 2, Cost
of MCr 107.300), 8 50.000 ton KA843 Pinnaces (Crew of 2, Cost of MCr 58.575), 16 50.000 ton KA844 Pinnaces (Crew of
2, Cost of MCr 57.550), 3 1,500.000 ton Jasauger Landers (Crew of 0, Cost of MCr 1,731.780), 30 5.000 ton Grav Tanks
(Crew of 0, Cost of MCr 0.000), 151 4.000 ton APC/AirRafts (Crew of 0, Cost of MCr 0.000), 2 50.000 ton Launch Tubes

FUEL
18,500 Tons Fuel (3 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
822 Staterooms, 50 Middle Passengers, 160 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
None

COST
MCr 29,842.672 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 295.472), MCr 23,637.760 in Quantity, plus MCr 9,976.990 of

Carried Craft

CONSTRUCTION TIME
188 Weeks Singly, 150 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
Imperial Navy Carrier assigned to deploy Marine Expeditionary Units.



Da'sanai Class Assault Carrier

Book 5 Crew Breakdown
Command section: 7 officers and 18 ratings; Engineering section: 11 officers and 99 ratings; Gunnery section: 3
officers and 24 ratings; Flight section: 3 officers, 30 pilots and 214 ratings; Service section: 10 officers and 90
ratings; Medical Section: 3 officers and 4 ratings; Marines: 1009

HULL
Hull: 0.000 Td; MCr 3,000.000
Armour Factor-7: 4,000.000 Td; MCr 4,000.000

ENGINEERING
M-Drive Factor-4: 5,500.000 Td; MCr 2,750.000
J-Drive Factor-3: 2,000.000 Td; MCr 8,000.000
P-Plant Factor-7: 3,500.000 Td; MCr 10,500.000; +3,500.000 EP

FUEL
P-Fuel: 3,500.000 Td; MCr 0,000
J-Fuel: 15,000.000 Td; MCr 0.000
Scoops: 0.000 Td; MCr 50.000
Purification: 28.000 Td; MCr 0.280
L-Hyd Drop Tanks: 0.000 Td; MCr 0.000

AVIONICS
Bridge: 1,000.000 Td; MCr 250.000
Computer Model/5fib: 10.000 Td; MCr 68.000; -3 EP

WEAPONRY
2 x 50T Meson Bays: 100.000 Td; MCr 101.000; -200 EP
60 x Missile Turrets: 60.000 Td; MCr 135.000
40 x Laser Turrets: 40.000 Td; MCr 120.000; -120 EP
40 x Sand Turrets: 40.000 Td; MCr 30.000

SCREENS
Nuclear Damper Factor-9: 20.000 Td; MCr 50.000; -90.000 EP
Meson Screen Factor-9: 40.000 Td; MCr 60.000; -900.000 EP

CRAFT
15 x Fhrenrhis Fighter: 975.000Td; MCr 1.950; Cost of craft: MCr 1,782.750
15 x Lorjander Fighter: 975.000Td; MCr 1.950; Cost of craft: MCr 1,609.500
8 x KA843 Pinnace: 520.000Td; MCr 1.040; Cost of craft: MCr 468.600
16 x KA844 Pinnace: 1,040.000Td; MCr 2.080; Cost of craft: MCr 920.800
3 x Jasauger Lander: 4,950.000Td; MCr 9.900; Cost of craft: MCr 5,195.340
30 x Grav Tanks: 150.000Td; MCr 0.000; Cost of craft: MCr 0.000
151 x APC/AirRafts: 604.000Td; MCr 0.000; Cost of craft: MCr 0.000
2 x 50.000 Td Launch Facilities: 2,500.000 Td; MCr 5.000

ACCOMODATIONS
822.0 x Staterooms: 3,288.000 Td; MCr 411.000
Cargo: 160.000 Td; MCr 0.000

---

“ My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen” – another look at Nobles

I’ve written about Nobles on several occasions in the past (four times, in fact, according to the label list over there to the right) and, while an evolving thought-experiment on my part, the basics of my take on Nobles in Traveller has remained fairly consistent. My post of Sunday 19 December 2010 formed the basis for a longer article I wrote for Brett’s Into the Deep Fanzine and included a draft of the Benefits Table I never quite got to posting on this blog.

Given recent events in the RimWorlds (where Player Characters have been active), it seems like an opportune time to dust off these ideas and bring them up to date.

---

Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ led me to envisage a two-tier system of nobility – the Siridar, or Great Nobility, the Houses Major, who rule entire planets, systems and groups of planets; and the Houses Minor, the Petty Nobility, who hold fiefs on planets and make up the planetary banking, industrial, military, political and scientific elites.

