Tiananmen and Tiananmonitors

The Bastion, a Tiananmen-class battleship on station above the gas giant Pala.

As noted earlier, due to the difficulty of transporting very large monitors between systems, it is often easier to construct them in-system using whatever materials and technologies are available. This makes planetoid hulls a popular choice for systems with planetoid belts.

T20 Fighting Ships (2003) suggests another approach: “Many monitors are also constructed from obsolete capital ships that have been sold by the Imperial Navy. Take an out of date cruiser, strip the fuel tanks and jump drives out of them and you have much more room to fit in weaponry and the like. Many governments take this route instead of building their own from scratch, and they have their uses.”

This is a pretty interesting idea, and would certainly be applicable to Magyar sector, which lags behind the rest of the Imperium in technology level. The Tiananmen-class battleship, introduced in T20 Fighting Ships, is a good candidate for this treatment. A 350,000-ton, TL13 Imperial ship in wide use during the Rim War, this design is large and formidable enough to justify a reclamation project—and the tech level is within reach of several high population worlds.

As far as I know there are no published designs of such a large monitor, though they are mentioned in canon. T20FS notes that “The Imperial Navy has at least one squadron of Supermonitors, massing upwards of 750,000 tons, deployed to defend Capital, but as a rule very large ‘Battle’ monitors are uncommon.”

Curious, I broke out Mongoose Traveller 2e High Guard and converted the T20 Tiananmen. Then I undertook a refit using the magic of spreadsheets, removing the jump drive and fuel tanks. The results look pretty impressive: such a battle monitor would be a serious deterrent to would-be invaders.

The Tiananmen-class in Magyar

The Tiananmen-class battleship originated in Gateway sector in the early 900s, but the design quickly spread throughout the Imperium and was still in wide use when the Solomani Rim War broke out. Several megacorporations won contracts to produce new Tiananmens in significant numbers for the war.

When Imperial Admiral Miiri Elixabeth Kemper launched her invasion of Magyar sector, she commanded two units anchored by Tiananmens: the 2677th and 2542nd Colonial BatRons. Both squadrons had been raised by individual worlds in the Domain of Ilelish and partially subsidized by the Imperium as part of a wartime program to encourage shipbuilding. The resulting units were then seconded to the Imperial Navy and deployed as auxiliaries.

Two Tiananmens from these Rim War forces are currently in service in Magyar, though in very different roles. The Bastion of Ley is the flagship of the Anise (Magyar 2904 A8419B7–E) navy, while the Shanape, transformed into a battle monitor, leads the system defense force of Gerwalk (Magyar 2631 C100941-D). Both Gerwalk and Anise are fortress worlds: Imperial strategists expect such worlds to form vital islands of resistance in the event of a Solomani Confederation invasion.

The Bastion of Ley

The Bastion of Ley, usually just called the Bastion, is a Tiananmen-class battleship named for the world in Ley sector now called Olegansimen (Ley 2227 B6489A6-C). The planetary navy of Kees (Zarushagar 2937) commissioned the Bastion, which was laid down at the Ling Standard yards on 253-993 with her first flight on 100-998.

After an abbreviated shakedown, the battleship was assigned to the 2677th Colonial BatRon and dispatched to reinforce Daibei sector on 192-998. Midway through 999 the 2677th was transferred to Diaspora, where the Imperial Navy had begun steadily advancing rimward toward the heart of the Confederation. The 2677th initially garrisoned captured worlds, but as the pace of the offensive picked up, the Bastion found itself brought closer and closer to the front lines. The 2677th fought a difficult action at Eberly (Diaspora 2130) and was then was part of the bloody but decisive assault on Alki (Diaspora 1136), which opened up a line to the Solomani Rim.

However, instead of following Admiral Adair’s drive toward the Vegan District, the 2677th was assigned to the 9th Provisional Battle Fleet, a penetration fleet intended to raid deep into enemy territory. The 9th pivoted into Ultima subsector and besieged Darrukesh (Solomani Rim 0106). While most of the 9th Fleet pressed into Magyar sector, the 2677th Colonial BatRon was left behind to garrison Darrukesh for several months until reinforcements arrived. The 2677th then rejoined the fleet at Asrow (Magyar 3006).

The 2677th fought with great distinction at the First Battle of Fornorb, when the Confederation surprised the Imperials and forced a rout. There the Bastion suffered serious damage screening Timarin battle riders of the 4932nd Colonial BatRon that were trying remount their battle tender. Two of the Bastion’s sister Tiananmens were lost during the battle, one with all hands aboard. The 2677th was withdrawn to Anise for repairs and reinforcements; the Bastion was still in drydock when the Armistice was declared.

Following the war the Navy purchased the Bastion from Kees and assigned the battleship to the Gadarur District occupation force. In 1055 the battleship was purchased by the Anise Navy, where it served until 1070 before undergoing a major overhaul. In 1077 the Bastion was recommissioned and today is the flagship of the Anise navy and anchor of the Anise Colonial BatRon. Anise possesses one of the most powerful colonial navies in the subsector. The formidable Mirama Naval Base is directly owned and operated by Anise, but also berths major elements of the Imperial 20th Subsector Fleet, which lacks a base in Anise subsector. The colonial and Imperial navies drill together extensively.

Hull Points 256,667

Crew Captain, Officer x191, Pilot x3, Astrogator x1, Fighter Crew x194, Engineer x670, Maintenance x233, Medic x16, Gunner x682, Administrator x117

Maintenance Cost MCr16.260 per month

Purchase Cost MCr195,115

The Bastion of Ley, Tiananmen-class Battleship

TL13		Tons	Costs (MCr)
Hull	350,000 tons, Streamlined	-	21,000
	Reinforced	-	10,500
Armor	Crystaliron, Armor:10	43,750	15,750
	Radiation Shielding	-	8,750
M-Drive	Thrust 5	17,500	35,000
J-Drive	Jump 4	35,005	52,508
Power Plant	Fusion (TL12), Power 267,000	17,800	17,800
Fuel Tanks	4 weeks operation, J-4	141,780	-
Bridge		60	1,750
Computer	Core 80/fib	-	143
Sensors	Improved (Distributed Arrays)	9	13
	Countermeasures Suite	2	4
	Enhanced Signal Processing	2	8
Weapons	Spinal - meson (TL13)	40,500	13,200
	Medium Bay (particle beam) x100	10,000	4,000
	Small Bay (missile) x200	10,000	2,400
	Double Turret (beam laser/sandcaster) x400	400	500
	Point Defense Battery (Type II) x20	400	200
Ammunition	Missile Storage (8,640 missiles)	720	-
	Sandcaster Barrels (4,320 barrels)	216	-
Screens	Meson Screen x10	100	200
	Nuclear Damper x10	100	100
Armored Bulkheads	Bridge	6	1
	Command Bridge	8	2
	Maneuver Drive	1,750	350
	Meson Screen	10	2
	Nuclear Damper	10	2
	Power Plant	1,780	356
	Sensors	1	-
Craft	Full Hangar	10,000	2,000
	Heavy Fighter (50 tons) x74	-	3,162
	Modular Cutter (50 tons) x20	-	206
	Shuttle (95 tons) x2	-	46
Systems	Briefing Room x10	40	5
	Command Bridge	80	2,625
	Fuel Processor (141,780 tons per day)	7,089	354
	Launch Tubes (50 tons)	500	750
	Medical Bay x6	24	12
	Repair Drones	3,500	700
Staterooms	Standard x1,154	4,616	577
	High x1	6	1
Software	Maneuver/0	-	-
	Intellect	-	1
	Evade/3	-	3
	Jump Control/4	-	0.4
	Fire Control/5	-	10
	Auto Repair/2	-	10
	Library	-	-
Common Areas		1,156	116
Cargo		1,080	-

The Shanape

The Shanape, named after a high-population world in Ley sector, was built by Ling Standard for the Arlumer (Ilelish 0510) navy. The ship was laid down on 006-993 and its first flight was 227-999. The Shanape was sent to Diaspora sector as part of the 2542nd Colonial BatRon on 355-999.

In 1000 the 2542nd was transferred to the Imperial 4th Provisional Battle Fleet, which was commanded by Admiral Kemper herself. The Shanape followed Kemper’s drive through Ultima subsector, seeing its first action at Darrukesh (Solomani Rim 0106). The battleship was held back from the Battle of Idu, but then supported the 9th’s first rates in a major engagement at Austa (Magyar 2503), where the Shanape found itself swarmed by SDBs after two Imperial CruRons were shattered in the assault on the mainworld. The 2542nd held fast, buying time for Kemper’s second task force to enter the fray. The battleship then followed other elements of the 9th in lightning raids on Milenky (Magyar 2603), Amunet (Magyar 2507), Volund (Magyar 2607), Nosret (Magyar 2807), and Bilox (Magyar 2905).

