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Dade Colonies

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Average Rating:4.4 / 5
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Dade Colonies
Publisher: Independence Games
by William W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/17/2013 13:40:18

Just picked this up. Really cool, though fair warning, if you are older like I am, upon reading it you are likely to get a particular song stuck in your head. I recommend it for all Traveller GMs. The universe Mr. Watts is building is really coming together. The book has some really nice artwork as well as top notch writing. The worlds are well thought out and seem real as if they are being reported on not merely created.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Dade Colonies
Publisher: Independence Games
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 02/17/2013 11:33:59

Whilst a range of adventure types can be played in Traveller, one of the greatest delights can be exploring the universe and finding out about different planets. Here are five fairly new colonies (they've only been established ten years or less) for your party to drop in on.

The work starts off by detailing the Dade subsector and all 14 worlds therein, and then moves on to discuss the colonies. There were six originally, but one disappeared and nobody quite knows what happened to them.

For each extant colony, we read about the system in which it is located. Detail is quite spectacular even down to maps of the uninhabited planets never mind the one that's actually lived on, so parties who enjoy astrophysical exploration have plenty to point their sensors at. Then we get down to business with copious material on the inhabited world - maps, physical data, geography, even some notable flora and fauna. All you need to make a visit come to life.

First up is Dashwood. A very Greek-style democracy operates here with debate intended to find concensus on any issue with a vote if concensus cannot be reached. This results in political debate being a popular pastime even outside of the decision-making process. Laws are outwardly quite lax too, designed around a basic concept of personal responsibility... hmm, the average Traveller party is none too good at that, should make for an interesting visit.

Next is Arnemuiden. This system almost seems designed for space piracy, although the actual colony itself is law-abiding... abiding by the dictates of the Builder family who funded and founded the colony here, that is. Many weapons and most drugs (except alcohol) are illegal and it is said that the colony's gaol is not a nice place... not that your characters are going to transgress and see the inside of it, right? Personal privacy and personal space are seen as important, and woe on anyone who intrudes either physically or by prying into someone's affairs. The planet has a thick atmosphere at high pressure so most folk prefer to stay indoors when possible, with filter masks being required when outside.

The third colony is Osiris. The system's resource-rich. Here is another experiment in governance, based on the writings of Solon and based on time in the colony and land ownership - but while the more land you own the more votes you have, it also means you pay more tax! Newcomers (5 years or less resiodence) with no land cannot vote, but the taxman does not come calling either. Some laws are applied differently based on your status, others apply to all the same. Non-citizens - and that means vistors - have few rights, and may find that even if a crime is committed against them by a citizen that citizen will not be arrested. Status is very important, a caste system almost, and influences virtually all activities.

Next is Dade, the colony after which the whole sub-sector is named. Orisris and Dashwood are none too happy about this, even producing charts naming the area after themselves. Dade is a 'company planet' which is owned and operated by the Dade Development Corporation. There is little atmosphere so vacc suits are required except in the domed pressurised cities. No weapons heavier than a pistol may be carried, and concealed carry is banned. So are any substances that need to be set on fire, although alcohol and drugs you don't smoke are allowed. Law enforcement prefer, however, to deport visitors who break the rules rather than prosecute them.

The last colony is Sarawak, on the sole planet in a binary system. Seas are very salty here, thought to be the remnants of a larger ocean that is now gone. The single settlement is small - less than a thousand souls - and they govern themselves by everyone voting on any issue that needs to be decided. Anyone can vote, even visitors, provided they turn up on the town square when a vote is called. They don't believe in 'government' - the wellbeing of a society, they say, is the shared responsibility of everyone living in that society. There isn't much in the way of formal law, and no law enforcement except by people taking exception to whatever is going on... but they can get quite emphatic in their objection and execution may result!

There is a table for creating characters from any of these colonies, should you desire to do so; and quite a few ideas for adventure based around visitors to them. These include random encounters should you wish to wander around any of the planets holding colonies, rather than stay in the settlements. Finally, there's a bestiary, should you be interested in local wildlife.

In all, a fascinating and well-developed area just ripe for a visit. Where's my starship?



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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