Third Imperium - A Brief Overview of GURPS

A Brief Overview of GURPS

GURPS is the Generic Universal Role-Playing System, currently in its fourth edition. This page is intended as an overview of the system, although it is a decidedly incomplete guide.

GURPS is a skill-based system that uses a non-random point-based method for character generation. The fundamental game mechanic is "roll 3d6 and try to get a result under your skill". When making a skill check, a roll of 3 or 4 is always a success, and a roll of a 17 or 18 is always a failure. This is basically about 90% of the game system. The rest is pretty much details and tracking how each character's particular skills are determined.

Because GURPS is skill-based rather than level-based, characters don't level-up as they gain experience and wisdom. Instead, characters are usually rewarded with character points - the GM guidance recommends between 1 and 5 points per session, with an average of two or three per session. Points can be spent to improve abilities, buy some advantages, buy off disadvantages, improve skills, or gain wealth, at the player's option. Awarded points can be spent as they are handed out, or "saved" so the character can make a big point buy at a later date. Characters can instead be rewarded with gained advantages determined by the GM - such as gaining a new patron or ally, or obtaining military rank or social status.

Character Creation

Characters are built using a point buy system. Basic attributes, advantages, disadvantages, quirks, and skills all have a point value and making a character consists of deciding what the player wants to spend their available points on. The standard campaign (which I will use for my Third Imperium campaign) gives each player 100 points to build their character and permits them to take 40 points of disadvantages and 5 points of quirks. Disadvantages and quirks cost negative points, which the character can then use to purchase additional abilities. In effect, a standard character is a 145-point character who uses 45 points of disadvantages and quirks to bring their total value down to the 100 point limit.

Because it is a skill-based system, characters do not have character classes or other limitations. Almost any combination of attributes, advantages, disadvantages, and skills is possible, although there are some attributes that might be limited to certain races, or might be limited due to cultural or legal requirements. In extreme cases, very unusual characters may have to take the "Unusual Background" advantage at some point level as determined by the GM. Although there are no character classes, the rule books include a variety of "character templates" providing suggested distributions of points for certain character archetypes.

Basic Attributes

Characters have four basic attributes. The baseline for all four stats is 10, which is the starting value for a normal human character. Players can spend points to raise stats, or gain points by reducing stats. As a general rule of thumb, an attribute of 6 or lower would be considered a crippling disadvantage, and an attribute of 15 or higher would be considered amazing. The basic attributes are:

• Strength (ST): Strength is a character's physical prowess and bulk. It determines how much a character can lift, how much they can carry, how much damage they do in unarmed combat or with weapons like swords and axes, and how much damage they can take.


• Dexterity (DX): Dexterity is a combination of agility, coordination, and fine motor skill. It is the key attribute for most athletic, combat, crafting, and other skills involving physical activity. Dexterity also goes into determining a character's Basic Speed and Basic Move.


• Intelligence (IQ): Intelligence measures a character's brainpower, broadly including creativity, perception, intuition, memory, and other mental abilities. It is the key ability for science, engineering, social interaction, and any other skill involving mental capability. In campaigns that use magic, it is the key ability for magic skills. Intelligence also determines a character's Will and Perception.


• Health (HT): Health represents a character's stamina, resilience, resistance to poisons, diseases, and other ill-effects. Health determines a character's Fatigue, and goes into calculating their Basic Move and Basic Speed.

Secondary Characteristics

Secondary characteristics are a set of derived states that all characters possess. They all use one or more of the basic stats to calculate them. One can raise or lower many of these secondary attributes by spending points to increase them, or by gaining negative points to lower them. So, for example, if you wanted to play a low-IQ character with exceptionally string Will, one could purchase ranks of Will by spending points to do so. As a general rule of thumb, raising or lowering a secondary characteristic costs (or grants) fewer points than raising or lowering the basic stat it is derived from. The secondary characteristics are:

• Damage: This is based on a character's ST, and comes in two flavors - thrusting damage, which measures the damage the character does with a punch, kick, or rapier, and swinging damage, which measures the damage the character does with a swinging weapon like an axe or club. For example, a ST 10 character does 1d6-2 thrusting damage, so if they punched someone and connected, they would roll 1d6 and subtract 2 for their damage. If that same character was using a spear, which has listed damage of "thrust+2", then the character would roll 1d6 on a successful hit.


• Basic Lift: This is based on ST and measures how much weight a character can lift over their head with one hand in one second. This value is used to determine how much a character can carry before becoming encumbered. The basic lift for a human with ST 10 is 20 pounds.


• Hit Points: This is based on ST and represents how much damage a character can take before becoming unconscious or dying. Effectively, a character has as many hit points as their ST score.


• Will: Will is based on IQ and represents a character's ability to resist mental stress including fear, hypnotism, seduction, torture, and so on. In the Traveller setting, it is important to note that Will is used to resist psionic influence. In a fantasy setting, Will is used to resist some magical effects.


• Perception: Perception is based on IQ and represents a character's general alertness.


• Fatigue Points: Fatigue Points are based on HT, and represents a character's "energy supply". A character expends Fatigue points when they engage in strenuous activity. Disease, heat, hunger, and other similar issues can sap a character's Fatigue Points as well. Losing Fatigue Points can slow a character down or cause them to fall unconscious. In extreme cases, loss of Fatigue Points can result in death from overexertion.


• Basic Speed: Basic Speed is determined by a combination of a character's DX and HT, and measures a character's reflexes and physical quickness. Initiative in combat is based on a character's Basic Speed, as is a character's ability to dodge attacks.


• Basic Move: Basic Move is based upon a character's Basic Speed and represents how many yards a character can move in one second. Encumbrance can modify a character's Move.

There are a few other derived attributes, mostly a character's height and weight, which are based on ST, but those don't affect gameplay much. These can be modified with advantages or disadvantages. In a science fiction game like Traveller, a character's home gravity can also matter, but that mostly affects how many points a character needs to put into ST to be "average".

Advantages

Advantages are benefits a character can buy that are not either increases to their base abilities or skills. Advantages can cover an extraordinarily wide range of abilities, ranging from physical appearance, to social status, wealth, military rank, administrative rank, or even allies, contacts, or patrons as well as more esoteric benefits like Absolute Timing, Alternate Identities, or Danger Sense. Effectively, anything that has the potential to help a character out as they make their way through the world is classified as an advantage. Advantages all have an associated point cost, ranging from zero to as high as the benefit warrants.