Following the War the Shanape was transferred to the Imperial occupation forces for Fugue District, headquartered at Asorret (Magyar 2923). In 1051 the Shanape was placed in ordinary. In 1076 the battleship was set to be scrapped when it was sold to Gerwalk (Magyar 2631). Gerwalk supports its own colonial navy with a base on Pertinax (F200672-8); elements include the 1438th Colonial BatRon and the 2056th Colonial CruRon. The Shanape then underwent a major refit: the jump drive, fuel tanks, and power plant were removed and a new TL13 meson accelerator spinal, the largest available, was installed. The resulting battle monitor was recommissioned on 330-1083. Sometimes affectionately called the Tiananmonitor, the Shanape is a prominent and formidable presence in the Gerwalk system.

Hull Points 256,667

Crew Captain, Officer x298, Pilot x3, Fighter Crew x600, Engineer x411, Maintenance x233, Medic x25, Gunner x1,598, Administrator x117

Maintenance Cost MCr17.542 per month

Purchase Cost MCr210,505

Shanape, Battle Monitor

TL13		Tons	Costs (MCr)
Hull	350,000 tons, Streamlined	-	21,000
	Reinforced	-	10,500
Armor	Crystaliron, Armor:13	56,875	20,475
	Radiation Shielding	-	8,750
M-Drive	Thrust 6	21,000	42,000
Power Plant	Fusion (TL12), Power 332,000	22,133	22,133
Fuel Tanks	16 weeks operation	8,856	-
Bridge		60	1,750
Computer	Core 80/fib	-	143
Sensors	Improved (Distributed Arrays)	9	13
	Countermeasures Suite	2	4
	Enhanced Signal Processing	2	8
Weapons	Spinal - meson (TL13)	67,500	22,000
	Large Bay (particle beam) x160	80,000	19,200
	Medium Bay (missile) x400	40,000	16,000
	Double Turret (beam laser/sandcaster) x600	600	750
	Point Defense Battery (Type II) x50	1,000	500
Ammunition	Missile Storage (8,640 missiles)	720	-
	Sandcaster Barrels (12,960 barrels)	648	-
Screens	Meson Screen x10	100	200
	Nuclear Damper x10	100	100
Armored Bulkheads	Bridge	6	1
	Command Bridge	8	2
	Fuel Tanks	886	177
	Maneuver Drive	2,100	420
	Meson Screen	10	2
	Nuclear Damper	10	2
	Power Plant	2,213	443
	Sensors	1	-
Craft	Full Hangar	30,000	6,000
	Heavy Fighter (50 tons) x274	-	11,708
	Modular Cutter (50 tons) x20	-	206
	Shuttle (95 tons) x2	-	46
Systems	Briefing Room x10	40	5
	Command Bridge	80	2,625
	Fuel Processor (8,860 tons per day)	443	22
	Launch Tubes (50 ton)	1,000	1,500
	Medical Bay x9	36	18
	Repair Drones	3,500	700
Staterooms	Standard x1,793	7,172	897
	High x1	6	1
Software	Maneuver/0	-	-
	Intellect	-	1
	Evade/3	-	3
	Fire Control/5	-	10
	Auto Repair/2	-	10
	Library	-	-
Common Areas		1,795	180
Cargo		1,080	-

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2021 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications’ copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

Solomani Rim War: Daibei Sector

The blank tricolor of Daibei, a long-standing “representation of solidarity among the many worlds” of the sector.

In order to understand what might have happened in Magyar sector during the Solomani Rim War it is nearly as important to have a handle on neighboring Daibei sector. A sizable part of Daibei falls within the 50-parsec limit of the Solomani Autonomous Region, and as such the Confederation and the Imperium would have shared a significant border at the start of the Rim War. The T20 supplement Fighting Ships of the Solomani Confederation (FSotSC) notes that the Confederation of the 990s maintained a Daibei Sector Fleet, also charged with the protection of Solomani worlds in Reavers Deep.

One curiosity about Daibei is that no Rim War battles are shown on the map of “Wars of the Imperium” in the MegaTraveller Imperial Encyclopedia—though it’s not clear how much weight should be placed on that observation. The cartographer might have simply taken some liberties to avoid overlap with the Aslan Border Wars, which enfulfed much of the sector. Rim War fighting in Daibei is briefly mentioned in FSotSC as well as GURPS Traveller: Rim of Fire and the Mongoose Solomani alien module.

I’ve therefore assumed that while there were almost certainly Rim War battles in Daibei, there was no major, sustained campaign: after a lightning quick offensive captured many worlds on the Imperial side of the border, the front line soon stabilized. During the final phase of the War the Confederation presumed that the Imperium would open up a third, spinward front by pushing rimward through Daibei, but Admiral Kemper surprised everyone by attacking Magyar through the Solomani Rim instead.

The MegaTraveller Rebellion setting, set some 120 years after the Rim War, describes a Second Rim War in which a new Solomani invasion of Daibei is repulsed by fleets initially loyal to the Imperium and then aligned with the independent Federation of Daibei. To me this suggests that the inhabitants of Daibei are not strongly drawn to the Solomani Cause—perhaps due to the Imperium’s historical role in fending off Aslan incursions, or the significant non-human populations: for example, the Evantha worlds in the Tukera Cluster. All this leads me to suspect that the Confederation found only tepid support on Daibei worlds captured in the opening weeks of the first Solomani Rim War.

FSotSC contains a nice description of the opening of the Rim War in Diaspora sector; from that we can infer where the Imperial Confederation borders lay in 990 and extrapolate this to the borders of Daibei, which is how I developed speculative maps for Daibei and Diaspora during the Rim War period.

In working through Daibei, I came up with a rationale for how the Solomani might have captured so many worlds without much of a fight: the Lorimer Massacre. I also identified one system that probably did not succumb without a struggle: the Aslan world of Oifuerr.

The Lorimer Massacre

Prior to the Solomani Rim War, Udo (Daibei 1922) was the Imperial capital of Dudin subsector and the seat of Duke Edmuir Ventura. The Imperial 189th Fleet was assigned to Dudin and also charged with the defense of the Tukera Cluster in neighboring Cruxway subsector. Duke Edmuir, a weak and dissolute noble, was an enthusiast of the Solomani Movement who at some point in the 980s fell under the influence of SolSec. His older brother Errol was killed under mysterious circumstances in 987, possibly assassinated by SolSec operatives, and Edmuir was appointed Subsector Duke in 988.

On the eve of the War Ventura orchestrated the infamous Lorimer Massacre, in which his own huscarles murdered Subsector Admiral Shana Ergashi along with the Marquis of Baarn, the Viscount of Fender, and the Count of Corve along with their immediate families. Only Contessa Ilenna Rainier of Tukera and her family survived, fleeing to the Imperial Naval Base at Aquilon (Daibei 1820). Following the massacre Captain Harald Lang, Admiral Ergashi’s second-in-command and also a SolSec asset, ordered the 189th Fleet to stand down during the invasion.

Ventura’s treachery was compounded by extensive SolSec infiltration of the Imperial Daibei Sector Fleet. Confederation operatives used stolen high-level access codes to implant an ingenious virus named NESSUS into the the command and control networks of fleet assets. NESSUS propagated through compromised system updates but lay dormant until activation, when it crippled shipboard sensor and navigation systems. An Imperial Naval Board of Inquiry would later estimate some 31% of all Daibei Sector Fleet assets had been infected with NESSUS. Between Ventura and NESSUS, the Confederation was able to capture dozens of Daibei systems without firing a single shot.

Ventura was rewarded with a bullet to the back of his head from his own Defense Minister, General Leda Emmett. The General declared martial law and pledged loyalty to the Imperium, which promptly interdicted the Udo system. The 10 worlds of the Udo Cluster became the site of seven pitched naval battles in 991 and 992, though the Confederation was unable to gain purchase there.

Captain Lang was initially fêted as a Hero of the Confederation but in 993 he was arrested by SolSec agents and died in a Confederation prison in either 998 or 999.

The Siege of Oifuerr

Following the initial success of the Daibei offensive, the Confederation labored to absorb worlds that still held Imperial sympathies, such as Oifuerr (Daibei 1637) in Hermes subsector. The system contains only its M4 V primary, three gas giants, two secondary worlds, and the high-population industrial mainworld, valued for its rich lanthanum mines. Oifuerr is a moon orbiting the innermost gas giant Iytra in orbit 2. Oifuerr was also the highest population world in the subsector with approximately 48 billion Aslan inhabitants, representing one of the most significant populations of “Imperialized” Aslan in the region.