Player Characters who roll a high Social Status characteristic, or end up with high Social Status due to the Character creation process, are from a House Minor. Roll for the Character's position within the House.

Roll	Position within Family
1	Incumbent
2	Heir
3	Sibling of Heir
4	Heir of Heir
5	Sibling of Heir of Heir
6	More Distant Member of House

The Social Status of the Character is an indication of the Status of the House Minor and what Rank they hold, and this determines the number of rolls the Character may take on the Benefits Table. A Noble Character rolls both the benefit dice for their current rank, as well as the benefit dice for all ranks below their current rank.

An Heir, or an Heir of an Heir, will have a Courtesy Title - one rank lower than the title possessed by the Incumbent in the case of an Heir, and two ranks lower in the case of an Heir of an Heir. These Courtesy Titles are usually for lesser holdings that the House has acquired over time. For example, the Heir of a Marquis might hold the Courtesy Title of Baron, while the Baron's Heir might hold the title of enfeoffed Knight. "The Honorable" is the Courtesy Title bestowed upon Heirs and Heirs of Heirs who rank below enfeoffed Knight. It is also the Courtesy Title for non-heir siblings. Heirs, and Heirs of Heirs, will roll Benefits for their Courtesy Title. When they attain their intended rank, they are permitted to roll the appropriate benefit dice for that rank as well.

Houses Minor
Social Status	Title	Number of Benefit Dice (d6)
11 (B)	Knight	1
12 (C)	Baron	2
13 (D)	Marquis	3
14 (E)	Count	4

Houses Minor that advance beyond the rank and title of Count have been elevated to House Major Status.

Social Status titles for Houses Major:

Houses Major
Social Status	Title	Number of Benefit Dice (d6)
11 (B – S)	Siridar-Lord	5
12 (C – S)	Siridar-Baron	6
13 (D – S)	Siridar-Marquis	7
14 (E – S)	Siridar-Count	8

House Major titles extend beyond those of Houses Minor as follows:

Social Status		Title		Number of Benefit Dice (d6)
15 (F)		Duke		9
16 (G)		Sector Duke		10
17 (H)		Arch-Duke		11
18 (J)		Emperor		12

House Major ranks have the same titles as House Minor ranks, but with the prefix ‘Siridar’ – ‘Great’. The House Major Social Status characteristic is suffixed with an ‘S’ to indicate that the character is of Siridar status. The one exception is that of Social Status B Knight. The corresponding House Major title is Siridar-Lord and is the lowest rank of the Great Nobility to be assigned governorship responsibilities for an entire planet. Very few Siridar-Lords actually hold such positions and for many Houses Minor, merely obtaining the status of Siridar-Lord is the culmination of decades or centuries of effort. It should be noted that the titles of Duke (usually the short form of either Subsector or Sector Duke) and Archduke are not available to Houses Minor in the Imperial Rank system. Consequently, there is no need to prefix the title with ‘Siridar’ because if one is fortunate enough to encounter an individual of this rank, then one should be assured that one is in the presence of the ruler of a Subsector, a Sector or a Domain and behave accordingly.

The elevation of a House Minor to House Major status can occur in one of several ways: Meritorious Service - a member of the House Minor has performed some service of such value that a House Major will stand sponsor for the House Minor’s elevation before the Conclave of Houses Major; Marriage Alliance – a House Minor successfully marries into a House Major and then inherits the House Major’s title and estates upon the failure of the direct line. Such successions usually set off lengthy court battles as any House Major heirs, of any remove, would seek to block the elevation of parvenu blood in such a fashion; Wealth and Power - a House Minor has accumulated sufficient wealth, prestige and political power to literally buy the patronage of a House Major to stand sponsor for the House Minor’s elevation. Meritorious Service, and Wealth and Power, are the two most common means by which Houses Minor elevate themselves to House Major status.

A Noble House will accumulate benefits. These will tend to accrue to the House over generations, with each incumbent of the title in effect acting as steward for the generations to come. These accumulated benefits are represented as a series of benefit dice rolls. Each title rank rolls the number of dice for its rank, plus the dice for all the ranks below the current rank. For example, a House Minor Marquis rolls three d6 for Marquis, two d6 for a Baron and one d6 for a Knight. It is quite possible to accumulate more than one example of a benefit.