There are a whole host of advantages - such as Brachiator or Constriction Attack - that are generally only available as racial advantages. In a science fiction setting, however, it is possible that bio-engineering or cybernetic enhancements could provide such enhancements. Within the Imperium, there is a social stigma against cybernetic implants or other body modifications made for purposes other than to replace but not augment missing body parts, and these are generally not commercially available. That said, most advanced societies within the Third Imperium have the capability to make such devices, and may do so covertly for a variety of reasons, most notably to enhance military or intelligence agency personnel.

Note that psionics exist in the Third Imperium setting, but require an Unusual Background and open use of such powers in many areas carries with it negative reaction modifiers from the social stigma against psionics in the Imperium.

It is possible, under certain circumstances, to acquire certain advantages during play. In those cases, the player would simply expend a number of accumulated points equal to the cost of the advantage and then add it to the character. Some advantages may require a character train to object them or (in extreme cases) undergo surgery or other body modifications. In some cases it is possible to acquire an advantage at a particular level and then later increase it. For example, the Ally advantage includes a frequency of appearance. If the player initially selected "quite rarely" for their Allies' frequency of appearance, they could later expend points and raise that to "fairly often", meaning the Ally would show up to help the character more often. As a good rule of thumb, a character who wishes to acquire a new advantage during play should consult with the GM first.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages are the flip-side of advantages. Where advantages cost points, disadvantages "cost" negative points, reducing the point total of a character. Where advantages represent benefits that can aid a character as they make their way through the world, disadvantages represent hindrances that limit a character. Some things can be either advantages or disadvantages - high social status, for example, is an advantage, while low social status could be a disadvantage. Other things, such as Clueless, Colorblindness, or Combat Paralysis, are simply disadvantages. A disadvantage doesn't have to be a negative trait for a character, just one that limits what a character can do. Honesty or a Code of Honor is a disadvantage because it limits what a character is willing to do. A dependent is a disadvantage, because the character is required to spend time and effort to take care of them, while an enemy is a disadvantage because they might show up an inopportune time to cause trouble for the character.

In general, disadvantages are things that give characters flavor and make them interesting. Perfect heroes get dull, and heroes that have flaws or limitations make for fun role-playing. Players should endeavor to play their disadvantages when they are applicable and not try to evade them. So, a character who has a Code of Honor against killing shouldn't try to figure out ways to kill his foes by accident, but rather should role-play that character's refusal to kill their foes. In extreme cases, it would be appropriate for a character to penalize a player who consistently refuses to play his character's disadvantages - either by limiting the rewards that character gets for adventuring, or by requiring the player "buy off" the disadvantage. by spending points.

Players can voluntarily "buy-off" disadvantages during play using a similar process to that used for buying advantages. The player expends a number of accumulated points equal to the disadvantage and then discards the disadvantage. Just as with advantages, if a character has a disadvantage that has "levels", they can partially buy off a disadvantage, reducing the hindrance it causes. For example, if a character has the Enemy disadvantage and that enemy is specified to appear "quite often", the character could expend points and reduce the frequency to "fairly often", meaning the Enemy will show up more rarely. In many cases, a GM will require a character to fulfill some sort of in-campaign goal before they can buy off a particular disadvantage, so a player should consult with the GM if they want to do so.

Quirks

Quirks are minor character notes that give one negative point. They are not intended to be as debilitating as regular disadvantages, but are rather little habits or traits that a character has that impact how the player role-plays a character. A quirk might be a very minor version of a regular disadvantage - for example someone might have a quirk "never kills insects" which would be a minor version of the pacifism disadvantage. There are a variety of quirks suggested in the GURPS rulebooks, but the list of possible quirks is by no means limited to those. Almost anything that is a specific behavior, dislike, like, preference, or other attribute of a character that will affect how the player plays the character could count as a quirk. Some quirks, such as Alcohol Intolerance, Dreamer, or Nervous Stomach, can have mechanical game effects, but they are minor and likely come up only infrequently.

Just like disadvantages, quirks can be "bought off" by spending accumulated points to do so, although it is often recommended that players don't do this, because quirks are often a large part of what give characters their individual personalities.

Skills

Skills are things a character knows how to do. Basically, almost any kind of action a character could take that could be trained is represented by a skill. Skills are all connected to one of the four basic attributes, and a character's aptitude for that skill is heavily affected by their relevant ability score. This means that a character who has a high DX will be better at a DX-based skill than a character with a low DX, even if they both spend the same number of points on that skill.

One important concept in GURPS is "defaults". Many skills have defaults, which is what a character rolls against when they try to use a skill they have not studied. For example, a character with a DX of 10 who has no points invested in the Acrobatics skill can still attempt to make an Acrobatics roll at the default value, which is DX-6, or 4, meaning they would have to roll a 4 or lower on 3d6. Some skills have multiple defaults, such as the Interrogation skill, which defaults to IQ-5, Intimidation=5, or Psychology-4. In the event a character is trying to use a skill with multiple defaults, they use the best default value. Some skills have no defaults, such a Karate. For skills with no defaults, a character cannot use the skill unless they have spent points studying it.

Skills are rated as being Easy (such as Brawling), Average (such as Driving), Hard (such as Chemistry), or Very Hard (such as Computer Hacking), which affects how much benefit a character gains by spending points in those skills. Easy skills require relatively few points to raise to a high level, Very Hard skills require substantially more.

Some skills have prerequisites. Basically, this means that the character must have the prerequisite - usually a particular ability with another skill, but sometimes a particular advantage - in order to put points into that skill. For example, the skill Physics requires that a character spend points in Mathematics (Applied) at TL5+ first. In short, you cannot learn Physics unless you learn Applied Mathematics first.

Some IQ-based skills are defined as being for a particular tech level. So, for example, a character spending points on the Mechanic skill would need to define what tech level their skill applied to. The default is that it applies to the tech level the character is native to or in which they trained the skill. So, for example a character from the modern day (TL8) who trained in the Mechanic skill would be capable of using that skill with no penalty on a car from TL8. If they were called upon to make repairs to a car from World War II (TL7), they would suffer a -1 penalty to their mechanic skill when doing so. If they tried to work on a car from a TL9 society, they would suffer a -5 penalty. Greater variations between a the tech level a character learned a skill at and the subject of the skill, the greater the penalty.