Although located some 5 parsecs within the border of the Autonomous Region, Oifuerr suffered under Solomani rule and in 940 Empress Margaret II established a permanent Imperial garrison in the system. Solomani cynics claimed this gesture was motivated more by concern for the lanthanum mines rather than the Aslan inhabitants.

By 990 the garrison consisted of the 763rd Imperial BatRon (Trokh: Tekhukhauleatealrao)—an understrength squadron of Timarin-class battle-riders—and the 354th Lift Infantry Field Army, drawn largely from Duurmurze (Daibei 0922). The garrison was supported by colonial assets consisting of a full squadron of Kapamir-class 25,000 dt heavy monitors, two squadrons of Seydlitz-class strike monitors, 6 wings of system defense boats, and 4 wings of heavy fighters. Although a nearly airless, low-gravity desert world, Oifuerr also fielded 9 colonial field armies outfitted at TL 12.

The Confederation assumed that Oifuerr would offer only limited resistance once the initial Daibei offensive was complete, but instead the lone system mounted one of the most determined and effective defences outside of Old Expanses. Over the course of 11 months Oifuerr drove back no less than four separate Confederation attempts to establish naval superiority. The Imperial battle riders and heavy monitors inflicted grievous losses on Confederation battlecruisers.

But isolated from the Imperium and lacking many important natural resources, after five months the Oifuerr defenses began to flag. And even after the Imperial space assets were worn down the ground forces mounted their own valiant resistance of the mainworld. The Confederation made several attempted landings but were dealt setback after setback. Finally, by using close coordination of naval firepower, the Imperial 354th Army was pinned and largely destroyed outside Khalahar Down starport.

Weary Confederation commanders decided to end the siege through orbital bombardments rather than risk more ground assaults. They chose to make an example of the Wyaholeah Arcology, a target with no military or industrial value but an important cultural center for the Aslan. The resulting destruction killed 2 million civilians and leveled Wyaholeah. Oifuerr surrendered shortly thereafter. The survivors of the 354th Imperial Army were rounded up and shipped to Solomani prison camps. For the duration of the war Aslan across Daibei and Magyar sectors were resettled on Oifuerr and often forced into labor at the lanthanum mines.

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2017 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

Wargaming the Battle of Austa

Austa and surrounding Confederation systems circa 1000.

The Austa system (Magyar 2503) represented the last high population world in Anise subsector that had been untouched by Admiral Kemper’s Magyar offensive. In 1000 the mainworld was the highest population world in the entire sector, with 90 billion inhabitants. A second major world, Geaamshuu, had over 2 billion inhabitants.

The Austa system was first explored by the Vilani during the Ziru Sirka, who named the mainworld Karikmir. And although both Karikmir and Geaamshuu have abundant water and orbit within the habitable zone of Nagishar, the G2 V primary, both worlds had dense carbon dioxide-nitrogen atmospheres with a notable absence of free oxygen. The Vilani established an outpost on Karikmir but did not attempt to colonize either world.

The Terran Confederation assumed control of the system late in the Interstellar Wars, and Confederation terraformers introduced genetically modified algae to both Karikmir and Geaamshuu, producing breathable atmospheres on both worlds by the end of the Rule of Man. Terran colonists flocked to the system and began settling Karikmir and Geaamshuu in earnest. Lacking an asteroid belt, the colonists thoroughly explored the system over the following centuries, establishing mining bases on several other planets and moons.

During the Long Night Austa became a major power in the region, rivaling both the Tolson Interstellar Kingdom and Tralp, though its general reach had been greatly curtailed by the time the Imperium entered into the region. By 400 Austa was an impoverished, over-populated, TL 8 planet eager to join the Third Imperium. By 700 disappointment in Imperial rule led Austa to embrace the Solomani Movement; with assistance from the government of the Autonomous Region the economy of Austa finally began to improve, increasing its technology level from 9 to 12 in just 200 years.

Although the majority of the system’s population is Solomani, a small Vilani minority appeared during the Long Night, refugees from worlds conquered by Tralp and reavers. These newcomers were shunted to Geaamshuu and the mines on Dikhii, the innermost world.

The Austa System (circa 1000)

Orbit Radius (AU)	Name	UWP	Remarks
Primary	Nagishar	G2 V
0.32	Dikhii	FDB5669-8	Mi Pe Tz
0.5	Ukaalim	Y9C4000-0	Tz
0.71	Geaamshuu	F5879DF-4	Ho
1.01	Austa (Karikmir)	B796AAA-D	Hi In
1.98	Kiselina	Y6CA000-0	Co
2.82	Zamruznal	Y9A3100-5
	Topka	H200457-7	Mi Sa Lk
4.53	Cherven	LGG
	Cherven Ay	Y300000-0	Sa Lk
	Cherven Bee	Y100000-0	Sa Lk
	Sofia	Y301100-8	Fr Sa Lk
	Cherven Eye	Y202000-0	Fr Sa Lk
	Cherven En	Y433000-0	Fr Sa
	Cherven Yu	Y202000-0	Fr Sa
9.02	Oranzhev	LGG
	Oranzhev Eff	Y425000-0	Fr Sa Lk
	Oranzhev Vee	Y336000-0	Fr Sa
	Polya	G414244-5	Mi Fr Sa
15.15	Zelen	LGG
	Rositsa	Y300254-9	Mi Sa Lk
	Genadi	H10048A-9	Mi Sa Lk
	Krasimir	Y20426B-8	Fr Mi Sa
25.76	Zhult	LGG
	Zhult Bee	Y100000-0	Sa Lk
	Zhult Ee	Y100000-0	Sa Lk
	Zhult Gee	Y202000-0	Fr Sa Lk
	Zhult Arr	Y200000-0	Sa
	Zhult Ex	Y100000-0	Sa
38.64	Moyata	HCB4664-7	Mi

Order of Battle

Austa’s enormous population supported formidable defenses, including 24 separate wings of system defense boats and a squadron of large planetoid monitors. The great dilemma that faced the Austan commanders, though, was how best to defend settlements dispersed so widely across the system. In a compromise, 5 wings were dispatched to the gas giant Zelen, 9 wings were positioned at Geaamshuu, and the remainder were placed at Austa along with the Austan system squadrons. No regular Confederation units were available.

Solomani Confederation Units

Unit	TL	J	Rating
Austan SDB Wing 1	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 2	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 3	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 4	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 5	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 6	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 7	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 8	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 22	13	0	0-2-2
Austan SDB Wing 23	13	0	0-2-2
Austan AssautRon	13	3	0-0-4
Austan Monitor Squadron	13	0	5-1-2
Austan PatRon	13	3	3-1-2

Admiral Kemper committed most of the 4th and 18th Fleets to the assault, which she herself directed. Her plan called for a carefully coordinated jump of units from Guenivier (Magyar 2505) and Ferstenberg (2704). She hoped that the presence of such a large Imperial force would result in the surrender of the system without a fight.

Imperial Units

Unit	TL	J	Rating
285th BatRon	14	4	6-5-6
337th BatRon	14	4	6-3-6
894th BatRon	13	3	4-1-4
214th CarRon	14	4	1-1-5
265th CruRon	14	4	2-1-3
810th CruRon	13	3	0-3-5
355th BatRon	14	4	5-3-7
106th CarRon	14	4	1-1-4
293rd CarRon	13	3	1-1-4
484th BatRon	14	4	6-1-3
568th BatRon	14	4	4-0-4
2542nd Colonial BatRon	13	3	4-1-4
926th BatRon	13	3	4-1-4
355th CruRon	14	4	3-0-3
484th BatRon	14	4	6-1-3
Sternbach Colonial CruRon	13	3	2-0-2
115th TankRon	14	4	0-0-4
155th TankRon	14	4	0-0-4
244th TankRon	13	3	0-0-4

Resolution

Unfortunately for Admiral Kemper, the Ferstenberg task force arrived in-system several hours ahead of the Guenivier task force, jumping just outside the 100-diameter limit of the mainworld. Austan defenses were scrambled to engage the invaders, and were surprised when the Guenivier task force emerged from jump space. While the Ferstenberg task force engaged the SDB wings, the Guenivier task force focused on the squadrons

• Turn 1
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial Ferstenberg task force rolls 6
    • Austan SDB wings roll 1
    • Imperial Guenivier task force rolls 1
    • Austan squadrons roll 2
  • Damage
    
