Fun with Family Trees #2

Previously, I looked at the political subdivisions of Miazan Subsector. Most of these, including the County of Bromus, came into being during the Trumer Restoration of the RimWorlds Sector in the early 10th Century. In my last post, I described how I was able to begin to establish the lineage for House Mahuran, the incumbent House Major of the County of Bromus, from extant design clues. With the basics in place, I now needed to expand my family tree for House Mahuran - both backwards in time to discover the establishment of the County, and forward to learn about the heirs of the current Count, Sakkan III.


As the Family Tree began to spread out, I saw some interesting story ideas and questions developing, especially when I began weaving elements of the already existing history of the RimWorlds around the developing family line.

Amongst the questions that occurred to me was to wonder why, even though House Mahuran had successfully pursued off-world alliances with other Houses Major, and had obviously aligned themselves with at least two Bromosian Houses Minor, there were few alliances with the other Houses of the County. Of the three subordinate Houses Major, House Mahuran has an alliance with House Asheranon of Exxilon. Neither of the Lords of Lo-Taisang or Omega Vasalai IX are included within the famiglia of House Mahuran.

Omega Vasalai IX is an airless rock, settled by a religious sect known as the Pilgrims. Purchasing the settlement rights in 851, the Pilgrims effectively moved beyond the Imperial Frontier to occupy their new home as the Miazan Subsector Military District only encompassed Tonivar, Celephais, Byer's Planet and Naltor at that time. Given the nature and practise of their beliefs, it is unlikely that the Pilgrims would concern themselves with political marriage alliances, though the Derbus (Shepherds) have subsequently found the title "Siridar-Lord" useful when dealing with officials at the County and Subsector level.

Lo-Taisang was colonised by a migratory Vargr Clan in 1002, granted settlement rights in return for defending part of the frontier. To the Vargr of Lo-Taisang, being considered trusted guardians and protectors of their overlords is worth more Charisma than any pseudo interspecies union. Each company of the TL9 Infantry Battalion that Lo-Taisang has raised serves in turn as part of the Count of Bromus' personal guard. The Charisma each company gains for such loyal service keeps the competing septs loyal to the County. And given the general distrust the average Bromosian feels towards offworlders, and alien offworlders in particular, the sight of a company of Vargr in County Blues both thrills and appalls the populace.

Exxilon is a large, high gravity world, colonised in 969, just after the 2nd Outrim War. It was used as a dumping ground for populations displaced during the late war and House Asheranon, installed as Siridar-Barons of Exxilon by Duke Mah'radys I of Miazan, soon gained a reputation for their hard, yet indifferent rule, insulating themselves from their subjects behind an oppressive Law Level and and Impersonal Bureaucracy. While the bulk of the population of half a billion live in a string of cities, high up in the mountains of the small continent of Parishnaman, House Asheranon and its retainers are based on a large, geostationary satellite. It is rare for a member of the Household to "go down the well".

Relationships between House Asheranon and their feudal overlords, House Mahuran, are cordial yet cool. The installation of House Asheranon by House Geyukthi within House Mahuran's County was both a calculated insult and an assertion of authority by Mah'radys I, the 2nd Duke of Miazan. Count Sakkan I of Bromus may have won that argument, in the end, as he outlived both Mah'radys I and Chi'leur II, his son.

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I find that as I look at the lifespans of various characters, and how they intersect with each other and the history of the time, that new details of the story emerge along with aspects of the character of key individuals. These are all elements of the metagame, the background against which the players will adventure and, to me, part of the fun is exploring and developing this aspect of the game.

Fun with Family Trees #1

A Noble House from Scratch
House Mahuran, Siridar-Counts of Bromus, was the first Noble House I had created for my campaign in over twenty years. All this activity was sparked by work I was doing for upcoming game sessions with the "Tunnels of Tonivar" party, and by work I had recently done on Planetary Defence Units.

While the original "Tunnels of Tonivar" game had essentially been a treasure hunt, for the next chapter I decided to introduce a political and military element. To this end, I cast around for a suitable background world and, eventually, settled on Bromus/Miazan - where the Planetary Government type, a Charismatic Dictatorship, offered some interesting possibilities.