Finally, some skills permit or require specialization. In these cases, the skill represents a range of endeavors, and the character may (and in some times must) choose a specialty within that skills. For example, the Driving skill has several specialties that a character must specialize in including Automobile, Construction Equipment, Hovercraft, and Motorcycle (among others). Basically, this sort of thing reflects the fact that the ability to drive a car doesn't really translate very well to being able to drive a bulldozer. Note that a character can put points into skills with specialties multiple times and learn multiple specializations. So a character might put points into Driving (Automobile) and also put points into Driving (Tracked), giving him the ability to drive both.

Skills can be raised (or learned) after character creation by spending the appropriate number of points required to raise them.

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Third Imperium - Ship Patrons

Ship Patrons

The Traveller setting has a somewhat unique advantage for characters: The Ship Patron. This means that you are in such good graces with your former service or other patron appropriate to your past that they have given you the use of a ship, You don't necessarily own the ship - the scout Service, the bank, your wealthy parent, or someone else does, but you have the use of it. Such a patron may also provide additional benefits and responsibilities. Your ship patron should be from the service you served under. The patron must make sense with respect to your background.

The cost of a Ship Patron is highly variable, dependent upon the jump fuel capacity, jump rating, acceleration, and equipment on the ship. The base cost for a ship with Jump-1, fuel for 1 parsec, 1-G acceleration, that is either streamlined or has a ship's vehicle is 10 points. In addition to the ships listed below, there are many models of ship that could conceivably be the subject of the Ship Patron cost. You will need to lay out your character background and explain how that connects to your ship patron, after which we can calculate the point cost.

Fuel Cap. in Parsecs	Cost
2	+7
3	+12
4	+15
5	+17
6	+18
7	+19

The standard method for calculating the cost of a Ship Patron is to start with the basic cost of 10 points and add points for the ships's jump fuel capacity in parsecs (regardless of how many jumps it takes to go that far) according to the table to the right. To that, add the following:

• For every Jump level after Jump-1 add +4 points.
• For every 1 G of acceleration above 1 G, add +2.5 points.
• If the ship has a vehicle to get to the surface and is streamlined add +2.5 points.
• If the ship has 5 low berths, add +1.5 points.
• For every 10 additional low berths after the first 5 add +0.5 points.
• If the ship has fuel scoops, add +2 points.
• For the first armed turret, add +5 points.
• For each additional armed turret, add +2.5 points.
• For every 3 tons of cargo capacity, add +1 point.
• For every 6 spaces of staterooms suitable for commercial passenger service after the first 3 staterooms, add +1 point.

Characters with common background elements can split the cost of a Ship Patron; for example, two former members of the IISS could split the point cost of a scout/courier or seeker as a patron. In the case of larger ships, splitting the point cost is almost necessary to avoid the cost becoming prohibitively expensive.

Specific costs for some of the more common Ship Patrons are:

Suleiman-Class Scout/Courier: 23 points.

A character who has served at least 12 years in the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service may receive a 100 ton Scout as a mustering out benefit. The ship is under the character's control and may be used as they wish, but it is subject to several restrictions. The user is responsible for all costs and maintenance. He and his ship are subject to recall to active service at the discretion of the IISS and must consequently inform the IISS of their location each time they enter a starport. This reduces the ship cost by 5 points. The ship is not fitted suitably for commercial passenger service. The turret is not armed when provided to the user. Any armaments desired must be added at the user's expense. These ships commonly have a three man crew of pilot, copilot, and engineer.

100-ton streamlined hull. DR 200, Basic stealth, Basic Emissions Cloaking, Heavy Compartmentalization, Basic Bridge, Engineering, 20 Maneuver, 3 Jump, 20 Fuel, 1 Space Dock (holds up to 250 cubic feet of air/raft), 4 Staterooms, Utility, 2 Fuel Processors, Turret, 12.5 cargo (+3 in turret). 15,000 HP. Acceleration 2 G, Jump-2, carries enough fuel for 2 parsecs worth of Jump. Cost 26.4 Mega Credits.

Suleiman II-Class Seeker: 29 points

Some former scouts are issued a Suleiman II-class ship. This uses an identical hull as the scout-courier, but has been modified for use as a mineral surveyor and similar duties. The user is responsible for all costs and maintenance. He and his ship are subject to recall to active service at the discretion of the IISS and must consequently inform the IISS of their location each time they enter a starport. This reduces the ship cost by 5 points. The ship is not fitted suitably for commercial passenger service. The turret is not armed when provided to the user. Any armaments desired must be added at the user's expense. These ships commonly have a three man crew of pilot, copilot, and engineer.

100-ton streamlined hull. DR 200, Basic stealth, Basic Emissions Cloaking, Heavy Compartmentalization, Basic Bridge, Engineering, 20 Maneuver, 3 Jump, 20 Fuel, 1 Space Dock (holds up to 250 cubic feet of air/raft), 2 Staterooms, Utility, 2 Fuel processors, Turret, 20.5 Cargo (+3 in Turret). 15,000 HP. Acceleration 2 G, Jump-2, carries enough fuel for 2 parsecs worth of Jump. Cost 26.4 Mega Credits.

Beowulf-Class Free Trader: 36 points

A character serving a minimum of 12 years in the merchant as a previous career may have acquired an interest in a starship. This will probably have soaked up all of his free cash. In addition to the point cost for the ship, the loan to the bank (payments of 240^th of the purchase price, due monthly) results in a -5 point reduction in cost. These ships commonly have a six man crew of pilot, navigator, sensor/comms operator, steward, and two engineers. One of the crew usually doubles as a pilot for the air/raft typically carried in the cargo hold. The turrets are not armed when provided to the user. Any armaments desired must be added at the user's expense. Custom modifications are common, and the interior layout of a Beowulf-class free trader may be radically different from the norm.

200-ton streamlined hull. DR 100, Basic Bridge, Engineering, 16 Maneuver, 4 Jump, 20 Fuel, 5 Low Berths, 10 Staterooms, Utility, 2 Fuel Processors, 2 Turrets, 69 Cargo (+6 in the Turrets). 22,500 HP. Acceleration 1 G, Jump 1, carries enough fuel for 1 parsec worth of Jump. Cost 28.8 Mega Credits.

Empress Marava-Class Far Trader: 38 points

A character serving a minimum of 12 years in the merchant as a previous career may have acquired an interest in a starship. This will probably have soaked up all of his free cash. In addition to the point cost for the ship, the loan to the bank (payments of 240^th of the purchase price, due monthly) results in a -5 point reduction in cost. The Empress Marava class far trader has greater Jump capacity than the Beowulf-class far trader, but has less cargo space and can carry fewer passengers. These ships commonly have a six man crew of pilot, navigator, sensor/comms operator, steward, and two engineers. One of the crew usually doubles as a pilot for the air/raft typically carried in the cargo hold. The turrets are not armed when provided to the user. Any armaments desired must be added at the user's expense. As with the Beowulf-class free trader, custom modifications to the Empress Marava-class far trader are common.

