Traveller/Characters

Traveller of course has an infinity of possible characters, and a large number even mentioned in Canon. Here however are some of them.

Game Master
Don't forget him!


 * A God Am I: from the PCs point of view; yeah.
 * Bolt of Divine Retribution
 * The Caligula
 * The Chessmaster
 * Complete Monster
 * Enemy to All PCs
 * Evil Mentor
 * Kneel before the GM, Oh PCs !
 * God of Evil
 * Jerkass Gods
 * Killer Game Master
 * The Man
 * Training from Hell

This of course is satire. Some of you may actually have a nice gamemaster.

Grandfather
Father of the Ancients, and Genius Who Left His Mark On the Traveller Universe Untold Ages Ago. Did sinister experiments on various life forms and transplanted them throughout the stars. Fond of leaving Ancient Artifact s about for intrepid adventurers to find if they are lucky...or if they are not.


 * Abusive Precursor
 * Blue and Orange Morality
 * Deus Ex Machina: Ancients are fairly commonly used as this; they are useful in explaining plot devices like earth-like planets and species.
 * Eldritch Abomination
 * The Greys : Kidnapper of other races
 * Mad Scientist
 * Scary Inquisitive Alien
 * Shrouded in Myth
 * Sufficiently Advanced Alien

Cleon Zhunastu
Founder of the Third Imperium


 * The Chessmaster
 * Founder of the Kingdom
 * Galactic Conqueror
 * The Emperor
 * The Extremist Was Right
 * Magnificent Bastard
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something
 * Shrouded in Myth
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist

Empress Arbellatra
Victor of the Imperial Civil War, founder of the last dynasty to rule the Third Imperium.


 * Asskicking Equals Authority
 * Awesome Moment of Crowning
 * Cincinnatus (sort of; she deferred to the Moot's authority knowing she would get the throne anyway. Whether or not she was thinking primarily of the public good or her own is not made clear.)
 * the empress
 * Iron Lady
 * Just the First Citizen
 * Lady of War
 * Offered the Crown: Which she accepted.
 * Rightful King Returns: Well, return of an acceptable candidate. That was good enough.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something
 * Succession Crisis : She solved a Succession Crisis and won the crown for it
 * Warrior Princess
 * The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask

Archduke Norris
Ruler of the Spinward Marches in the name of Emperor Strephon. His first name is not "Chuck".


 * Badass Mustache
 * The Chessmaster
 * The Good Chancellor
 * The Strategist
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Royal Decree: Made notable use of an Imperial Warrant during the Fifth Frontier War.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something
 * Warrior Prince

Emperor Strephon
The Last Emperor of the Third Imperium (unless you're playing in the GURPS Traveller Alternate Universe)


 * Continuity Reboot : GURPS says he was not the last Emperor of the the Third Imperium, at least not yet.
 * The Emperor
 * He's Just Hiding: Strephon's assassination is what kicked off the fall of the Third Imperium, but it was a double who was killed - Strephon was off overseeing a secret project, and went into hiding for a time after the assassination.
 * The Patriarch: Although he ends up with a family of Upper Class Twit s.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Standard Royal Court

Admiral Manuel Albadawi
The most famous Terran from the Intersteller Wars era; he broke the back of the Vilani Imperium.


 * Four-Star Badass
 * Galactic Conqueror
 * Magnetic Hero
 * Officer and a Gentleman
 * Shrouded in Myth

Marc Oberlindes
The head of Oberlindes Lines and one of the main players in The Traveller Adventure, a somewhat obscure but interesting NPC. He helped bring the Oberlindes family from an obscure band of free traders to a company that could compete with the biggest lines in the Imperium. In the process he was given a noble title by the Imperium


 * Badass
 * Badass Family
 * The Clan
 * Crowning Moment of Awesome : Several
 * Family Business
 * Feuding Families: With the gigantic Tukera Clan no less.
 * Intrepid Merchant
 * Non-Idle Rich
 * Papa Wolf
 * The Patriarch
 * Mildly Wealthy to Nobility
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money: on several occasions
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: Sort of.

The three Imperiums
Where the game is set. Which Imperium the game is set in depends on what part of the timeline you're using.

The Third Imperium
Default setting of most versions. The Third Imperium is a vast decentralized state. By it's unwritten constitution worlds have internal autonomy but defer to the Imperium in Intersteller matters. As the Imperium is so vast, it will vary in it's atmosphere from place to place and from time to time. There is still room for creativity.


 * Badass Army
 * Combat Referee: The Imperium often acts as this. It does not have enough force to eliminate conflict, but it can keep it to a minimum.
 * Crystal Spires and Togas
 * Earth Is the Center of the Universe: Averted. Earth is a border world.
 * The Empire: Averted. The Imperium is generally better then most of the states around.
 * The Federation
 * Feudal Future
 * Generican Empire
 * The Government
 * Humans Are Leaders : The Emperor and most of the nobility are humans of mixed Solimani(I.E. Terran) and Vilani ancestry and the baseline intersteller culture is a mixture of these two mega-ethnic groups). Humans just have a better talent for building states and colonizing worlds. As well as in fighting.
 * Lawful Neutral
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat : Sometimes
 * Powered Armor
 * Alien Non-Intervention Clause: Straight and Averted. There is no prime directive generally but individual planets are sometimes put under this.
 * Proud Merchant Race
 * Recycled in Space: Resembles a combination of The British Empire and United Space of America.
 * Space Navy
 * Space Marine
 * Space Police
 * Space Opera and Space Western : As a Space Opera Traveller is fairly detailed and "believable". It has Western like characteristics as a frontier is a frontier.
 * Wagon Train to the Stars: Imperial Intersteller Scout Service

Terran Confederation / Second Imperium
The Terrans were a Promethean society that valued initiative and individualism. Long before Emperor Strephon's Reign the Terrans and the First Imperium waged war for two hundred years. At first Terra and its outposts fought for survival and freedom. Later Terra's war for freedom became a war for conquest. Though the canon gives vague details about earlier times, in a way this time the beginning of the Traveller History.