    • SDB wings 22, 23 eliminated
    • 265th CruRon eliminated
    • Austan AssaultRon eliminated
    • No damage
• Turn 2
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial Ferstenberg task force rolls 1
    • Austan SDB wings roll 3
    • Imperium Guenivier task force rolls 1
    • Austan squadrons roll 4
  • Damage
    
    • SDB wing 8 eliminated
    • Stenbach CruRon eliminated
    • Austan PatRon eliminated
    • 355th CruRon eliminated
• Turn 3
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial Ferstenberg task force rolls 2
    • Austan SDB wings roll 1
    • Imperial Guenivier task force rolls 2
    • Austan squadrons roll 2
  • Damage
    
    • SDB wing 7 eliminated
    • No damage
    • Austan monitor squadron eliminated
    • No damage
• Turn 4
  
  • Imperium conslidates forces
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons rolls 6
    • Austan SDB wings roll 4
  • Damage
    
    • SDB wings 6 and 5 eliminated
    • Eliminates 568th BatRon
• Turn 5
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons rolls 5
    • Austan SDB wings roll 3
  • Damage
    
    • SDB wings 4 and 3 eliminated
    • No damage
• Turn 6
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons rolls 3
    • Austan SDB wings roll 1
  • Damage
    
    • SDB wings 2 and 1 eliminated
    • No damage

After Action Report

With the mainworld defenses defeated, the Imperial force moved quickly to destroy the orbital highport before regrouping and jumping outsystem, bound for Anise. While the primary mission objective had been achieved, attrition was beginning to take a toll on the Imperial squadrons: a scant 14 weeks after entering Magyar sector, Kemper’s CruRons were particularly thin and two disabled Inkaalurs needed to be scuttled and left behind. Had all of the Austan SBD wings been massed around the mainworld Kemper’s force would have likely been unable to reduce the starport.

The two task forces began methodically combing through Anise subsector, destroying all Class A and B starports they encountered. The rich worlds of Amunet (2507), Milenky (2603), Lontarelli (2801), and Sweet (2901) all fell rapidly to Kemper’s raiders, and were followed by the pre-high population worlds of Volund (2607) and Typoer (3210). Pinnock (2701) and Waldrin (2910) both surrendered without a fight. The success and tempo of the Imperial operation at times outpaced resupplies, and as squadrons depleted nuclear missiles they improvised with mass drivers to destroy targets.

Kemper demonstrated the fundamental weakness of Magyar’s planetary defense forces. Prior to her invasion, most of the systems in Beta and Delta quadrants faced few threats beyond piracy, occasional Aslan raids, or (more likely) hostilities from neighboring Confederation systems. As such they had relatively limited system and planetary defences, lacking deep meson gun sites, nuclear dampers, or city-sized meson screens. The planetary navies rarely drilled with Solomani regular forces and were generally unprepared for fighting a TL 14 force.

Once Kemper had broken the Confederation naval forces in Anise subsector, the Solomani worlds were essentially defenseless, allowing her to reduce industrial and infrastructure targets at will. This vulnerability would eventually lead to the creation of the Home Guard following the war.

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2017 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

Wargaming the Raid on Tralp

Tralp and the Dootchen Cluster circa 1000.

The Dootchen Estates, supremely confident in its own military prowess and long isolated from the fighting of the Rim War, did not feel particularly threatened by the Imperial invasion of Anise subsector. After all, in over 3,000 years of recorded history no foreign army had ever set foot on the capital world of Tralp (Magyar 1913). The government of the Estates had even sent two divisions of armored infantry and two regiments of the elite Aazlantrope into the Solomani Rim to assist the Confederation. They would soon regret that decision.

The Tralp mainworld orbits inside the 100 diameter limit of its K5 V primary, so the Imperial 9th Fleet was forced to jump in-system just outside this area, giving the defenders enough time to scramble an interception force as the 9th made at best speed for Tralp. The Imperials were met by the two system defense squadrons as well as the Confederation 12th AssaultRon, the 56th FleetRon, and the 6th HSRon.

Order of Battle

Solomani Confederation Units

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
12th AssaultRon	13	3	2-8-6
56th FleetRon	13	3	4-0-5
6th HSRon	14	3	1-1-5
Tralp PatRon	11	3	0-0-2
Tralp Monitor	11	0	0-0-2
120 SDBs	11	0	–

Imperial Units

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
380th CruRon	14	4	3-2-3
381st CruRon	14	4	2-1-4
587th CruRon	14	5	2-2-2
602nd CruRon	14	5	2-2-2
706th CruRon	14	4	3-0-3
811th CruRon	14	4	1-2-3
428th BatRon	14	4	5-1-4
492nd BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
495th BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
246th TankRon	14	3	0-0-4

Resolution

For this battle, I used rules from Fifth Frontier War instead of Invasion Earth. FFW allows units to be reduced before being eliminated completely; it also treats SDBs individually rather than combined into wings of 50 SDBs. Together these changes create more back-and-forth as space combats go quite a bit longer than in IE.

• Turn 1
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 6
    • Solomani squadrons roll 1
      
  • Damage
    
    • Imperials deal 7 damage, eliminate Confederation 6th HSRon, Tralp PatRon
    • No damage
• Turn 2
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 2
    • Solomani squadrons roll 5
  • Damage
    
    • Imperials deal 4 damage, eliminate Tralp monitor squadron and reduce 12th AssaultRon to 1-4-3
    • Solomani deal 2 damage, reduce 428th BatRon to 3-1-2
• Turn 3
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 4
    • Solomani squadrons roll 1
  • Damage
    
    • Imperials deal 5 damage, eliminate 12th AssaultRon and reduce 56th FleetRon to 2-0-3
    • No damage
• Turn 4
  
  • 56th FleetRon withdraws and jumps outsystem to Namedih (Magyar 1713)
  • Imperials move to the Tralp interface, engage SDBs
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 5
    • Tralp SDBs roll 1
  • Damage
    
    • Imperials inflict 60% casualties on SDBs
    • SDBs do 1 damage, reduce 706th CruRon to 2-0-2
• Turn 5
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 3
    • Tralp SDBs roll 1
  • Damage
    
    • Imperial squadrons inflict 20% casualties on SDBs
    • No damage
• Turn 6
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 1
    • Tralp SDBs roll 4
  • Damage
    
    • No damage
    • Tralp SDBs eliminate 706th CruRon
• Turn 7
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 6
    • Tralp SDBs roll 3
  • Damage
    
    • Imperial squadrons inflict 50% casualties on SDBs
    • SDBs inflict 1 damage, reduces 811th CruRon to 1-1-2
• Turn 8
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 3
    • Tralp SDBs roll 1
  • Damage
    
    • Imperial squadrons inflict 20% casualties on SDBs
    • No damage
• Turn 9
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 1
    • Tralp SDBs roll 2
  • Damage
    
    • Imperial squadrons inflict 10% casualties on SDBs
    • No damage
• Turn 10
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 3
    • Tralp SDBs roll 4
  • Damage
    
    • Imperial squadrons inflict 40% casualties on SDBs
    • SDBs inflict 1 damage, reduces 587th CruRon to 1-1-1
• Turn 11
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 6
    • Tralp SDBs roll 1
  • Damage
    
    • Imperial squadrons inflict 90% casualties on SDBs
    • No damage
• Turn 12
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll 5
    • Tralp SDBs roll 3
  • Damage
    
    • Imperials eliminate remaining SDBs
    • No damage

After Action Report

The subsequent battle in far orbit above Tralp was vicious but decisive. The Imperial Fleet dispatched the system squadrons as well as the 12th AssaultRon and 6th HSRon; the 56th FleetRon was severely mauled and barely managed to jump out in the face of destruction.

The 9th Fleet then moved into position for bombardment runs when swarms of system defense boats emerged from the atmosphere. The 706th CruRon was shredded in the subsequent fighting and the 587th CruRon and its Lightning-class fleet intruders were forced to pull back from the fray. After grinding down the persistent SDBs the Fleet destroyed the mainworld’s Class B starport and left the capital city of Tralpstad a smouldering ruin. It is ironic that one of Kemper’s most iconic decisions of the campaign is also the most atypical: the selection of a largely symbolic target rather than one with high industrial or military value.

After razing Tralp Admiral Arrighetti and the 9th Fleet began to systematically harrass the member worlds of the Estates. The Jump-5 capabilities of her Lightning-class fleet intruders allowed them to strike essentially anywhere in Voyager subsector, and by the time Confederation reinforcements jumped into besieged systems they found only shattered starports, shipyards, industrial centers, and communication networks. In only 18 weeks the 9th Fleet struck at Wondagaal (2204), Stevanic (2413), Voorond (2416), Vaderwall (2218), Pieper (1919), Vivian (1817), Voetsak (1815), and Headley (1714), all lightly defended systems with good or better starports. Word of the Raid on Tralp quickly spread throughout Magyar and soon no Confederation world in the sector felt safe.

