Freelance Traveller
- Arcturus Rising: The Imperial Marshal Campaign (owner unknown)
- (http://home.nc.rr.com/lachance/Marshal.htm)
This website supports a Traveller PBeM. Set in the time of the Restored Third Imperium (year 1354) the characters are "marshals" working for the MoJ. In this time the R3I is about half the size of the original 3I, loosing much territory rimward and trailing, but extending further spinward. The campaign is based in the R3I border in the Massilia sector. The 3 PCs and 5 NPCs have a TL18(yup 18!) 300 dton far courier ship.
Okay, so what's it all like? Well the text is *tiny* verging on unreadable, and some of the graphics could benefit from anti-aliasing, but this is a review of Traveller not webweaving.
Simple deckplans of the ship are provided, as is a ship design spreadsheet (in WKS format). There are 8 major characters and 16 minor characters, a score of worlds are presented (with capsule descriptions), a dozen TNS headlines, and assorted other material.
Obviously a site meant to support a specific game will have limited generic functionality, but there are some useful tidbits. The 1354 milieu draws a line under the less than popular Virus period and extends the timeline forward of that point. The setting allows for the 3I to coexist with the Reformation Coalition ... and thus reunites both TNE and non-TNE fans. And the players as Imperial Marshals idea has potential either as the focus of a campaign (as it is used here) or as a stick to use against recalcitrant players. (Having another branch of the MoJ besides FASA's Special Branch also makes the MoJ more rounded.)
There are two graphics of note: on the Characters page the picture of the Vargr is mildly amusing, and the R3I Emperor looks remarkably like Yul Brenner!
In summary: the 1354 milieu is an interesting one, the Imperial Marshals are useful to any 3I-based campaign, and there is a collection of worlds and NPCs. Beyond that there is little else for visitors who are not part of the Arcturus Rising PBeM.
Improvements: to bring the milieu to life the TNS entries need some serious fleshing out. More recent events type background is needed. Matching the character pictures to the character descriptions would also be good. More info on the MoJ senior officers (the PC's bosses) and on the local villains and opposing forces is also a must for the non-PBeM visitor ... but maybe revealing that info is not appropriate for the PBeM visitor.