A brief account of Bromus has already appeared on this blog. During my solo game, "Aloin's Saga", one of the characters aboard Aloin's ship, the Iridium Queen, commented sarcastically that Bromus was a xenophobic dunghill of a police state, and only produced potatoes for export. Obviously, this wasn't the entire story of Bromus, but it made for an amusing conversation.

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The Universal World Profile (or UWP) for Bromus is: C-4757A8-7.

What this means is that Bromus has a C Class Starport (routine services, no ship building); is 4000 miles in diameter (about half the size of Earth); has a standard atmosphere that is slightly tainted; 50% of the planet's surface is covered by seas, lakes, and other bodies of water; has a population in the 10s of millions; is ruled by a Charismatic Dictator; private ownership of firearms is prohibited and bladed weapons larger than a knife are controlled; and the planet as a whole has a technology level equivalent to the 1970s on Earth.

The Charismatic Dictatorship government-type got me thinking. My theory for how the Nobility work is that a Planetary, or Siridar, Noble is in effect the Planetary Head of State. The Planetary Government does the day to day administrative work, while the Siridar-Noble sets budgets, policy, laws, and represents the planet in interstellar forums. A Charismatic Dictator falls neatly into the category of Siridar Noble who has taken personal control of the planetary government - obviously, in this case, with the support of the populace.

At this point, I had no information on any noble house attached to Bromus. I had only created family trees for two Houses Major in Miazan Subsector - House Geyukthi, Dukes of Miazan, and House Sehlemarl, Viceroys of Celephais - and a couple more spread across Gamelea, Nolgor and Gazul Subsectors. I had some notes on two other Miazan Subsector Houses Major - Houses Rivokul and Van Zaquerl, both of Kamperel, but nothing as organised as a family tree. Scanning through the family trees I had completed, I discovered three female members of the "House of Bromus" - Stefani, married to Duke Pahran of Gamelea, Elemyl, married to Duke Mah'radys IV of Miazan, and Susan, married Duke Edenar I of Nolgor.

Basing the birthdates of these three women on that of their husbands, and arranging a sequence of Siridar-Counts of Bromus around them, I created a family line stretching from the mid-10th Century through to the current incumbent, Count Sakkan III (who, at this point, was just a name I had written in my notebook as I worked up scenario ideas for the Tunnels of Tonivar game). Given their ages, Stefani and Elemyl were obviously his aunts, while Susan became Count Sakkan III's great-aunt. House Mahuran, as the House of Bromus had become, was taking shape and had already demonstrated that this, supposedly xenophobic and isolated, House Major was actually connected to two of the most powerful Houses in the Spinward/Rimward portion of the Imperial RimWorlds.

Political Sub-divisions of Miazan Subsector

Working on the Unified Imperial Army and the Planetary Defence Forces for Miazan Subsector got me thinking about the various Houses Major of the Subsector - this was in the context of me airly saying "the Elite PDF units of such-and-such planet are the Baronial Household Guard". This reminded me that I had never quite finished working out the political sub-divisions of the Subsector and, aside from the Dukes of Miazan and the Viceroys of Celephais, had little idea of what Houses Major were active. So, what do we have?

Existing Houses Major of Miazan Subsector -
House Geyukthi of Miazan, Subsector Dukes of Miazan and past Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds. A list of Subsector Dukes (906 - present) and Sector Dukes (999 - 1031) has been created. A family tree tracing the descent of the Ducal line from Duke Chi'leur I (860 - 937 reigned 906 - 937) to the grandchildren of the current incumbent, Duke Mah'radys IV (1028 - present reigned 1085 - present) has been created.

House Sehlemarl-Geyukthi of Celephais, Viceroys of Celephais and past Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds. A list of Viceroys of Celephais (800 - present) and Sector Dukes (1031 - 1044) has been created. A family tree tracing the descent of the Viceregal line from Viceroy Fleet Admiral/Miazan Arkuru I Sehlemarl (750 - 812 reigned 800 - 812) to the children of the current incumbent, Viceroy Odron Orn Tala Sehlemarl-Geyukthi (1046 - present reigned 1083 - present) has been created.