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2017 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

Magyar Sector in the Rim War: The Tralp Raid

The Dootchen Estates circa 1000

As the Imperial 4th and 18th Battle Fleets methodically crushed Confederation resistance in Anise subsector, the Imperial 9th Fleet moved directly into Voyager to harry the Dootchen Estates, a Solomani interstellar polity with origins in the Long Night.

As the Rule of Man collapsed and technology levels crashed, the population of the garden world Tralp/Voyager (Magyar 1913) exploded. Soon Tralp began preying on neighboring systems, seizing technological resources and laying claim to entire worlds.

The first worlds to fall were located in the Girii Cluster, nine systems centered on the high-population world of Girii, now known as Ownes/Voyager (Magyar 1917). The Cluster had been settled by Vilani dissidents during the Ziru Sirka, forcefully absorbed into the First Imperium, and then later incorporated into the Terran Confederation and then the Rule of Man.

The worlds of the Girii Cluster were ripe for plunder, and by -1400 the Tralpean occupiers had stripped the Vilani inhabitants of their property and then instituted a cruel racially-based class structure that grew only more stratified as the Long Night deepened. As Girii lay on the Aslan Route, a sprawling J-2 path that connected Terra (Solomani Rim 1827) and Kusyu (Dark Nebula 1226), the system soon became an important Aslan outpost. By -1200 the mainworld, renamed Ouoarl, was claimed by the Tearlauih, an Aslan clan that had embraced Solomani culture. The Tearlauih grew very prosperous during the first Aslan Age of Discovery and controlled several key worlds on the Aslan Route.

By -500 Tralp and its subject worlds formed the Greater Tralpryk, a pocket empire that proved strong enough to push back against the Aslan and the neighboring Neoslavic Bloc. By 101 the Tearlauih had become so weakened by the Aslan Cultural Purge that the Tralpryk was able to seize control of all Aslan-dominated worlds in Voyager subsector. At its height the Tralpryk claimed 32 systems, including most of Voyager subsector as well as choice worlds in Clown and New Town. While never a true naval power, the Tralpryk maintained formidable ground armies to seize and hold new worlds. The fabled Aazlantrope were elite armored units said to have been specifically created to combat Aslan raiders.

The entrance of the Third Imperium into the region represented a significant threat to Tralpean ambitions: surrounding worlds clamored for Imperial protection from the Tralpryk. The case for intervention was strengthened by the Tralpryk’s brazen use of chattel slavery, outlawed by Article VI of the Warrant of Restoration and anathema to Imperial sensibilities. The Tralpryk itself was repulsed by thoughts of joining the Imperium, which would have required the Tralpryk to be dissolved and each world admitted individually. In 400 most of Clown, Anise, Kline, and New Mars subsectors joined the Imperium while the Tralpryk defiantly stood alone.

The Tralpryk was therefore relieved by the creation of the Autonomous Sphere in 704 and became a strong advocate for the formation of Solomani Confederation in 871. This new government welcomed multiworld polities such as the Tralpryk, which joined the Confederation as a powerful member-state. In 924 the Tralpryk itself was reorganized into the Dootchen Estates, a federation that gave member worlds additional rights and authorities while curtailing the influence of Tralp.

The new Dootchen government promoted a romanticized identity that cast the Estates as stalwart defenders of Solomani worlds against alien invaders. Their unsavory racial politics and enthusiasm for military intervention soon made the Estates the darling of more radical elements within the Solomani Party. The Estates therefore enjoyed an unusual degree of influence at the highest levels of the Confederation.

On the other hand, the Estates were distrusted and resented by neighboring Confederation worlds and member-states. And outside the Confederation the Dootchen caste system was frequently held up as a deplorable example of Solomani racial policies. All of this made the Estates an irresistible symbolic target for Kemper’s forces.

So while Anise subsector was besieged by the Imperial 4th and 18th fleets, the 9th Fleet was hopping through lightly populated systems en route to Tralp, the capital of the Dootchen Estates.

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2017 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

Wargaming the Battles of Anerin and Aequus

With Anise in hand, Admiral Kemper formed two Imperial task forces from heavy elements of the 4th Fleet. While she remained in Anise with a large reserve force awaiting reinforcements from Ultima subsector, one task force jumped into the Anerin (2706) system while the second jumped into the Hyalin (2602), then known as Aequus, system. Both were exactly the sort of targets her plan called for: high population mainworlds with good starports.

Battle of Anerin

The system’s mainworld is a poor hellworld orbiting the K7 V primary in the habitable zone. A major secondary world, Nurmaukiad, is a hot, tide-locked world occupying the next innermost orbit. In 1000 Anerin (A541985-E) was the subsector administrative center, a TL 14 industrial powerhouse with a major shipyard. Nurmaukiad (G41186B-8), in contrast, had a majority Vilani population and was under military rule.

Order of Battle

Anerin maintained system squadrons of battlecruisers as well as multiple wings of system defense boats. The system was also defended by the Confederation 38th FleetRon, which had narrowly escaped the Battle of Idu.

Captain Valerie Martel commanded the Confederation 38th FleetRon along with the Anerin 1st and 2nd FleetRons, while Anerin Fleet Commodore Wynona Provenza directed the System Defense Boat wings.

Solomani Forces

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
Anerin SDB Wing 1	14	0	0-2-4
Anerin SDB Wing 2	14	0	0-2-4
38th FleetRon	14	4	3-0-4
Anerin 1st FleetRon	14	4	4-0-5
Anerin 2nd FleetRon	14	4	4-0-5

Command of the Imperial task force was given to Commodore Amir Eerkens.

Imperial Forces

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
226th CruRon	14	4	3-2-3
337th BatRon	14	4	6-3-6
513th BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
894th BatRon	13	3	4-1-4
115th TankRon	14	3	0-0-4

Resolution

• Commodore Eerkens split off the Imperial 226th and 337th BatRons, commanded by Captain Siv Idowu, to face the Anerin SDB wings, while the remaining Imperial squadrons were set against the Confederation FleetRons
• Round One
  
  • Attack
    
    • Captain Idowu’s squadrons roll a 6
    • Solomani SDB wings roll a 1
    • Commodre Eerken’s squadrons roll a 6
    • Solomani squadrons roll a 6
  • Damage
    
    • Eliminates Anerin SDB wing 2
    • No damage
    • Eliminates Confederation 38th FleetRon
    • Eliminates Imperial 513th BatRon
• Round Two
  
  • Attack
    
    • Captain Idowu’s squadrons roll a 2
    • Solomani SDB wings roll a 1
    • Commodre Eerken’s squadrons roll a 2
    • Solomani squadrons roll a 3
  • Damage
    
    • No damage
    • No damage
    • No damage
    • No damage
• Round Three
  
  • Attack
    
    • Captain Idowu’s squadrons roll a 4
    • Remaining Solomani SDB wing rolls a 2
    • Commodre Eerken’s squadrons roll a 3
    • Solomani squadrons roll a 2
  • Damage
    
    • Eliminates Anerin SDB wing 1
    • No damage
    • No damage
    • No damage
• Round Four
  
  • With all SDB wings eliminated, the Imperials consolidate their forces against the remaining Confederation squadrons
    
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll a 4
    • Solomani squadrons roll a 2
  
  
  • Damage
    
    • Eliminates Anerin 1st FleetRon
    • No damage
  
  
• Round Five
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll a 3
    • Anerin 2nd FleetRon rolls a 5
  • Damage
    
    • Eliminates Anerin 2nd FleetRon
    • Eliminates Imperial 226th CruRon

With the system defenses eliminated, Commodore Eerken moved directly to destroy the Anerin orbital highport and the associated shipyards. Although the action was successful, the loss of the 226th CruRon and its Atlantic-class heavy cruisers was a serious blow; the Atlantics had been intended to support the bombardment of the mainworld.

Battle of Aequus

The Aequus system (Magyar 2602), located in Anise subsector on a major trade route, consists of a G2 V primary and its M6 V far companion. The system was originally settled by Vilani and later absorbed into the Rule of Man. Aequus orbits the G2 V primary in the habitable zone while a second major world, Hyalin, is a frozen planet orbiting the M6 V far companion.

