 March 22, 2020 - 9:33am | What the Canon Material Tells Us Alpha Dawn: New Pale shares the habitable zone with Pale around a star called Truane’s Star. It is colonized by humanity but only a light population density with an agricultural economy. There are no moons, the gravity is 1.4 and its day is 20 hours. Knight Hawks: that the government of Truane’s Star fields a space militia of 3 assault scouts and a frigate. These are just what is available for the KHs campaign game but may not be all that the militia ships available to the system. The campaign game specified a certain number of ships for Space Fleet and the militias but its clear from other passages in those rules not all of Space Fleets ships are listed. Likewise, we can assume that the number of militia ships specified for the campaign game may not be all of the ships that Truane’s Star has in its militia. SF0 Crash on Volturnus: In the planetary brief for Volturnus we see the statement, “the government of Truane’s Star” implying a unified government for that star system. In addition Commander Louis V. Jameson, the leader of the first Volturnus Survey Expedition, is a 22 year veteran of Truane’s Star military forces, a combat veteran, holder of the Truane’s Star Medal of Valor, and commander of two previous exploration expedition. SF1 Volturnus Planet of Mystery: There are two ending to this module. The reason for this is whether or not the 3rd module in the series if available. Between the two endings we learn the Truane’s Star has a battle fleet that is already modelized for routine training and this fleet will respond the coming sathar threat in Volturnus. Even if we assume 1/3 or 2/3 more ships in the Truane’s Star militia over and above the 4 listed in the KHs campaign game these numbers are hard to imagine as a battle fleet so we can assume it’s a joint militia and Space Fleet training exercise. SF2 Star Spawn of Volturnus. At the end of the Cybo-death for the Eorna encounter we read that Lt. Col. Jameson volunteered to fight at the far end of the eorna skirmish line and he is found dead on the battlefield after wards. The issue here is the change in rank since SF0. It seems like a Lt. Col is an awful lot of brass to send on what was originally a 6-man survey expedition. It might also be that Jameson received a brevet promotion to Lt. Col for purposes of commanding the ground forces in the battle or alternately it’s a posthumous promotion.
At the end of the Battle of Volkos we learn that there is a Truane’s Star battle fleet that will arrive to finish driving out the sathar star ships. We’ve previously addressed the small number of Truane’s Star militia ships and the need to inflate that number with Space Fleet vessels. We can presume it is a political/pride/prejudice issue that caused the battle fleet to be ascribed to Truane’s Star despite the presence of a large Space Fleet contingent. “Captive Planet” an Endless Quest book: In this document we learn that New Pale is a private corporate colony belonging to Pan Galactic Corporation. The capitol is Truane City and there are numerous agricultural outpost scattered across the planet with Greek letter designations: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and etc. New Pale’s cash crop is mannakan and it is significant in the effort to feed the Frontier.
PGC has invested significantly to protect its financial investment on New Pale in the form of air defense weapons to prevent star ships from landing. I would surmise that these defenses comprise a laser cannon and perhaps 2 dozen ICM missiles. One PGC freighter arrives at New Pale every three days.
Truane City is a research center and is fully automated with the city run by a level 6 robotic brain. The robotic brain controls all city functions, the army of harvester robots and the air defense system. “The Volturnus Connection,” Dragon magazine #98: In this article we learn that New Pale is a warm world rich in vegetation with plains and jungles populated by large dangerous dinosaur like creature. This means that New Pale’s orbit is closer to Truane’s Star than Pale which is a mineral rich world dominated by ice.