All nobles have the right of patronage. This may be exercised in one of two ways: Firstly, a benefit that has been acquired more than once may be bestowed upon someone else – a player character for example – the recipient can be non-noble, but must be of good character (SOC 8+), and the bequest must be ratified at the Sector Level, at least, on a roll of 7+ on 2d6 (DMs: Admin, Bribery, Carousing, Court Influence). Secondly, a noble may use his or her patronage to sponsor a non-noble into the aristocracy, or a noble from a House Major may sponsor a House Minor to House Major status. A roll of 9+ on 2d6 is required with the following DMs: + Sponsor’s Bribery, Admin, Carousing, Court Influence; + half the recipient’s Bribery, Carousing, Court Influence; - (10 – Recipient’s current Social Status if a non-noble seeking elevation to the nobility) or – (14 – Recipient’s current Social Status if seeking elevation from House Minor to House Major status). If the Patronage roll is failed, then the Sponsor must forfeit one Benefit.

Table of Benefits
Dice Roll	Result	Notes
1-2	Pension	As a standard service pension: roll 1d6 x Cr10,000 and receive this sum per year
3-5	Business Holdings	System-wide stock/bond portfolios yielding 1d6+3 x Cr10,000 in dividends per annum. May be sold at market value.
6-8	Megacorp Portfolio	Megacorp voting stock yielding 2d6 x Cr100,000 in dividends per annum. May be sold at market value.
9-10	Court Influence	Positive DM on Patronage rolls and reaction rolls when dealing with other Nobles, and system and Imperial Bureaucracy. Can be a positive or negative DM when dealing with the media. This benefit immediately bestows one extra 2d6 roll for Benefits.
11-13	Ancestral Lands	Planetary Holdings titled to the Noble House in perpetuity, and includes a suitably appointed dwelling. Roll 3d6 x Cr100,000 for value. Yields 1d6 x 10% in revenue per annum. Requires 1d6 x 10% in maintenance every four years.
14-15	Inheritance	As Ancestral Lands, but also roll 3d6 x Cr100,000 for an additional one-off cash payment.
16-18	Right of Free Passage	Free High Passage transportation on any common carrier within Imperial Space, even to the exclusion of other passengers. This right only extends to the awardee, not to members of his or her entourage. The carrier is compensated from Imperial funds.
19-20	Right to Bear Arms	Right to bear personal side arms, excluding energy weapons, in contravention of local Law Levels.
21	Cash Grant	Imperial largess for services rendered. Roll 2d6 x Cr 100,000 (one-off payment).
22-23	Right of Commission	The awardee receives an Honorary Commission in one of Imperial Services (usually one in which he or she has served) with the right to raise and equip a military/exploration unit “… for the Commonweal of the Imperium …” The awardee meets the expenses of the unit so raised, and is responsible for its actions. In the event of an emergency, the unit is subject to Imperial control and the Imperium underwrites all operational expenses.
24-26	Estates	Accumulated properties that the awardee owns outright. These can be land, a small corporation, or a vertically integrated series of businesses. Has a value of 5d6 x Cr100,000 and yields 1d6 x 10% revenue per annum. Maintenance is 1d6 + 15% per annum.
27-29	Right of Escort	The awardee may raise and maintain an escort of 2d6 bodyguards, armed in contravention of local Law Levels, excluding high-energy weapons. This benefit only covers the awardee’s escort, not the awardee.
30-31	Governorship	Administrator of a planetary system, with duties and responsibilities to be determined by the Referee. Annual stipend is determined by the system starport type: MCr 1 if Class A, KCr 750 if Class B, KCr 500 if Class C, KCr 250 if Class D. Position must be renewed every four years on a roll of 8+ on 2d6, DMs for skills the Referee deems appropriate.
32 - 33	Right to Bear Arms	Right to bear personal side arms, excluding energy weapons, in contravention of local Law Levels.
34-35	Cash Grant	Imperial largess for services rendered. Roll 4d6 x Cr 100,000 (one-off payment).
36	Fiefdom	The awardee is granted a star system to be administered with local autonomy, effectively, through the awardee’s House, creating a Class 3 Government (Self-perpetuating Oligarchy).
37-38	Court Influence	Positive DM on Patronage rolls and reaction rolls when dealing with other Nobles, and system and Imperial Bureaucracy. Can be a positive or negative DM when dealing with the media. This benefit immediately bestows one extra 4d6 roll for Benefits.
39-40	Imperial Senatorial Appointment	The awardee enjoys a special status and a high level of trust within the Imperial Moot. With the Right to directly ‘advise’ both higher ranking nobles and the Emperor, the awardee may review the actions of system governors within his or her home sector
41-42	Viceroyship	Administrator of several (2d6) planetary systems. Rules through Planetary Governors with a stipend set at double that of Planetary Governors and set in the same way. Need not be renewed.
43-45	Right of Lawful Dissent	Under special circumstances, the awardee may personally circumvent local authority ‘in the best interests of the Imperium’. This Right also includes the Right of Automatic Audience with higher ranked nobles to advise them on matters of importance.
46-48	Viceroyship	Administrator of several (2d6) planetary systems (usually within one or adjoining subsectors), or of one subsector. Rules through Planetary Governors with a stipend set at double that of Planetary Governors and set in the same way. Need not be renewed.
49-51	Right of Commission	The awardee receives an Honorary Commission in one of Imperial Services (usually one in which he or she has served) with the right to raise and equip a military/exploration unit “… for the Commonweal of the Imperium …” The awardee meets the expenses of the unit so raised, and is responsible for its actions. In the event of an emergency, the unit is subject to Imperial control and the Imperium underwrites all operational expenses.
52-53	Estates	Accumulated properties that the awardee owns outright. These can be land, a medium sized corporation, or a vertically integrated series of businesses. Has a value of 5d6 x Cr1,000,000 and yields 1d6 x 10% revenue per annum. Maintenance is 1d6 + 15% per annum.
54-57	Sector Leadership	Administrator of 2d6 Viceroyships or adjacent subsectors, or the dominant noble in a Sector. Rules through Viceroys with a stipend set at triple that of Planetary Governors and set in the same way. Need not be renewed. Has oversight of the military forces of the Sector.
58-60	Right of Licence	Certain industrial practises or operations, or transactions of a certain type, can only be legally carried out within a designated area with the appropriate licence. Licences will be granted by the appropriate office upon payment of the appropriate fee. The Right of Licence generates a stipend for the holder of 1d6 x Cr1,000 x the population number of each planet within the licence area per annum
61-63	Nobility Creation	The awardee may personally confer Noble status upon any individual, without ratification by the Moot. No benefits are conferred as these are only dispensed via Patronage, the Emperor or the Moot.
64-66	Domain Leadership	Administrator of 2d6 Viceroyships or adjacent subsectors, or the dominant noble in a Sector. Rules through Sector Dukes with a stipend set at quadruple that of Planetary Governors and set in the same way. Need not be renewed.
67-68	Right of Decree	The Right to personally pass or amend Imperial decrees ‘on behalf of the Emperor’. Only a higher ranking noble may overturn such decrees.
69-70	Right of Pardon	Right to grant full and complete Pardon for any and all crimes committed. High Justice crimes, such as treason, mass murder, illegal possession and/or use of nuclear or biological weapons, requires a pardon confirmed by both the Emperor and the Moot.
71-72	Right of Taxation	May personally control Imperial revenue sources via Tax Rates and exemptions.