In 1000 Aequus (B556999-B) was a prosperous mainworld with a majority Solomani population while Hyalin (H505984-9) was a high-population, heavily industrialized world with a majority Vilani population living in cramped underground cities. The planet contains abundant mineral resources and Hyalin’s factories produced goods for use on the high population worlds throughout Clown and Anise subsectors.

Order of Battle

Aequus maintained system squadrons of patrol cruisers and monitors, as well as multiple wings of system defense boats.

Solomani Forces

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
Aequus 1st SDB Wing	11	0	0-1-3
Aequus 2nd SDB Wing	11	0	0-1-3
Aequus 3rd SDB Wing	11	0	0-1-2
Aequus 1st PatRon	11	3	2-0-3

Command of the Imperial task force was given to Commodore Ileana Moon.

Imperial Forces

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
236th CruRon	14	4	1-2-3
484th BatRon	14	4	6-1-3
568th BatRon	14	4	4-0-4
926th BatRon	13	4	4-1-4
155th TankRon	14	3	1-0-3

Resolution

• Round One
  
  • Commodore Moon divided the Imperial forces into two groups: the first, which she commanded personally, consisted of the 236th CruRon and 484th BatRon, and was tasked with eliminating the SDB wings. The rest of the Imperial forces, commanded by Captain Mirkaiu Aarkhagaga, focused on the Aequus 1st PatRon
    
  • Attack
    
    • Captain Aarkhagaga‘s squadrons roll a 6
    • Solomani SDB wings roll a 5
    • Commodore Moon‘s squadrons roll a 5
    • Aequus 1st PatRon rolls a 3
  
  
  • Damage
    
    • Eliminates Aequus 1st SDB Wing
    • Eliminates Imperial 236th CruRon
    • Eliminates Aequus 1st PatRon
    • No damage
  
  
• Round Two
  
  • With the only Confederation squadron eliminated, the Imperial side consolidates its forces to focus on the remaining SDB wings
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll a 2
    • Solomani SDB wings roll a 1
  • Damage
    
    • No damage
    • No damage
• Round Three
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll a 4
    • Solomani SDB wings roll a 2
  • Damage
    
    • No damage
    • No damage
• Round Four
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll a 5
    • Solomani SDB wings roll a 1
  • Damage
    
    • Eliminates 2nd Aequus SDB Wing
    • No damage
• Round Five
  
  • Attack
    
    • Imperial squadrons roll a 6
    • 3rd Aequus SDB Wing rolls a 3
  • Damage
    
    • Eliminates 3rd Aequus SDB Wing
    • No damage

After Action Report

Within weeks the starports and shipyards of both systems were in ruins.

The task forces did not pause to besiege the mainworlds, but instead refueled and jumped into the Guenivier (2505) system. The mainworld, ruled by a religious dictatorship, had been interdicted by the Solomani government and therefore welcomed the arrival of the Imperials. Guenivier’s only moon, Umgaakhi (F100731-7), is also a major world by itself.

With a Class A starport, Guenivier was a valuable staging area for an attack into nearby Austa (2503). With a population of 90 billion and a TL of 13, Austa was an economic juggernaut with commensurate defenses.

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2017 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

Wargaming the Battle of Idu

In the GDW wargames Fifth Frontier War and Invasion Earth, there is significant strength in numbers: massed naval units hit much harder than smaller groups of ships. Hitting harder means eliminating opposing forces more quickly while taking less casualties; the longer a battle runs the more attrition saps both combatants. But the more a player concentrates forces into massed units, the less territory can be protected or attacked. A player must therefore trade off unit strength with geographic coverage.

For our wargame, the Anise system has four distinct areas that naval units can occupy: (1) Anise, the mainworld, (2) Pinella Confederation Naval Base in the Idu Belt, (3) Pala, the innermost and largest gas giant, and (4) deep space. A defender that concentrates all forces in one of the three worlds gives good protection to that one world while leaving two worlds vulnerable; splitting forces between all three provides only poor defense to each world.

Order of Battle

Defense of the Anise system was entrusted to Solomani Confederation Commodore Dinis Yating. Once Darrukesh fell Yating realized that Anise was the likely next target for the Imperials; he sent dispatches to Sector Fleet Command at Keyor (1521) requesting reinforcements. He also recalled all other regular navy assets in the subsector to assist with the defense of Anise.

The local Anise navy, commanded by Fleet Commodore Terrance Stav, split the system defenses across the three main areas. The Makkima SDB Wing was located at the gas giant Pala, to deter refueling efforts there. The Mirama SDB Wing and PatRon were located at Anise, the mainworld. The Khidasa SDB wing was placed at Pinella Base along with the regular Confederation squadrons and the Pinella defense squadron of monitors.

Solomani Forces

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
19th CarrierRon	13	3	1-2-4
47th FleetRon	13	3	4-0-5
38th FleetRon	14	4	5-0-4
Mirama SDB Wing	13	0	0-1-2
Khidasa SDB Wing	13	0	0-2-4
Makkimla SDB Wing	13	0	0-2-4
Mirama PatRon	13	3	2-1-2
Pinella Defense Squadron	13	0	0-0-5

The entire Imperial force, under the command of Admiral Miiri Elixabeth Kemper, jumped into the outer system and immediately made for Pinella Base.

Imperial Forces

Unit	TL	Jump	Rating
226th CruRon	14	4	3-2-3
236th CruRon	14	4	1-2-3
239th CruRon	14	4	1-2-3
285th BatRon	14	4	6-5-6
337th BatRon	14	4	6-3-6
484th BatRon	14	4	6-1-3
513th BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
568th BatRon	14	4	4-0-4
91st CarRon	14	4	1-1-4
214th CarRon	14	4	1-1-5
587th CruRon	14	5	2-2-2
602nd CruRon	14	5	2-2-2
492nd BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
495th BatRon	14	4	4-0-6
51st ScoutRon	14	4	0-3-4

Resolution

In Invasion Earth,

Each combat round consists of a simultaneous exchange of fire between the opposing naval units. At the start of each round, the players must divide their naval units into two groups each if the Solomani player has both squadrons and SDB wings present . . . . For the Solomani player, all squadrons must be placed in one group and all SDB wings in the other. The Imperial squadrons are divided into two groups as the Imperial player wishes . . . and each group is then allocated to attack one of the Solomani groups. If the Solomani player has only squadrons or SDB wings . . . then each side’s naval units remain in a single group.

For an attack by a group of squadrons upon a group of squadrons, their attack factors are totaled. The total attack factor of a group determines which column of the space combat table: attack is used. A player uses the column that most closely approximates without exceeding his total attack factor. . . . One die is rolled, and the number rolled is cross-indexed with the correct column on the table to determine the combat result.

An attack by a group of naval squadrons upon System Defense Boat wings is resolved in a similar manner, but uses Bombardment factors instead of Attack factors and a separate table. While Attack factors are calculated based upon the number and quality of spinal weapons in the squadron, Bombardment factors are calculated by fighters and missiles. Presumably, missiles and fighters are much more effective against swarms of small SDBs than large spinal weapons.

After attack rolls are complete then damage results are determined. In Invasion Earth, “The battle damage taken by the naval units is the (minimum) number of defense factors that must be eliminated by eliminating some or all of the affected naval units. The owning player chooses which naval units are eliminated.” Because this is an all-or-nothing operation, the butcher’s bill can become quite steep. (Fifth Frontier War allows for units to become reduced in strength before being eliminated.)

For the Battle of Idu, Admiral Kemper divided the the attacking Imperial force into two groups: Rear Admiral Frida Arrighetti commanded the 91st CarRon, 214th CarRon, 587th CruRon, 602nd CruRon, and 51st ScoutRon against the Khidasa SDB Wing, while Kemper herself commanded the remaining Imperial squadrons against Yating’s regular naval squadrons.

• Turn One
  • All Imperial units move into the space around Pinella Base and engage the defenders there
  • Attack
    • Admiral Kemper’s force rolls a 1, does 5 damage
    • Commodore Yating’s force rolls a 3, does 1 damage
    • Admiral Arrighetti’s force rolls a 4, does 1 damage
    • Commodore Stav’s force rolls a 6, does 1 damage
  • Damage
    • Eliminates Confederation Pinella Defense Squadron
    • Eliminates Imperial 239th CruRon
    • Eliminates Confederation Khidasa SDB wing
    • Eliminates Imperial 91st CarRon
• Turn Two
  • With the SDB wing destroyed, Kemper consolidates her forces and presses the attack against the Confederation squadrons
  • Attack
    • Kemper’s force rolls a 3, inflicts 8 damage
    • Yating’s force rolls a 2, inflicts 0 damage
  • Damage
    • Eliminates Confederation 19th CarrierRon and 47th FleetRon
• Turn Three
  • The Confederation 38th FleetRon disengages and jumps outsystem

After Action Report

The Battle of Idu exacted a heavy price for both sides. Commodore Yating was killed when his flagship was lost with all hands. Pinella Naval Base was utterly destroyed after a short but brutal seige. Meanwhile the Imperial 239th CruRon had been broken, with all of its Effendi heavy cruisers disabled or destroyed. The INS Lianma, the enormous fleet carrier that anchored the 91st CarRon, was crippled and left adrift in the Belt.