House Rivokul of Kamperel - extinct, Siridar-Barons of Kamperel/Miazan from the mid-tenth century until 1032. Notoriously corrupt, House Rivokul ruled Kamperel with an iron hand. With arms supplied by the Outrim Alliance during the 3rd Outrim War, the People's Justice Army waged a bitter civil war against House Rivokul and its mercenaries. Victorious, the People's Justice Army summarily executed all surviving members of the House. No family tree or list of Barons of Kamperel has been written.

House Van Zaquerl of Kamperel, Siridar-Barons of Kamperel since 1040. From revolutionary gunman, Torvor Van Zaquerl became, first, a member of the People's Revolutionary Council, then Head of the Council and then, in 1040, he reconstituted the People's Revolutionary Council as an advisory body while taking the Office of People's First Officer. Under his son and grandsons, the Van Zaquerl dynasty has taken root on both Kamperel and across the Kamperelian Cluster. Scattered notes and references allow a family tree to be constructed from 1040 to present.

And that's about it.

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Approaching the problem from a different direction, we know that there was a frontier zone along the coreward end of Miazan Subsector in the late 8th Century. This was known as the Miazan Subsector Military District and was centered on Celephais. The position of Governor of Celephais became hereditary for House Sehlemarl as a reward for services rendered by Fleet Admiral Arkuru Sehlemarl in the 2nd Rimward War (793 - 794) and its aftermath.

By the time Sector Duke Leonid I Trumer commenced the Trumer Restoration of the Sector in 906, House Sehlemarl had taken the title of Viceroy, acting at the behest of the Dukes of Gamelea. Sector Duke Leonid I soon discovered that House Sehlemarl had remained determinedly loyal to the Sector Duchy and continued to maintain a strong, and stable, presence across the coreward half of Miazan Subsector.  Recognizing Arkuru III's assumption of the title of Viceroy of Celephais, Duke Leonid I confirmed Arkuru's brother Lanyard I as Arkuru's successor. Leonid then moved to reconstitute the Miazan Subsector Military District as a proper Imperial Subsector. The Duchy of Miazan was duly created, consisting of the Counties of Nakaya, Miazan, and Bromus, with the Barony of Kamperel and the Viceroyalty of Celephais. With the Sehlemarls content as loyal guardians of the Miazan/Gamelea border, Leonid appointed his aide de camp, Chi'leur Geyukthi, as Duke of Miazan. The Duke of Miazan is also the Count of Miazan. Following the overthrow of House Rivokul in 1032, during the 3rd Outrim War, the Barony of Kameperel (Kamperel, Floranna and Ektra) pays lip service to the Sector Duke of the RimWorlds and the Imperium, but refuses to acknowledge the authority of the Duke of Miazan.

The Viceroyalty of Celephais consists of Celephais, itself, the Siridar-Barony of Naltor, and the Siridar-Lordships of Byer's Planet and Tonivar. Initially, the Vicerotalty of Celephais also included the Siridar-Lordship of Rimbaud II/Gamelea but, following the establishment of the Duchy of Miazan in 906, Rimbaud II was returned to the Duchy of Gamelea.

The County of Bromus consists of Bromus, the Siridar-Barony of Exxilon, and the Siridar-Lordships of Lo-Taisang and Omega Vasalai IX.

The County of Nakaya consists of Nakaya, and the Siridar-Lordship of Epoch.

The County of Miazan consists of Miazan, and the Siridar-Lordships of Golus, Janda and Hydrot.

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From the Family Trees of both House Geyukthi and House Sehlemarl-Geyukthi, as well as notes in the Family Trees of Houses Crensea, Ulanor and Juharl-Zarquestuir, I have been able to find references to several people from the Noble Houses of Nakaya, Golus, Bromus and Naltor.

In the case of House Mahuran of Bromus, I have been able to construct a family tree stretching back four generations. And what that has shown is how well connected House Mahuran has become - from a minor House Major of a minor frontier County, in one generation we see it directly linked to the Duchies of Miazan and Gamelea.

Next: Fun with Family Trees and How Lineages Can Outline Your Stories

Imperial Army - Miazan Subsector

Dick Hentz' evocative mid-Tech trooper
from Book 4: Mercenary

Following on from the design work I did on the Imperial Marines assigned to Miazan Subsector, I next decided to examine the regular ground forces - the Army.