200-ton streamlined hull. DR 100, Basic Bridge, Engineering, 15 Maneuver, 6 Jump, 40 Fuel, 3 Low Berths, 1 Space/Dock (holds up to 250 cubic feet of air/raft), 10 Staterooms, Utility, Fuel Processor, 2 Turrets, 48 Cargo (+6 in the Turrets). 22,500 HP. Acceleration 1 G, Jump 2, carries enough fuel for 2 parsecs worth of Jump. Cost 37.6 Mega Credits.

Vanderbilt-Class Yacht: 33 points

A character who has expended points to acquire a Social Level of 3 or above may buy a 200-ton yacht as a personal interstellar transport. The staterooms are not set up for commercial service. The turrets are not armed when provided to the user. Any armaments desired must be added at the user's expense. These usually carry a crew of nine consisting of a pilot, navigator, sensor/comms operator, two stewards, two medics, and two engineers, although individual owners may decide to vary wildly from this complement. Two of the staterooms are usually merged to form a suite for the owner, and two more are merged to form a lounge area.

200-ton unstreamlined hull. DR 100, Basic Bridge, Engineering, 12 Maneuver, 8 Jump, 60 Fuel, 15 Space/Dock (holds up to 7.5 tons of vessel or 3,750 cubic feet of one or more air/rafts, has two doors), 15 Staterooms, Utility, Vehicle Bay (30-ton ship's boat), 2 Turrets, Fuel Processor, 2 Turrets, 5 Cargo (+6 in the Turrets). 22,500 HP. Acceleration 1 G, Jump 3, carries enough fuel for 3 parsecs worth of Jump. Cost 45.5 Mega Credits.

Animal-Class Safari Ship: 27 points

A character who has expended points to acquire a Social Level of 3 or above may buy a 200-ton safari as a personal interstellar transport. The staterooms are not set up for commercial service. The turret is not armed when provided to the user. Any armaments desired must be added at the user's expense. These ships usually carry a crew of seven consisting of a pilot, navigator, sensor/comms operator, steward, medic, and two engineers, although individual owners may decide to vary wildly from this complement. Two of the staterooms are usually merged to form a suite for the owner, and two more are merged to form a trophy room or lounge area.

200-ton streamlined hull. DR 100, Basic Bridge, Engineering, 11 Maneuver, 6 Jump, 40 Fuel, 15 Space/Dock (holds up to 7.5 tons of vessel or 3,750 cubic feet of one or more air/rafts), 11 Staterooms, Sickbay, Utility, Vehicle Bay (30-ton ship's boat), 1 Turret, Fuel Processor, 5 Cargo (+3 in Turret). 22,500 HP. Acceleration 1 G, Jump 2, carries enough fuel for 2 parsecs worth of Jump. Cost 35.5 Mega Credits.

Broadsword-Class Mercenary Cruiser: 78 points

A character with an extensive mercenary or military background may be able to acquire an 800-ton Broadsword-class mercenary cruiser. Affording such a ship will probably require several characters to have pooled all of their free cash and taken out a loan. In addition to the point cost for the ship, the loan to the bank (payments of 240^th of the purchase price, due monthly) results in a -5 point reduction in cost. The staterooms are not set up for commercial service. These ships usually carry a crew of seventeen consisting of a captain, pilot, navigator, sensor/comms operator, two medics, three engineers, and eight gunners, plus whatever mercenary infantry the ship carries. members of the mercenary complement usually provide the gunners, reducing the crew of the ship to nine. The ship comes equipped with the two modular cutters, but not with the four modules. The user will have to provide the modules at their own expense.

800-ton unstreamlined hull. DR 100, 4 turrets with three 360-MJ lasers each, 2 Turrets with 3 missile racks each, 2 Turrets with 3 sandcasters each, Basic Bridge, Engineering, 175 Maneuver, 32 Jump, 240 Fuel, 1 Space/Dock (holds up to 250 cubic feet of air/raft), 22 Staterooms, Sickbay, 2 Utilities, Vehicle Bay (two 50-ton modular cutters and two spare 30-ton modules), Fuel Processor, 80.5 Cargo. 60,000 HP. Acceleration 2 G, Jump 3, carries enough fuel for 3 parsecs worth of Jump. Cost 222.9 Mega Credits.

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Third Imperium - Starships and Space Combat

Starships

In the Imperium, a "starship" is a spacecraft that is equipped with a Jump Drive. A spacefaring craft that is not equipped with a Jump Drive is simply a spaceship, a ship, or a small craft. Spacecraft are rated in "dtons", which stands for "displacement tons", meaning the volume displaced by one ton of liquid hydrogen. A ship must be at least 100 dtons in size to accommodate the power plant, drives, and fuel required to be jump-capable. The term "small craft" is usually reserved for spacefaring craft that are smaller than 100 dtons in size. Ships that travel between stars via slower than light methods such as, sleeper ships or generation ships, are not classified as "starships", but are merely "spaceships". While cruisers, battleships, and dreadnoughts displacing 50,000, 100,000, and even 500,000 dtons are in service, most characters will deal with much smaller ships such as the 100 dton Suleiman-class scout/courier, the 200 dton Beowulf-class free trader, the 200 dton Empress Marava-class far trader, or the Animal-class 200 dton safari ship.

Typical Starship Crew

Running a starship competently requires crew members with a certain array of skills. Running a starship well requires a crew with a more extensive range of skills. Listed below are both the minimal required range of skills and the more expansive range of skills that well-run ships have available.

Bridge Crew

Every starship requires someone with the Pilot [Starship] skill and the Astrogation skill if it wants to successfully use its Jump Drive. Spaceships should have a crewman with the Electronics Operation [Sensors] skill and a crewman with the Electronics Operation [Communications] skill. Although not absolutely necessary, a crewman with the Computer Operations skill is highly recommended. If a ship is equipped with defensive screens such as black globe generators or meson screens, then a crew member should have the Electronics Operation [Force Field] skill. Most ships that player characters have access to are not large enough to have defensive screens. Ships that expect to go into combat usually have a commanding officer with the Leadership and Tactics skills. Note that having a commanding officer with Leadership can give crew members bonuses (and help them avoid penalties) to their skill rolls by coordinating their actions through orders (via a Leadership skill check).