But the Anise mainworld, which had been ambivalent to the Solomani cause and consequently labored under military rule, quickly capitulated without a fight—giving Admiral Kemper an intact Class A starport and attendant shipyards. The numerous planetoid habitats in the Idu Belt surrendered in the following days. The Anise system was hers, and Magyar sector lay wide open.

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2017 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

The Anise System

In my speculative history of the Rim War, the first major battle in the Magyar campaign occurred when the Imperial 4th and 18th (Provisional) Battle Fleets jumped from recently captured Darrukesh (Solomani Rim 0106) directly into the Anise system. I had already developed the forces involved on both sides, but in order to assess the course of the battle I needed to also flesh out some of the system details.

Using T5SS data I had already developed the Missing Worlds of Magyar, which provided data on potential secondary worlds. As part of that analysis I hypothesized the existence of a second high population world in the Anise system: the Idu Belt. This planetoid belt also gave me an opportunity to explain why in 1105 Anise has a subsector fleet but no Imperial naval base.

The Anise System in 1105

The Anise system (Magyar 2904) is located on the Walpurgis Main in Anise subsector, only four parsecs from the Solomani Rim and eight parsecs from the Solomani Confederation. Anise has a long and proud naval tradition stretching back to the Long Night, when the world was a bulwark for surrounding systems against Reaver encroachments.

The mainworld (A8419B7-E) orbits the inner habitable zone of Agii, its orange dwarf primary, well within the star’s jump shadow. Anise is a poor, dry hellworld with a thin oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere tainted with excessive carbon dioxide. Anise was explored by Vilani during the First Imperium, who named it Mirama, but not colonized until the Rule of Man. A second major world, the Idu Belt (F0009BA-B), is a high population asteroid belt circling Agii at 1.5 AU. The belt is almost 0.5 AU wide. The total population in the belt is some 1 billion, with 209 million inhabiting the planetoid Khidasa. Nine other habitats have populations of 1 million or more.

During the Rim War the Idu Belt hosted Pinella Solomani Confederation Naval Base and was the location of the Battle of Idu (known as Yating’s Stand in Confederation accounts). During this battle Confederation forces attempted a valiant defense but were badly outnumbered and outmatched. Commodore Yating, who refused to surrender, was killed on board his doomed flagship. The Confederation’s 47th FleetRon and 19th CarrierRon were shattered; Pinella Base was utterly destroyed. The mainworld swiftly capitulated and its Class A starport and associated yards were captured intact. The Battle of Idu proved a crucial development in the Rim War, and the Idu Belt is still considered by the Confederation to be a hallowed area. (The Belt remains a popular destination for Confederation tourists visiting the system.)

In the aftermath of the Solomani Rim War Anise was rapidly reintegrated into the Imperium, though it remains governed by a Central Administrator appointed by an Imperial Navy oversight board. Today Anise is an important world, both the subsector capital and the seat of the Duchy of Gadarur. With a population of 6 billion living in domed cities connected by an extensive maglev train network, Anise is heavily industrialized and situated on a primary trade route running into Daibei sector, making it a bustling, cosmopolitan commercial center. Anise hosts the Imperial University of Anise, an Imperial Military Academy, and the headquarters of the Unified Army of Gadarur.

Anise also has one of the most powerful colonial navies in the subsector. The formidable Mirama Naval Base is directly owned and operated by Anise, but also berths major elements of the Imperial 20th Subsector Fleet, which lacks a base in Anise subsector. The colonial and Imperial navies drill together extensively. Although the Imperial Navy has made several overtures toward constructing a new base in the Idu Belt for the exclusive use of the 20th Fleet, fierce opposition from both sides of the border has prevented the proposal from ever advancing beyond the planning stage.

The Anise System

Orbit Radius (AU)	(10,000 km)	Name	UWP	Remarks
Primary		Agii	K5 V
0.35		Anise (Mirama)	A8419B7–E	He Hi In Po Ho Tz Cp
0.56		Agii Gamma	H300434-8	Mi
0.69		[100-diameter limit]
0.96		Agii Delta	Y400000-0
1.5		Idu Belt	F0009BA-B
2.9		Pala	Large gas giant
	52	Pala Ay	Y200000-0
	59	Pala Bee	Y200000-0
	68	Pala See	Y200000-0
	80	Makkimla	H4A8230-6	Mi Fr
	91	Pala Ee	Y100000-0
5.4		Jade	Small gas giant
	18	Jade Ay	Y100000-0
	25	Jade Bee	Y100000-0
	33	Jade See	Y100000-0
9.2		Memoria	Medium gas giant
	72	Memoria Ay	Y100000-0
15		Zuaam	Small gas giant
	24	Zuaam Ay	Y100000-0
	33	Zuaam Bee	Y100000-0
	45	Zuaam See	Y100000-0

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2017 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.

Magyar Sector in the Rim War: Opening Moves

Confederation Invasion of Daibei (990)

In 990 the Imperial Daibei Sector Fleet had been constructed to address Aslan incursions to spinward, and as such relied more heavily on cruiser and carrier squadrons rather than capital ships. And unlike Diaspora sector, Daibei had no Imperial Depot. The Confederation Daibei Fleet contained only six subsector fleets and for the invasion was bolstered by heavier elements from Magyar sector.

Commander Coglan’s plan relied on deception, disruption, and speed to rapidly overwhelm the Imperial defenses, allowing the Solomani to deal heavy damage to the Imperial Navy in Daibei while suffering minimal losses. Confederation forces recaptured most of the worlds that had been reabsorbed by the Imperium, and in Gaalorn and Mulaar subsectors the border was pushed coreward of the old Autonomous Region another three parsecs or more, capturing Imperial systems that were never part of the Solomani Sphere. The Confederation inflicted serious damage to a major Imperial naval base at Bloddwyn (0326), but were unable to capture the system. At Durgaarurkim (2720) the Imperials mounted a fierce defense and repulsed a Confederation task force.

The Confederation moved quickly to consolidate its gains. The offensive had captured the economically important worlds of Kuliiga (0429), Zhemi (0627), Corve (1729), Tukera (2423), Muffin (0831), and Temeraire (3020). Tukera’s starport was destroyed in the fighting with great loss of life. The high population worlds of Zhemi and Muffin, with majority Solomani populations, welcomed the Confederation as liberators. But Kuliiga, Corve, Tukera, and Temeraire had significant Vilani and non-human sophont populations, and all were interdicted and suffered under the resulting Solomani occupation.

Stalemate (991–997)

Following the success of the Confederation offensive, the new Daibei border quickly stabilized. The Imperial Navy reinforced bases at Durgaarurkim, Chapel Mews (2320), Macella (2119), Aquilon (1820), and Sotto (0424). For the remainder of 990 through 992 each side fought a series of limited engagements that resulted in single worlds being traded back and forth. The heaviest fighting occurred in the Udo Cluster, 10 worlds centered on Udo/Dudin (Daibei 1922). As the Cluster was considered key to any assault on the high population Amdani subsector, the Confederation spent enormous resources attempting to establish a beachhead, but to no avail.

Confederation Sector Admiral Taskill recommended that Coglan be appointed Dudin Subsector Admiral, but SolSec overruled, citing Coglan’s reservations about the offensive as proof of “insufficient enthusiasm” toward the Solomani Cause. As a result, Commodore Coglan was given command of a modest patrol flotilla based out of Avalon/Fahlnar (Reaver's Deep 3238). The Rim War had spurred a new wave of ihatei raids up and down the length of the Confederation’s spinward frontier, and Coglan’s flotilla ranged through Reaver’s Deep and Dark Nebula, providing ample opportunity to observe and analyze Aslan attack patterns.

What Coglan realized was surprising: the Aslan attacks, which so often appeared reckless or disorganized, utilized calculated and deceptively effective tactics. Suicidal attacks by overmatched ships were actually planned sacrifices; Aslan bravado lured the unwary into traps; seemingly chaotic swarming assaults screened true objectives. Coglan used these new insights to anticipate and effectively combat the raiders, and in return the Aslan began to grudgingly call him the Khteiryos, after a mythical creature known for its devious and cunning nature.