To guide me in this task, I turned to GURPs Traveller: Ground Forces by Douglas Berry for ideas and suggestions.

As an initial assumption, Ground Forces postulates that all Imperial planets above a certain population and Tech Level produce "Battalion Equivalents" from a percentage of their population. These "Battalion Equivalents" can either be grouped into Battalions and higher formations at the producing planet's tech level, or traded-in/amalgamated into Elite formations, or higher Tech Level formations. In the latter case, the assumption is that the planetary Government imports higher Tech equipment, which makes individual formations more efficient, which permits the Government to enlist fewer soldiers.

Ground Forces has a Battalion Equivalents table but, as this is a GURPs table, it makes my head hurt doing the mental arithmetic to convert it into Classic Traveller.

Looking through my stack of books, I found a copy of Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society #10 - one of the issues that came out around the time the 5th Frontier War board game was released. I'm pretty sure that this table has appeared in various forms since then, but this is my version of it.

Defence Battalions or Battalion Equivalents (BEs)
Population	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	A
TL
3	-	1	10	1C	1K	10K	50K	100K
4	-	1	10	1C	1K	2K	20K	200K
5	1	2	3	30	3C	3K	30K	300K
6	1	2	3	30	3C	3K	30K	300K
7	-	1	2	20	2C	2K	20K	200K
8	-	1	2	20	2C	2K	20K	200K
9	-	-	1	15	150	15C	15K	150K
A	-	-	1	15	150	15C	15K	150K
B	-	-	1	12	120	12C	12K	120K
C	-	-	1	12	120	12C	12K	120K
D	-	-	1	10	1C	1K	10K	100K
E	-	-	7	7	70	7C	7K	70K
F	-	-	-	5	50	5C	5K	50K

Working with these figures and applying them to Miazan Subsector, we begin to see the following emmerge:

Miazan Subsector Imperial Worlds
Planet	Port	Pop	TL	BEs	Reserve	Raw BE	Units
Exxilon	C	8	9	150	225	75	1 TL12 Elite Armoured Battalion, 2 TL12 Armoured Battalions, 1 TL12 Elite Infantry Regiment, 1 understrength TL12 Infantry Regiment (4 Battalions), 1 TL9 Infantry Division
Bromus	C	7	7	200	300	100	2 TL7 Elite Armoured Regiments, 1 understrength TL7 Armoured Regiment, 1 TL7 Elite Infantry Brigade, 1 TL7 Infantry Division, 1 TL7 Infantry Brigade
Golus	A	5	D	1	-	1	1 TL13 Infantry Battalion - 1st Aldeed Golus Scout Battalion
Janda	B	4	D	-	-	-	Nil
Hydrot	B	3	7	-	-	-	Nil
Omega Vasali IX	C	3	7	-	-	-	Nil
Miazan	A	9	C	12000	18K	6000	1 TL15 Elite Armoured Corp, 1 TL15 Armoured Corp, 1 TL15 Elite Infantry Corp, 1 TL15 Infantry Corp, 2 TL14 Armoured Corps, 1 TL14 Elite Infantry Corp, 2 TL14 Infantry Corps
Celephais	B	6	B	12	18	6	1 TL11 Armoured Battalion, 1 understrength TL11 Infantry Regiment (4 Battalions)
Byer's Planet	B	4	A	-	-	-	Nil
Nakaya	C	9	7	20K	30K	10K	1 TL12 Elite Armoured Corp, 3 TL12 Armoured Corps, 2 TL12 Elite Infantry Corps, 3 TL12 Infantry Corps
Epoch	D	1	5	-	-	-	Nil
Naltor	D	6	4	100	150	50	1 TL10 Infantry Regiment, 1 TL10 Armoured Battalion
Cabria Subsector Imperial Worlds - part of Duchy of Miazan
Lo-Taisang	C	5	9	1	-	1	1 TL9 Infantry Battalion
Tonivar	C	5	8	2	3	1	1 TL8 Infantry Battalion, 3 TL8 Reserve Battalions - organised as an under-strength regiment
Unified Imperial Army Units for Miazan Subsector
Personnel for each Field Force of the Unified Imperial Army are recruited from all Imperial planets within the subsector the Field Force is assigned to.						405	1 TL15 Elite Armoured Division, 1 TL15 Elite Armoured Brigade, 1 TL15 Elite Infantry Brigade, 2 TL15 Elite Infantry Battalions, 1 TL14 Infantry Corp, 1 TL14 Elite Armoured Division, 1 TL14 Elite Infantry Division, 1 TL12 Infantry Corp, 1 TL12 Armoured Division, 1 TL12 Infantry Division, 1 understrength TL12 Infantry Regiment
Kamperelian Republic
Ektra	B	6	8	20	30	10	1 understrength TL11 Infantry Regiment (4 Battalions)
Floranna	B	6	C	12	18	6	1 TL12 Armoured Battalion, 1 understrength TL12 Infantry Regiment (4 Battalions)
Kamperel	A	A	B	120000	180000	60000	3 TL15 Elite Armoured Corps, 3 TL15 Elite Infantry Corps, 3 TL15 Elite Infantry Divisions, 58 TL11 Infantry Field Armies, 3 TL11 Infantry Divisions, 1 TL11 Infantry Brigade, 29 Armoured Field Armies, 1 TL11 Armoured Division, 1 TL11 Armoured Regiment
Kamperelian Republic Ready Reaction Force
Personnel for the Kamperelian Ready Reaction Force are primarily recruited from Kamperel						2801	1 TL15 Elite Armoured Division, 5 TL15 Elite Infantry Divisions, 3 TL15 Elite Infantry Battalions, 2 TL11 Armoured Field Armies, 5 TL11 Infantry Field Armies, 3 TL11 Infantry Corps
Independent Worlds
Lithia/Miazan	C	7	4	1000	1500	500	2 TL13 Infantry Regiments, 1 TL13 Infantry Battalion, 1 TL13 Armoured Battalion
Huop/Miazan	C	5	8	2	3	1	1 TL8 Infantry Battalion, 3 TL8 Reserve Battalions - organised as an under-strength regiment

