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Traveller 21 |
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Updated July 18, 2003 |
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Index |
Introduction |
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Traveller 21 is a Merc: 2000/Dark Conspiracy campaign set in the Traveller timeline. Setting: Traveller 21 takes place in the early mid 21st century (~the 2030s). Despite the ratification of the Treaty of New York in 2019, the world remains a starkly divided place. A united Europe is locked in a cold war with the United States; while the two states nominally work together on space exploration and maintaining world peace, in reality each tries to dominate the other. Open hostilities are not evident, but espionage, sabotage, and war by proxy are common. Currency: A general, world-wide economic collapse in the early decades of the 21st century (Dark Conspiracy's "Greater Depression") forced a return to a precious metal-based economy. While local paper currencies do exist (ex. the Euro and the Dollar), nearly all international transactions are conducted using the "International Gold Credit." The value of the IGC has been pegged at Cr1 per 0.1 gram of gold (Cr10 to the gram). Many workers have begun insisting on being paid in credits, making this the default currency world-wide. Technology: The United States, The European Union and Japan are solidly TL 9. Much of the rest of the world ranges from the primitive savagery of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia and South America (TL 1 -- although the wealthy and government agencies can and do import higher tech gear) to advanced TL 8 in many of the more developed countries. Secret research organization, for example, DARPA in the U.S., can produce the occasional TL 10 item, such as ultra-violet lasers. Contra-grav technology has been developed by the USAF, but is currently a closely-guarded secret. The EU has access to reverse-engineered Vilani contra-grav from a spacecraft recovered by the Soviet Union in the 1980s. They have several ultra-secret vehicle prototypes, as does the U.S. The United States has also secretly developed cold fusion technology. So far, efforts to sidetrack other nations' efforts to develop the technology have been successful, and much of the world considers the effort impossible. The Aliens: The Aliens are pretty much as Dark Conspiracy portrayed them. However, their true origin is unknown, even to them. The original group were biological constructs created by Grandfather to monitor humanity's development. All their "memories" of their homeworld were complete fabrications. Unfortunately, the aliens released the Dark Ones, which Grandfather had defeated only through great effort more than a quarter of a million years before. The Dark Ones: Through prodigious efforts based upon the secret clause of the Treaty of New York (some of it through the back door — such as cooperation between the U.S. and EU), much of the Dark menace has been eradicated from Earth. Increased surveillance by electronic means has eliminated most of the non-human Dark Minions; large swaths of demonground have fallen to remote-controlled and fully automated vehicles (a good opportunity to toss in Ogres or Bolos). However, the Dark Ones still work their machinations through their human and human-like minions. |
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