Each planet was independent but as Pale began to send non-human colonist to New Pale a terrorist group named HUSP for Human Superiority began to interrupt the food supply with terrorist attacks. PGC and the Star Devil worked to supply HUSP with weaponry to resist the efforts of Pale at taking over New Pale. Despite these efforts the weight of numbers told for Pale and they essentially conquered New Pale. “The Zuraqqor Strike Back” Dragon magazine #95: In this article we learn of a space battle called The Volturnus Incident in which PGC’s forces fought off a Zuraqqor incursion. PGC has invested heavily to exploit the mineral wealth of Volturnus even building an armed space station in orbit. This information is important in that it established motive for their large investment in developing New Pale as a corporate colony- PGC’s strong presence in Truane’s Star protects their supply chain to Volturnus the fact that PGC is able to exploit a rich agricultural resource in Truane’s Star is a bonus. Zebulon’s Guide to the Frontier: The data on New Pale has not changed other than there being an Armed Space Station in orbit. Pale has three stations: a space fortress, a docking station and a trading station. Between the medium sized militia, four space stations and a presumed Space Fleet presence Truane’s Star’s space is quite a busy place.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 22, 2020 - 9:36am | Harmonizing the Data The Palonite Brahmans It was an explorer named Truane that charted the system and its inhabited planets. He gave his name to the system primary. Later Truane settled on New Pale founding a small settlement that took his name and began raising a family. An accidental explorer charted the route to the Zebulon system named Seccitte Zebulon. Latter a member of his family, Professor Alorne Zebulon, founded the University of Zebulon. The Truanes and the Zebulons with other founding families like the Headrows became the Palonite Brahman in much the same way as that of the Boston Brahmans on Earth that was. Names like this were legendary, respected and wielded influence in the Pale and New Pale society. Adventure Hook: A player character can inherit a “McGuffin” from one of these famous ancestors with or without prior knowledge that they were related to such an august personage. Pan Galactic Corporation on the Move PGC, along with anyone else who could manage it, was desirous of exploiting the wealth of Zebulon after the system became a territory of the UPF. In the early days of the Federation PGC was the first and preeminent mega corp. It began exploiting Laco in Dixon’s Star, New Pale in Truane’s Star and Volturnus in the Zebulon star system. Armed space stations were built at Volturnus and New Pale to both act as a warehouse for resources shuttled form the planets’ surfaces and to protect their shipping in a region that had had significant pirate activity. The Rise of Streel and Corporate War The rising Streel corporation, headquartered on Pale, became a major competitor with PGC. The conflict between the two corporations famously exploded on Laco in a decade long war. The situation on New Pale was manipulated by Streel to force the government of Pale into taking over New Pale and force PGC out. New Pale’s original colonist were human but with PGC bringing in their personnel to create factory farms there was a sudden influx of the non-human members of the Frontier. As PGC effectively turned New Pale into a “company town” many of the original colonist began to organize a resistance movement against PGC, Humanity United to Save new Pale or HUSP. Propaganda would latter claim HUSP stood for Human Superiority and the group would become radicalized and manipulated by both the Star Devil and Streel to destabilize PGC’s grip on New Pale. Between the famine and food riots on Pale and the terrorist strikes on New Pale disrupting the food supply the government of Pale was pushed into nationalizing PGC’s operation on New Pale. Once the shooting war on Laco got into full swing, PGC’s was forced to divide its efforts between fighting that war with Streel and protecting its freighters coming from Zebulon. Streel, the underdog never really stood a chance at pushing PGC out of Laco but the decade of corporate war between the two created opportunity for the other mega corps to establish themselves. PGC was forced to share the Frontier with a half dozen other mega corps and was no longer “the company” of the Frontier. The negotiated settlement of Laco’s War had Streel relinquishing claim to Laco, PGC relinquishing its claim to New Pale as well as the UPF and Space Fleet taking over control of the PGC space station in orbit over Volturnus. The Truane’s Star government agreed to pay PGC for the value of its assets at New Pale including the armed space station. The Status Quo Today any vessel can dock at the armed space stations at Volturnus or New Pale. There are those that view the government of Pale as worst oppressors than that of PGC. Streel is plagued by a perception that they lost Laco War but in truth PGC was the real loser. PGC is no longer the most powerful corporation in the Frontier, instead it’s just first among equals.