It is Imperial policy to equip all Unified Imperial Army Units to at least Tech Level 12 standard. This ensures a unity of equipment across all formations. Subsector Army Commands are permitted to upgrade units under their command to higher Tech Levels, but the cost for this upgrade is to be born at Subsector level. During the period when the Miazan Subsector Dukes were also Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds (999 - 1031), Miazan Subsector Unified Imperial Army formations were regularly re equipped with the best technology available, and deployed as a Sector Reserve against the hostile coalitions along the Imperial Border. Even after suffering heavy losses during the 4th Outrim War (1080 - 85), at least a third of the formations assigned to the Miazan Subsector UIA are still equipped to Tech Level 14 standards.

As the bulk of the personnel serving in the Miazan Subsector UIA are recruited from Miazan itself, there is a tendency for the lines of authority between Ducal oversight of the Miazan PDF and the Miazan UIA to become slightly blurred. A portion of the Miazan UIA formations have now been upgraded to Tech Level 15 equipment and these units tend to train with and deploy with Miazan PDF formations.

Notes:
Exxilon has an Exotic Atmosphere (Atmos A). This reduces the number of Battalion Equivalents available (by effectively moving Exxilon's population one column to the left). In Exxilon's case, the Baron of Exxilon has decreed that the Exxilonian Baronial Household Force and six battalions of the Planetary Defence Force would be equipped to basic Unified Imperial Army standards. While this has further reduced the number of units under arms, it has increased the effectiveness of the Planetary Defence Force of this frontier world.

Golus - The 1st Aldeed Golus Scout Battalion has a reputation for producing exceptional desert fighters. Cadres from the battalion are in demand to provide desert warfare training throughout the Sector.

Miazan - As the Subsector capital, Miazan has been the seat of House Geyukthi, Dukes of Miazan and past Sector Dukes of the RimWorlds, for two centuries. The Miazan Planetary Defence Force, equipped to the highest standard, is built around the Household Cavalry Division - part of the Elite 1st Armoured Corp - and the Guards Corp.

Nakaya - Given Nakaya's isolated position, and the proximity of the hostile Kamperelian Republic, the Baron of Nakaya required that the Nakayan Planetary Defence Force be re equipped to Unified Imperial Army standards. This two-decade long project is now in its final stages.