Given that starships are regularly completely cut off from the outside world for week long periods, having crewmen who can perform maintenance and repairs on the various systems on a ship is recommended. A character with the Computer Programming skill and a character with the Electrician, Electronics Repair, or Engineering [Electronics] skill (or some combination of the three) is advisable.

Engineering Crew

A starship should have at least one crewman with the Engineering [Starship] skill as well as crewmen with the Mechanic [J-Drive], Mechanic [M-Drive], and Mechanic [Power Reactor] skills. For starships, a crewman with the Mechanic [J-Drive] skill is critical if the ship intends to try to enter jump-space at any point. Having crewmen with the more specialized Engineer [J-Drive], Engineer [M-Drive], and Engineer [Power Reactor] skills is optimal, especially if the ship intends to be in service for long periods of time. As with the bridge crew, having crewmen who can perform routine maintenance and repairs on the ship is recommended. Having a crew member with the Machinist skill allows for the creation of replacement parts while in flight.

Weapons Crew

Armed ships should have a crew member with the Gunner [Laser] or Gunner [Missile] skill, or both for every turret carried by the ship. Larger ships that have weapon bays or spine mounted guns have larger weapon crew requirements, but most of those ships are so large that he chance one will ever come under the control of a player character is remote.

Medical Crew

As noted before, most starships can expect to be regularly out of communication with the rest of the universe for periods of at least a week at a time. Starships that journey into unknown or hostile areas can expect to be isolated from assistance for longer periods. Consequently, most starships carry at least some medical crew. Crew members with the skills Diagnosis, Physician, and Surgery are generally considered to be an integral part of a ship's crew. Ships that carry passengers always have medical personnel. Within the Imperium, ships that carry low-berths are required to have trained medical personnel as part of their complement.

Miscellaneous Crew

Ships that carry small craft such as air rafts should have at least one crew member with the Pilot [Small Craft] skill. It is recommended that the crew include someone with the Engineering [Small Craft] and Mechanic [Small Craft} skills as well. Ships that intend to carry cargo will find it advisable to have crew members with the Freight Handling and Merchant skills. Ships that carry passengers often find it necessary to include crew members with the Diplomacy and Savoir-Fair skills.

Jump

Jump is a means of travelling faster than light by way of entering jump-space. Jump is also the only means of faster than light travel in the Traveller setting. Ships in jump-space are isolated and may not communicate with or be detected by anything in normal space. A ship in jump-space may also not communicate with or be detected by anything else in jumps-space. Jump drives are rated from Jump-1 to Jump-6, which measures the maximum range in parsecs the drive can convey a ship in a single jump. A starship can make a jump equal to or less than its maximum jump range, but normally only in even parsec units - the only exceptions are mishaps or micro-jumps. No matter how far a starship travels, a jump takes roughly a week (specifically 168 hours plus or minus 0% to 10%). Powering a jump requires liquid hydrogen which both powers the creation of the "hole" into jump-space, serves as coolant for the Jump Drive, and provides the jump "bubble" that separates the ship from jump-space while it is in transit. Every jump requires 10% of the ships tonnage in fuel per parsec traveled - even though every jump takes roughly the same amount of time, longer jumps consume substantially more fuel than shorter jumps. A micro-jump counts as 1 parsec for the purpose of fuel consumption.

Skill Checks for Jump

A successful jump requires three skill rolls: A Pilot [Starship] roll, an Astrogation roll, and a Mechanic [J-Drive] roll. If any of these rolls fails, then something will go awry in the course of the jump. A critical failure on any of these rolls can be disastrous. Flying a ship using unrefined fuel imposes a -2 penalty on all of these skill checks. The potential results of a failed check are:

• Pilot [Starship]: A failed Pilot [Starship] check results in no jump. In a no jump, the jump drives simply fail to operate.


• Astrogation: A failed Astrogation roll results in a misexit from jump-space. A misexit usually occurs near a world in the destination star system or in deep space as the ship exits jump-space near an unexpected stellar object, planet, comet, or asteroid. A disastrously bad Astrogation roll could result in a misexit in the starting star system as the ship exits near a gas giant or other planet in the originating system.


• Mechanic [J-Drive]: Failures involving Mechanic [J-Drive] rolls are called misjumps, and can have the most dramatic effects. A misjump can take the form of a no jump, a failed jump, or a misdirected jump. A no jump is identical to the no jump described for a failed Pilot [Starship] roll. A failed jump results in the ship entering jump-space for a week and then exiting in roughly the same place that it started. A misdirected jump or misjump results in the ship emerging from jump-space in an unintended location, usually far in distance and location from the intended destination - misjumps of 30 parsecs are not common, but they are not unheard of either. Until a ship exists jump-space, it is impossible to tell the difference between a failed jump and a misdirected jump.


• Disaster: A critical failure on any of the three required skill checks results in a disastrous outcome. In addition to the possibility of a misexit, failed jump, or misdirected jump, a disaster may result in the ship being damaged in transit, or potentially even destroyed entirely.

Note that while a ship cannot be detected or communicated with while in jump-space, it can be detected while entering and exiting jump-space using starship sensors. A series of successful Electronics Operation [Sensors] rolls can detect a ship entering jump-space and determine the approximate size of the ship, the time it left the system, and the direction of the jump, although there is no way to determine the distance of the jump. A similar series of Electronics Operation [Sensors] skill checks can detect a ship leaving jump-space as well as the approximate size of the ship, the distance it traveled in jump-space, and the time it entered the system.

Jump Types

When starships emerge from jump-space, they retain the same vector they had when they entered jump-space. As stars (and everything else) are also moving through galactic space, this vector is also imparted to a jumping ship. This means that a ship can choose to try to take advantage of this fact by coordinating its velocity and direction when it enters jump-space with its hoped for speed and direction when it exist jump-space. This results in different types of jumps as follows:

• Standing Jump: A standing jump is calculated to give the jumping ship the same vector as the destination system. This is usually the safest type of jump, as it minimizes the possibility of colliding with an unanticipated object in deep space.


• Running Jump: A running jump is made with high speed upon entering jump-space. If properly calculated, the ship only needs to decelerate as it approaches its destination at the end of its jump. If poorly calculated, the ship will exit jump space with a vector that may place it wildly at odds with its intended destination and might be required to make substantial course corrections.


• Micro-Jump: A micro jump is a jump within a single star system. As with all jumps, a micro jump takes about a week, and it uses up as much fuel as a one parsec jump. In some cases, a micro jump is a quicker way to move about a star system than using M-drives.