Meanwhile Captain Kemper transferred to Imperial Sector Fleet headquarters at Warinir, where she was knighted as a Companion of the Order of Ilelish. From 990–993 she helped direct Daibei’s defences, leading sorties into Confederation-held systems. In 994 Kemper transferred to the planning staff of Grand Admiral Sakuuba, who was initially responsible for directing the Solomani Rim War. Kemper was assigned to Rear Admiral Arielle Adair. Kemper and Adair proved to be a formidable combination: both were avid students of Terran and Solomani history, and both believed that the Imperium would need to conduct the Rim War differently than any past war.

By 995 Coglan’s remarkable success against the Aslan had been noted by his superiors, who wanted to move him to the front lines of the Rim War. But once again Coglan’s public criticisms of the war prompted SolSec intervention. Instead of being given a command in Daibei or Diaspora sector, Coglan was instead transferred to the Dark Nebula Fleet, and in 996 he was named Admiral of the Akuusir Subsector Fleet. Based out of Column/Akuusir (Dark Nebula 3202), Coglan thrived under his new command.

Ironically, SolSec’s unwelcome interventions in Coglan’s career probably saved his life. Had he remained in Daibei, he very well might have found himself placed before the Imperial onslaught in Diaspora. While many of the Solomani Navy’s most promising flag officers would be lost in 998 and 999, Coglan instead was some 40 parsecs away, fortuitously placed in a remote, unsupervised theatre where he was free to experiment and innovate.

The Tide Turns (997–999)

By 997 the first of the newly raised Imperial battle fleets reached Diaspora and Old Expanses. The Admiralty felt these forces would easily break the stalemate that had endured since 993. They were wrong. Overconfident in their technological advantages, the Imperial commanders had inexperienced crews, tired naval doctrine, and most fatally, a very poor understanding of Solomani warfighting. The initial offensive proved disastrous as in battle after battle, the Confederation forces outmaneuvered and outfought the Imperials. In response, the Confederation Navy launched a withering counteroffensive into Libert, Sufren, Quinoid, and Ahrhi subectors, even striking at the important Imperial worlds of  Libert (Diaspora 1109) and Vaward (Old Expanses 1106).

In 998, following a humiliating defeat at Kmak (Old Expanses 1424), a frustrated Admiralty turned to a new generation of commanders, bitterly deemed “the rabble-rousers,” by Grand Admiral Sakuuba shortly after being dismissed. Adair was promoted to Grand Admiral of the Imperial battle fleets and Kemper became one of several newly minted admirals who were finally given the opportunity to prove their mettle against the Solomani. That was the year the tide turned.

Throughout the remainder of 998 the Imperium made steady advances into Old Expanses, and in 999 opened up a second front in Diaspora. Although successful, these campaigns were long, slow slogs. The Solomani fought fiercely and effectively while the Imperials proceeded cautiously, seeking to take worlds intact and largely fighting under the traditional Rules of War.

Planetary invasions consumed enormous resources and time and then sapped the strength of the advancing forces as each newly conquered world required garrisoning. Kemper noted that this approach was not sustainable: even the vast Imperium could only commit so many resources to the War. When asked by Grand Admiral Adair to develop a plan to open up a third front to spinward, Kemper proposed another way.

Kemper was revolutionary in her complete embrace of Solomani total war: her proposed Magyar campaign would target Class A and B starports, industrial centers, and system communication and navigation networks. Commercial ships would be seized and scuttled. Not wishing to be pinned down, she would forgo capturing worlds unless they contained a large pro-Imperial population. She was content to leave worlds largely intact provided they were left cut off from interstellar trade. Without a need to garrison captured worlds, she would be free to range far behind Solomani lines.

Opening Moves: Ultima (1000)

Kemper commanded assets drawn from the sector fleets of Verge, Ilelish, and Zarushagar. These prosperous sectors had been well insulated from most Imperial conflicts since the Ilelish Revolt (418 to 435). While these crews were relatively inexperienced, a large proportion belonged to minor Human races such as the Darmine and Suerrat, and consequently may have borne additional motivation for battling the Solomani. Their ships included older but well maintained Tiananmen-class battleships and Quiquilat-class battle riders as well as several new designs destined to become classics: Atlantic-class heavy cruisers, Azhanti High Lightning-class fleet intruders, and Inkaalur-class light battleships. The Inkaalur-class was unusually small but outfitted with mature TL 14 tech that could challenge Solomani battlecruisers. The assets also included several TL 14 capital ship designs rarely seen outside the Domain of Ilelish, including the 300,000 dt Liasdi-class fleet carrier, the 500,000 dt Triton-class heavy battleship, and the 700,000 dt Dlan-class dreadnought.

The Kemper Fleet was divided into the 4th, 9th, and 18th Provisional Imperial Battle Fleets. The 9th Battle Fleet, commanded by Rear Admiral Frida Arrighetti, was a penetration fleet intended to raid deep into enemy territory and attack specific objectives such as bases and industrial worlds.

The 18th Battle Fleet, commanded by Rear Admiral Ararat Becke, was an assault fleet, created to carry surface forces to a world and land them there in the face of heavy opposition. The 18th carried the 103rd Provisional Star Marine Division, which consisted of the 4011th, 4828th, 6419th, and 7737th Line Regiments. The 18th also carried the 333rd Lift Infantry Field Army, a  TL 14 force drawn from Amadani Subsector in Daibei. In addition to these troops the 18th was well equipped for orbital bombardment and fire support.

The 4th Battle Fleet was commanded by Kemper herself from her flagship the Arzemiir, an Atlantic-class heavy cruiser. The 4th was a true battle fleet, expressly created to engage and destroy any and all enemy vessels or forces.

Kemper’s fleets first gained experience in Diaspora in 999, where they followed the main line of attack toward the Solomani Rim, seeing action at Tarsale (2224), Eberly (2130), Waverly (1733), and bloody Alki (1136). But while the main Imperial force entered the Rim through Sulemain and Concord subsectors in 1000, Kemper wheeled spinward through the lightly populated Ultima subsector. Her primary goal was to cut off the Confederation’s Daibei and Magyar sector fleets from the Solomani Rim; with the Aslan pressing in to spinward, the Confederation would be hard-pressed to use these forces to relieve the Rim fleets. Her secondary goal was to degrade Confederation warmaking capabilities by destruction of its industrial infrastructure.

Both the Scout Service’s Intelligence Branch and Imperial Naval Intelligence were crucial to the success of Kemper’s Ultima campaign. The Scouts provided detailed economic and infrastructure data that allowed Kemper to select vulnerable critical targets. Naval Intelligence paved the way for insertion of Sylean Rangers on Amkhalarug (Solomani Rim 0301) and Darrukesh (Solomani Rim 0106) as early as 997. Both worlds had majority Vilani populations, excellent shipyards, reasonably high tech levels—and eagerly awaited Imperial liberation.

Kemper crushed Solomani naval defences in Amkhalarug, and while the 18th Fleet supported ground operations, the 4th and 9th Fleets jumped to lightly populated Atalanta (Solomani Rim 0304) and from there to Darrukesh.

Darrukesh was the key to Magyar sector. Kemper’s forces quickly overwhelmed the Solomani system defences, opening the way for an assault on the mainworld. A small Solomani elite had long controlled the Vilani majority through an oppressive police state, but the arrival of Kemper’s forces triggered a popular revolution. A Vilani junta quickly seized control of Darrukesh and within a week the Imperials controlled the entire system.

From Darrukesh Kemper could jump directly into the Anise (Magyar 2904) system, which hosted the subsector headquarters for the Confederation Navy and a major shipyard. The mainworld was a high population industrial center. And if she captured Anise she would be able to directly attack the neighboring high population, industrial worlds that lay beyond.

Copyright Information

The Traveller game in all forms is owned by Far Future Enterprises. Copyright © 1977 – 2017 Far Future Enterprises. Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. Far Future permits web sites and fanzines for this game, provided it contains this notice, that Far Future is notified, and subject to a withdrawal of permission on 90 days notice. The contents of this site are for personal, non-commercial use only. Any use of Far Future Enterprises’s copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, any program/articles/file on this site cannot be republished or distributed without the consent of the author who contributed it.

Materials produced by Digest Group Publications (DGP) are copyright © Roger Sanger. Any use of Digest Group Publications' copyrighted material or trademarks anywhere on this Web site and its files should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights. Usage is intended to follow the guidelines announced by Roger Sanger on the Traveller Mailing List for preserving the overall Traveller milieu.