Naltor - The upgrade of the Naltorese Planetary Defence Force has not been as successful as similar projects on other worlds. The megacorps involved in exploiting Naltor's natural resources have been reluctant to contribute to the long term defence of the planet. Consequently, the small Naltorese Defence Force consists of a Light Infantry Regiment and a wheeled Armoured battalion.

Ektra - The raising of a regiment of "loyal" Ektrans was an attempt by the Kamperelian Government to devolve security and reduce tensions on Ektra. The Ektran People's Defence Regiment is equipped and trained to Kamperelian Line Regiment status but morale remains low and the Loyal Ektrans have difficulty in recruiting and retaining personnel. Consequently, the Regiment is only able to muster four battalions.

Floranna - The devolution of planetary security by the Kamperelians on Floranna was slightly more successful than on Ektra, and a battalion of upgraded Miirhorn IV/B Battle Walkers was quickly raised. A four-battalion short Regiment of Florannans was also raised but has proved harder to keep up to strength.

Kamperel - The Republican Guard have become an army within the army on Kamperel. Currently numbering six Corps, with an attached Commando Division and two Marine Divisions, the Republican Guard dominates political and civil life on Kamperel. A further six divisions, with three Commando Battalions, form the nucleus of the Kamperelian Republic Ready Reaction Force. The realization by Imperial Intelligence that the Repubican Guard had been secretly reequipped to Tech Level 15 standards proved a nasty surprise for Imperial military planners. The source of this high tech material has yet to be traced.

Lithia - The Purvion inhabitants of Lithia have settled upon a Tech Level of 4 for their day-to-day lives, in keeping with their relationship with the planetary ecosystem. Their Planetary Defence Force, however, is equipped to TL13 standards with material, it is believed, imported from the Purvion colony world of Tallu/Lymethius.

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From these figures, the notes emerge. And from the notes, scenario ideas and background colour begin to emerge. And from a gaming point of view, I now have an idea of the size of the ground forces of the Miazan worlds, and an idea for wargames set in this Subsector.

Website Update #24

Haven't been feeling too flash, these last few weeks, and while we've reached the successful conclusion of Chapter 2 of The Tunnels of Tonivar Traveller sessions, I find myself feeling a slight lack of motivation to write up the story, or even carry on with development work on the Sector Fleet. I put this down to mid-winter blues, and the fact I need a decent break from work.




A few finished figures on my blog.

By Dagger or Talon - revised

A post from Ambush Alley Shawn on the 15mm Science Fiction G+ Group alerted me to the fact that the first supplement for Tomorrow's War is now available for pre-order on the Ambush Alley website.


I've been mulling over rules sets for playing out Traveller ground actions beyond the skirmish level. So far in the running is Stargrunt from Ground Zero Games, and Tomorrow's War. I had been leaning towards Tomorrow's War as a rule system, and the release of By Dagger and Talon, which introduces the alien Draghaur to the Tomorrowverse, has added further weight to the argument.


Edit: I should really double check what I'm writing when tired. The print book is expected to ship with two to three weeks of July 12th. In the current pre-order period, those ordering the print copy of the supplement will be able to get a free and complementary pdf copy of the book for, well, free. I took advantage of this offer today, and have been having a quick look through the pdf. I like what I see and can't wait for my print book to arrive. I have also moved my Draghaur figures to the front of the painting cue.

w00t!

I came home from work, today (this sounds like the opening verse to a blues song) and found a package waiting for me ...

Bleedin' 'eck! You can land a Scout Ship on this.

Two packets? Or a packet and a box ...

And in the packet - a set of dice, a Travellers' Aid Society membership card in the name of Dietrich hault-Rauln (one of my few characters - I tend to GM more than I get the opportunity to be a player), a Jump Drive and two Cr25 coins.

Close-up of the TAS card - this is a really cool prop.

And inside the box - Captain Jamison's Beard! What a monster!

Two inches thick - you could repel a pack of Vargr boarders with it! Whatta book!

Marc signed the book himself - he signed all two thousand copies that went out to Kickstarter supporters. No wonder it took some time to get them all out.

And a patent of nobility ... pour moi?

Dietrich gets his gong. Another cool prop!

My favourite T5 quote so far is:

My God - it's full of tables.