100-Diameter Limit

Matter in normal space interferes with ships in jump-space. If a ship in jump-space passes within a 100-diameter sphere of an object of more than 1 mile in diameter, the ship is usually "precipitated out" of jump space into normal space. This tendency tends to protect ships from exiting jump-space within another object. The primary job of a ship's Astrogator is plotting a course that avoids such objects to prevent exiting jump-space early. It is possible to enter jump-space within the 100-diameter limit, although it makes a successful jump more difficult. Attempting to jump from within the 100-diameter limit imposes a -4 penalty on all three of the required jump-related skill checks. Attempting to jump within 50 diameters of an object imposes an additional -4 penalty on all such skill checks, while attempting to jump while within 10 diameters imposes a further -4 penalty to jump-related skill checks. These penalties are cumulative, so attempting a make a jump from within 10 diameters of an object using unrefined fuel requires all checks to be made at a -14 penalty.

Any failure of one of the three required skill checks while attempting a jump from within the 100-diameter limit results in a misjump, with potential effects identical to a normal failure of the Mechanic [J-Drive] skill roll. Many of the most dramatic known misjumps are the result of crews attempting to jump from deep within the 100-diameter limit.

Spaceship Combat

Space combat in Traveller takes place on a two-dimensional hex map. Once again, this is an abstraction made for game-play reasons. One could construct a means of conducting combat in three dimensions, but that would be more time consuming than practical. Each hex in space combat is approximately 10,000 miles across. For reference, this means that the Earth and the Moon would be 24 hexes apart. Earth is about 0.8 hexes in diameter, and the Moon would be 0.2 hexes in diameter. On this scale, a light-second is about eighteen hexes.

Combat takes place in 20 minute turns, with each turn comprised of seven phases. Each ship is represented by two counters: One showing its current location, and one showing where it will be next round (its "vector counter"). Note that action in these phases is more or less simultaneous. All ships make detection rolls, then all ships engage in maneuvers, and so on. The seven phases are:

• Detection and Communication: Ships can make Electronics Operations rolls for each type of sensor they have (usually some combination of Radscanners, PESA, and AESA). If a ship has multiples of the same type of sensor, they only make one check for that type using the one with the combination of operator skill and scan are the highest. One individual may make checks for more than one type of sensor, but each extra sensor that a character tries to use imposes a -2 to all of his Electronic Operation [Sensor] rolls as he has to divide his attention among multiple systems. Note that beam weapons can only be directed against foes detected with AESA or PESA. Detecting an object with one type of sensor does not automatically detect it with other types of sensor, although it can give a bonus to do so. Radio communications must be declared in this round, but if communications are opened, they may be conducted freely throughout the round.


• Maneuver: All ships with working maneuver drives may maneuver, starting with the ships with the lowest acceleration and then proceeding in reverse order to the ship with the highest acceleration. If two ships have the same acceleration, then the larger ship goes before the smaller ship. If the ships are still tied, then their commanding officer (or pilot) must engage in a contest of tactics skill with his counterpart from the the opposing ship, with the winner going second. The pilot (or gunner for a missile) determines how the spacecraft will maneuver by placing the ship's vector counter a number of hexes in any direction to a maximum of that ship's acceleration. Ships that have an acceleration rating of less than one G can only accelerate fractions of a hex each round (meaning their maneuvers are only effective once every couple of rounds).


• Movement: In the movement phase all ships move according to their movement vectors determined in the previous phase. Basically, place a placeholder counter on the ship's current location and move the ship to the vector counter location. Then take the vector counter and place it the same number of hexes away from the ship as the ship is from the placeholder along a straight line drawn from the placeholder to the ship. Spacecraft that pass close to objects with lots of mass, such as a planet or moon, will have their motion affected by the gravity of such objects. If a spacecraft's movement intersects with a planet, the ship may collide with the planet or land on the planet. If a ship (or missile) ends its movement in the same hex as another ship, it may attempt to ram the other ship.


• Direct Fire: Ships may fire beam or gun weapons at one another in this phase. All combat is simultaneous, so all attacks are resolved before any damage is applied. Each gunner must choose whether to shoot and who to shoot at in this phase. Each gunner can only shoot at a single target in a round. Each weapon only makes one attack roll in a round - weapons with a high rate of fire gain a bonus to their attack roll rather than multiple attacks. Gunners attack using their appropriate Gunner skill, with an attack roll scoring a number of hits equal to half the margin of success of the attack roll (rounding down, with a minimum of 1). Spacecraft with at least 0.1 G of acceleration may attempt to Dodge incoming fire. Ships attempting to ram other ships may not Dodge point defense fire. Once all attacks are calculated and applicable Dodge rolls made, all damage is applied to all ships that suffered hits.


• Collision and Point Defense: Ships attempting to ram other spacecraft do so in this round. Defending spacecraft may use point defense fire as a last resort, attempting to destroy an incoming "ramming" opponent. Attacks are made as normal for beam weapons in a point defense attack, but gain bonuses due to the close range. A single gunner may make multiple point defense attacks depending upon the rate of fire of his weapon. If both spacecraft are attempting to ram one another, the collision automatically happens. Otherwise, the pilots of the respective ships engage in a contest of Piloting skill (Gunner's piloting missiles use their Gunner skill for this contest). If the rammer loses or ties, it misses the target. otherwise, the collision happens. Ramming an asteroid, moon, or planet usually won't destroy the target, but can devastate an area.


• Launch/Docking: Ships can launch missiles and other craft in order from lowest to highest captain initiative (conduct a contest of Tactics skill among the commanders of the various ships to determine this initiative order, with the ships with the better results going after the ships with the worse results). Ships can also dock with other ships if they have matched courses and velocities. One of the two docking spacecraft must be able to maneuver, and the other must either cooperate or be crippled and unable to maneuver. Neither spacecraft may maneuver in the next combat round, and the docking maneuver isn't complete until the start of the next docking round. Docking can be performed more quickly, taking only a single docking phase to complete, but doing so requires a Piloting skill roll and the ships suffer collision damage if this skill roll fails. Docked spacecraft can maneuver while docked provided they continue to match courses and do no exceed 1 G in acceleration. Undocking requires only a single phase and does not restrict maneuvering. A ship can recover smaller craft into a spacedocking or vehicle bay using the same procedures as required to dock with another spacecraft.