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 22, 2020 - 9:39am | The Time Line According to “Volturnus Connection” FY 44 Seccitte Zebulon misjumps and discovers Zebulon system then sells its location to the government of Pale FY 45 Government of Pale creates the Planetary Research and Development Division to open and exploit the Zebulon system and an automated probe is sent to Zebulon FY 46 Contract to develop Zebulon awarded to MINER (Mining for Industrial use of Near Earth Resources) FY 47 MINER’s planned colonization of Volturnus is derailed by terrorist attack on New Pale and the kidnapping and apparent murder of MINER’s CEO leading to a 20 year hiatus where Zebulon is all but forgotten FY 53 Streel has gained control of all major mining operations on Pale FY 54-63 The Star Devil, worried about the development of Zebulon, begins arming the HUSP terrorist of New Pale and fomenting civil unrest FY 63 The HUSP terrorist are finally crushed by Streel pouring millions into the Pale government’s militia coffers FY 64 Streel becomes aware of the long-forgotten Zebulon star route and funds a new Planetary Research Division and a Volturnus Survey Expedition is sent FY 65 A second survey expedition is sent to Volturnus tasked with completing the survey and finding the first team A Selected Time Line According to Zebulon’s Guide PF 200 Pale and New Pale discovered in the Truane’s Star system PF 61 Zebulon system is discovered by professor Alorne Zebulon, the Frontier’s most noted scientist, explorer, and educator. The Planet Volturnus is settled almost immediately. PF 57 Anker (Zebulon System) is explored and settled. Professor Zebulon founds the University of Zebulon PF 3-2 The First Sathar War is fought. PF 3 The Sathar invade Truane’s Star, Pale and New Pale fall. The Great Exodus to Dixon’s Star takes place. FY 1 The United Planetary Federation is founded as a mutual defense organization FY 2 Streel is founded on Pale. FY 22 Pale suffers massive population loss during the Blue Plague and is temporarily quarantined. FY 25 The Mechanon Menace on Volturnus first comes to the UPF’s attention but cannot be dealt with because of the Blue Plague.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 22, 2020 - 9:42am | Mapping New Pale The maps on the back of the Port Loren map are ideal. Treat the desert map as savannah and the forest, crater and mountains maps can be used as is. The town map works as one of the corporate agricultural outpost and fort map can be any number of independent outposts. What is certain is all outpost will require a fence, probably electrified, due to the dangerous and large creatures roaming the planet.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 22, 2020 - 9:44am | Up Next is detailing the Biomes or distinct environments and flora and fauna but securing images for 4-5 dinosaur like creatures in the mean time. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 30, 2020 - 8:00am | Need a vermin species- New Pale Gecko-rat or simply Gecko-rat spreads suarian rabies vicious little pest likes to chew on wiring and powercables- important to carefully sweep your shuttle before leaving New Pale. Sonic measures pitched to the right frequency often suffice to keep them out of landing areas. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 March 30, 2020 - 3:03pm | Maybe this is cross posting but you inspired the name greek-rat from gecko-rat. This could tie in to why worlds were given greek letter names for the blue plague. If you run with greek-rat then I would not call this creature gecko-rat but something like gecko-X. -iggy |
March 31, 2020 - 8:14am | Maybe this is cross posting but you inspired the name greek-rat from gecko-rat. This could tie in to why worlds were given greek letter names for the blue plague. If you run with greek-rat then I would not call this creature gecko-rat but something like gecko-X. I've been more or less following a naming convention of adding a planet name before a creature to specify what it is for example terran horse vs Tomar's horse or if we created one for Minotaur - the Minotaur horse. everyone gets that the creature is different from a horse because its a Minotaur horse and the fact that its called a horse suggests what its role might be- mount. Thats why I went with New Pale Gecko-rat cross between a small lizard and a rat (actually chose rat for the role not the look) gecko informs us on look. So a creature that I'm having trouble naming simply becomes: Name of planet of origin + role I'm envisioning that it holds in environment/ ecosystem. Alternately it could be Name of Native planet + creature that it looks like + role it plays in environment/ecosystem. did n't completely follow you on Greek rat but then you mentioned cross posting so probably I just need to check the other new posts I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
March 31, 2020 - 11:50am | The plague planets were all given greek letter designations during the blue plague. So the critter that carried the blue plague gets called by the general population the greek-rat. I get your planet creature type naming convention. I just didn't get that you were using it in this instance. -iggy |