Examples:
Saidhutes hault-Kirzhon, Baron of Sahartes, is the incumbent Baron of one of the 19 separate nations on the balkanised planet of Feor/Gamelea. For benefits, Saidhutes hault-Kirzhon rolls two d6 for his rank as Baron, and a further d6 for the rank of Knight (the only noble rank lower than Baron). Saidhutes rolls "(4) Business Holdings - producing Cr60,000 in dividends per annum" and "(8) Megacorp Portfolio - voting stock yielding Cr700,000 per annum".

House Mahuran have been Siridar-Counts of Bromus/Miazan for two hundred years. Siridar-Count Sakkan III also holds the title of President for Life and is actively involved in the day to day running of the government of Bromus. Siridar-Count Sakkan rolls 8d6 for his benefit roll as a Siridar-Count, and then for each of the seven ranks of House Major and House Minor below him for a total of eight rolls. Sakkan rolls "(1d6=1) Pension - Cr50,000 per annum", "(2d6=5) Business Holdings - Cr50,000 per annum in dividends", "(3d6=10) Court Influence, "(4d6=16) Right of Free Passage", "(5d6=20) Right to Bear Arms", "(6d6=23) Right of Commission", "(7d6=31) Governorship of a Planetary System (Bromus) with a C Class Starport - stipend of Cr500,000 per annum", and "(8d6=25) Estates - valued at MCr1.2, yielding Cr480,000 per annum and costing Cr192,000 per year in maintenance.

Sources:
The Imperial Nobility by Ian MacKinder
based on the articles ‘Sceptre and Starship’ and ‘Robe and Blaster’ by Ahnre and Stuart
The article ‘Robe and Blaster’ by Rick D. Stuart - White Dwarf 22.
GURPs: Traveller – Nobles by Loren Wiseman and Joe F. Zeigler – Steve Jackson Games
Traveller Supplement 4: Citizens of the Imperium by Games Designer’s Workshop