• Damage Control: As the name of this phase implies, engineers on the various ships can attempt to repair damage to their spacecraft. An engineer can repair either hull damage, damage to a specific subassembly such as a turret or bay, or to a major subsystem such as the M-Drive or Power Plant. Such attempts require mechanic or Engineer rolls with penalties if the hull or subassembly is disabled. A chief engineer coordinating repairs can give other engineers a +1 to their skill rolls with a successful Leadership roll. The number of points of damage repaired are equal to the margin of success of the applicable engineer or mechanic rolls. Repair teams repair damage equal to the average margin of success multiplied by the number of members of the team. A critical success doubles the points of damage repaired, while a critical failure can cause injury to the engineers working on the system and additional damage to the ship. Repairs can be rushed, potentially restoring large numbers of hit points to the ship in a short time, but any failure is treated as a critical failure.

Small vessels often have a single crewman occupying multiple roles on a ship. If a crew member fills multiple roles during a space combat, he suffers -2 penalty to all skill checks for each extra task he is performing. Actions counted as a single task for purposes of space combat are: Piloting, firing a single weapon or set of linked weapons at a single target, controlling a missile or salvo of missiles, acting as a sensor operator, damage control, engaging in complex communications such as coordinating a squadron or tracking a signal, or operating a meson screen. For ships attempting to enter jump-space while in combat, Astrogation is counted as another task. If a ship has two or more crew members engaged in multiple tasks, it should have a commanding officer who does nothing but give orders who can make a Leadership roll; otherwise the crew will suffer an additional -1 to their skill checks.

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Third Imperium - Sectors and Subsectors

Sectors and Subsectors

Space is Three Dimensional

Space is a three dimensional area, which makes mapping it difficult without resorting to computer animation or cumbersome angular calculations. Traveller has traditionally solved this issue by ignoring the three dimensional nature of space and presenting maps of Imperial space in the form of two dimensional hex maps in which each hex represents one parsec of space. This has the advantage of rendering space in a convenient and easy to read format at the cost of exact accuracy. For campaign purposes, this format works well enough, so I will keep it. Space is really three dimensional though, even in Traveller, so there may be exceptions to the hex mapping conventions.

Directions

The ordinal directions of North, East, South, and West are inapplicable to space, for relatively obvious reasons. Instead, the Third Imperium uses directional terms derived from the relationship to the Orion Arm, the celestial body that encompasses known space. The four directions are Coreward, Rimward, Spinward, and Trailing. Coreward is towards the galactic center, while Rimward is towards the galactic rim. Spinward is in the direction of galactic spin - or clockwise, while Trailing is the opposite, or anticlockwise.

Imperial Sectors

Space is divided by Imperial convention into sectors each measuring 32 by 40 parsecs. Each sector is further subdivided into sixteen subsectors of 8 by 10 parsecs. This mapping convention dates back nearly five thousand years to the early days of the Vilani Empire and has been adopted by all of the Third Imperium's neighbors as an administrative convenience. Other terms used to describe sectors include march, matrix, region, reach, and quadrant. One of the most dynamic regions in the Third Imperium is the Spinward Marches, a sector on the Spinward edge of the Imperium.

The Third Imperium is the largest polity in known space, encompassing nearly 27 sectors of space. Given that a sector holds, on average, between 500 and 650 inhabited worlds, the Imperium commands the loyalty of somewhere between 13,500 and 17,500 inhabited worlds spread out over nearly 35,000 square parsecs of space. These worlds, and many of those in the various client states and adjoining regions have twice been surveyed by the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service, the first survey was published in 420, and the second in 1065. Each survey took nearly one hundred years to complete, and given that the most recent survey was completed fifty-five years before the present, this means that the survey data is as much as one hundred and fifty years out of date.

Other Nations

The Imperium is bordered by several client states, minor nations, and unorganized territories, most of which occupy at most a single subsector, and some of which command the loyalty of a single . It is also bordered by six major states. Note that the existence of states dominated by members of particular alien races does not mean all individuals of those species live within their borders. Despite the existence of, for example, the Aslan Hierate, there are Aslan who reside within the Imperium, serve in its armed forces, and even hold titles of nobility. The same holds true of most of the other major races. Conversely, there are also humans who live in polities controlled by aliens, owing loyalty to those nations.

Aslan Hierate: Lying Spinward and Rimward of the Imperium, the Aslan Hierate is ruled over by the Aslan, a superficially lion-like alien race. The Hierate is not so much a single nation as it is a collection of mostly allied clans that share a common culture and a very loose cooperative governing body that has almost no actual formal power. The Hierate spans across 18 sectors. While the Aslan Hierate has never gone to war as a single entity, component clans have allied themselves with various warring parties, and the tradition of sending younger sons out as Iratei to seek lands of their own has frequently caused friction with their neighbors.

Hive Federation: Situated Trailing and Rimward of the Imperium, the Hiver Federation is home to the Hivers, a species of enigmatic and mostly peaceful hexopodally symmetrical aliens that can best be described as starfish with slightly more specialized limbs. The Hive Federation has only been involved in a single war waged against the K'kree, which they won. The Hive Federation controls 17 sectors.

Solomani Confederation: Comprised of humans from Sol living in those territories that were not reintegrated into the Third Imperium following the collapse of the Second Imperium and the coming of the Long Night, the Solomani Confederation is the smallest of the major powers. The Solomani are chauvinistic and nationalistic, having been in multiple wars with the Imperium, most recently the Solomani Rim War in which they lost control of Terra. The Solomani Confederation is directly Rimward of the Third Imperium and rules over 11 sectors.

Two Thousand Worlds: Located to Trailing, the Two Thousand Worlds are the dominion of the K'kree, a six-limbed race of herbivores referred to colloquially as "centaurs". Despite being descended from herbivorous herding forebears, the K'kree are incredibly aggressive, always concerned that meat-eaters they meet will pose a danger to them and not averse to launching preemptive wars to wipe out such threats. Convinced of their own racial superiority, the K'kree treat all other races in their sphere of control as second class citizens and enforce vegetarianism on all within their territory. The Two Thousand Worlds stretch over 14 sectors of space, although they are composed of something more along the lines of 7,000 to 9,000 inhabited worlds.

Vargr Extents: Directly Coreward of the Imperium is the Vargr Extents, populated primarily by the Vargr, a race of bipedal wolves known to be directly descended from genetically modified wolves from Terra. The Extents are not so much a government as they are "where the Vargr live", as there is no organization, no central authority, and almost no law. Although the Vargr are disorganized and anarchic to such a degree that it is impossible to say that the Vargr "did" anything as a group, several clans of Vargr allied themselves with the Zhodani and Sword Worlders to form the Outworld Coalition against the Imperium in the most recent three Frontier Wars in the Spinward Marches. The Vargr Extents cover an area of roughly 14 sectors of space.

Zhodani Consulate: This alien dominion of humans is Spinward and Coreward of the Imperium, covering no less than 13 sectors of space. The Zhodani are a major strain of humaniti that achieved Jump capability on their own, and have wholeheartedly embraced the use of psionics throughout their culture and government. The Zhodani have fought five wars against the Third Imperium in the Spinward Marches, the fifth and most recent taking place between 1107 Imperial and 1110 Imperial.

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Third Imperium - Science and Technology in the Third Imperium

Science and Technology in the Third Imperium

Traveller and the Third Imperium assume a certain level of technology to make the setting work. The general guidelines for how this technology is reflected in the GURPS rules are detailed here. More specific guidance will be fleshed out as time permits.

Tech Levels

The Third Imperium is, in GURPS terms, mostly TL10, with cutting edge Imperial technology reaching TL12 in some areas. That said, technology is unevenly distributed. Many member worlds are relative backwaters, with locally available technology as being as low as TL8. Even TL7 worlds are common enough to be unsurprising.

At a base level, all of items available in GURPS; High Tech are generally available. Most of the items of tech level 10 or below found in GURPS: Bio-Tech, GURPS: Ultra-Tech, and GURPS: Ultra Tech 2 can be found as well, although there are some notable exceptions. Note that some technologies are limited primarily by Imperial custom or law. Attitudes of the denizens of other polities, or even individual member worlds within the Imperium, may vary.

Items designated by the GURPS rules as being available at TL11 and TL12 exist, but are more difficult for Imperial citizens to obtain. Many of these higher tech items are classified or restricted to military or other official use. Other items are experimental or otherwise still in development and may not be available to the public as of yet.

Examples of Ancient technology range in capabilities up to TL15, but such artifacts are exceedingly rare and impossible to replicate.

Technology Changes from the Base GURPS System

Nanotechnology in the Third Imperium is generally much more poorly developed than the GURPS ultra tech guides assume, a fact that may simply be due to the inherent limitations of the technology. All types of ultra tech equipment that rely upon nanotechnology to function are essentially unavailable.

Cybernetic prothetics are reasonably common, but cybernetic enhancements and implants are generally seen as scandalous. Consequently, many such enhancements are unavailable, not because they are unfeasible, but rather because reputable businesses don't want to be seen as dealing in them. They could be obtained from less reputable sources, but would probably be more expensive as a result. Biological prosthetics and enhancements are viewed in much the same manner, and available under much the same circumstances.

Like nanotachnology, robots and artificial intelligence are much more poorly developed than the GURPS ultra tech guides assume. So far as anyone knows, no functional A.I. has been developed by the Third Imperium or any other known civilization. Robots are classified by Imperial law as non-sentient and are consequently not eligible for Imperial citizenship.

Energy weapons are available in the Third Imperium, but require the "backpack" power option, making them bulky and cumbersome. As a result, slug throwing personal weapons remain common in the Third Imperium.

Breaking the Laws of Physics

Most of the technology found in the Third Imperium is plausible according to current physics. There are four notable exceptions:

Jump Drives: No form of faster than light travel other than Jump Drives exist in the Third Imperium The only known means of traveling from star to star in Traveller is the use of Jump Drives. There is also no means of faster than light communication other than travel via Jump Drives.

Jump Drives are rated by the number of parsecs they will allow a ship to travel in a single Jump, ranging from Jump-1 to Jump-6. At the present time, Jump-6 is the fastest any ship can travel, and is theoretically the fastest speed allowable by Jump Drive technology. Longer Jumps are possible as the result of a misjump, but these are unpredictable and impossible to control.

No matter the distance traveled, a Jump takes approximately one hundred and sixty-eight hours to complete (roughly one week), plus or minus ten percent. While in Jumpspace, a starship cannot be contacted, and cannot communicate with anything else, including other ships in Jumpspace.

The smallest size a ship can be an still accommodate a Jump Drive is 100 tons of displacement. Jump Drives use liquid hydrogen as fuel and a Jump consumes 10% of the ship's displacement tonnage in fuel for every parsec traveled. Any Jump of less than 1 parsec is treated as being 1 parsec for fuel consumption purposes. Jumping out of or into an area within 100 diameters of a substantial mass such as a planet, moon, or large asteroid is ill advised, and increases the chance of a misjump.

Reactionless Thrusters: Most spacecraft, including starships, use reactionless thrusters. Reactionless thruster technology in the Third Imperium is more advanced than the standard for GURPS ultra tech. Thrusters appear on the schdule laid out on the table to the right, substituting the "Traveller Tech" level for the "GURPS Tech" level.

GURPS Tech	Traveller Tech
TL10 Standard Thrusters	TL8
TL10 Super Thrusters	TL9
TL11 Standard Thrusters	TL10
TL11 Super Thrusters	TL11

Spacecraft are generally rated according to how many G's of acceleration they are capable of achieving. Most spacecraft have acceleration capabilities between 1-G and 6-G. Lower acceleration ratings are certainly possible, but may make maneuvering around planetary bodies difficult. Streamlined ships that expect to land in planetary atmospheres generally all have at least 1-G of acceleration to make take off possible. Higher acceleration ratings are theoretically possible, but prohibitively costly.

Note that while reactionless thrusters are the norm, other forms of sublight propulsion are possible and are sometimes used, including light sails and the various types of TL8 to TL12 reaction thrusters found in GURPS: Vehicles. These are generally less efficient than standard reactionless thrusters, and as a result those who use them are either forced to do so via exigent circumstances or are simply eccentric.

Artificial Gravity: Traveller assumes that artificial gravity technology is available and in common use. Starships and other spacecraft assume artificial gravity is standard, although it is certainly possible to construct ships that do not have this technology. Contragravity vehicles are in common use, and most small craft used as launches by starships are such types of vehicle.

Psionics: Not only do psionics exist in Traveller, they are the backbone of the government of one of the major polities in the setting. Psionics is interwoven throughout Zhodani culture and government, offering a path to power and prestige in that region. In the Third Imperium, on the other hand, psionics is distrusted, illegal, and its study is actively suppressed. Other nations may take different views. Most psionic powers are present in the Traveller setting, including ESP, telepathy, psychokinesis, and teleportation.

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