Prominently featured in GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars.


 * Badass Army
 * Combat Medic: Not only do the terrans have a Badass Army, they have badass medics. They need them too, as conquered Vilani haven't been immunized to Terran diseases.
 * Dance Battler: The Terran Navy's strategy
 * The Federation
 * Gadgeteer Genius : The Terrans were ahead of the Vilani in science and technology in less then two hundred years. Even at the start they were ahead in some areas such as electronics, and aspects of military science, and medicine.
 * Galactic Conqueror
 * Glory Seeker : This is almost the Terrans' Hat.
 * Terrans are warriors.
 * Proud Merchant Race
 * The Republic(Until the Terran Navy arranged a coup).
 * Screw you Vilani: How dare you say we are an Insignificant Little Blue Planet !
 * Space Marine
 * Space Navy
 * Space Pirates : Terrans went in for commerce raiding.
 * Techno Wizard: Terrans were far ahead of Vilani in electronics. For instance Vilani did not have multipurpose, reprogramable computer(I.E. They could not get a book collection, internet access, and games at once the way even this tropers computer can)because they had concentrated on making one unalterable program to a computer. Vilani systems were often efficient-they had practiced for thousands of years after all-but the Terran model was better in the end.
 * Tragic Hero: Changed from a small state fighting for it's freedom into an empire not much different from the Vilani.
 * United Space of America

The First(Vilani) Imperium
Before humans from Earth came to the stars, the Vilani were waiting. The Vilani are a traditional and venerable society who like everything just so. They formed a vast empire across the stars. When they met the unruly and ambitious Terrans the Culture Clash and the mutual arrogance of both Terrans and Vilani caused a generations long war between them that would change the face of the Galaxy.


 * Crystal Spires and Togas
 * Cant argue with Vilani : Until they met a Barbarian Tribe from an Insignificant Little Blue Planet that is.
 * Deadly Decadent Court: At least by the time the Terrans met them.
 * Human Aliens: The Vilani consider humans to be the Human Aliens.
 * Mighty Glacier : The Vilani's favorite strategy.
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat
 * Transplanted Humans: what they are.
 * Vast Bureaucracy: The Vilani have a bureaucracy actually designed to make sure nothing gets done. With no outside rivals for thousands of years It Makes Sense in Context . Sort of. Things were different when they met the Terrans.
 * Vestigial Empire
 * We Have Reserves: The first few wars with the Terrans were barely a line item on the regional budget.

The Aslan
Aliens who resemble lions in form. They are a warlike people who live in a tribal structure and have a highly developed philosophy about the need for Honor.


 * Anatomy Arsenal: Aslan don't need swords. They have claws. When a human duels in Aslan fashion he uses an artificial claw called an ayloi.
 * A Real Man Is a Killer : Male Aslan are only allowed to be interested in war and ranching
 * The Clan: Aslan government is not monolithic, it is tribal.
 * Aslan clans though, are often as big as human nations while maintaining a tribal ethos.
 * Cool Sword: And cool everything else. One of their favorite art forms is making carefully crafted and decorated weapons and tools.
 * Duel to the Death: Aslan Duel with Claws. Though usually to first blood rather then to the death.
 * Fantastic Caste System: Roughly the males are expected to do work that involves protecting the clan's territory and gaining more where the females do work that actually produces things. Some specializations are only loosely connected. Thus male Aslan are warriors, politicians, sages and judges, as well as estate managers and ranchers. Female Aslan are merchants, artisans, engineers, and the like. Some ambiguities come about. For instance it is fine for a male Aslan to have enough knowledge of computers to handle sensors reasonably well. But a proper Techno Wizard will be female.
 * Family Honor
 * Feuding Families
 * Glory Seeker: What do you expect of a Proud Warrior Race ?
 * Honor Before Reason
 * I Owe You My Life: An "honor-debt" must be paid-even if it takes several generations.
 * Land Poor: Male Aslan have a biological obsession with land.
 * Panthera Awesome
 * Proud Warrior Race
 * The Migration: Second son male Aslan who won't inherit have to go find their own land.
 * Sacred Hospitality
 * Stay in the Kitchen: Subverted; because A Real Man Is a Killer, almost all jobs that do not involve killing must be done by females.

The Droyne
Smallish winged humanoids that combine reptilian and insectoid aspects. The Droyne are the oldest major race, but seem to lack the drive that others have.


 * Crippling Overspecialization: The individual Droyne castes cannot survive for long without the presence of others, except the Sports, who are the deliberate exception to this rule.
 * Glory Days: They were once the Ancients
 * Hive Caste System: A biologically-based caste system, with each Droyne undergoing major physical changes when they are assigned their caste at adulthood. Droyne who do not or cannot caste are called Chirpers, and are only semi-intelligent.
 * Psychic Powers: Though it's not widely advertized in the Imperium, the Droyne are a psionically gifted race. Their primary power seems to be the ability to make others forget about their existence or consider them of little consequence.
 * Winged Humanoid: They can even fly on planets with lower gravity and higher atmospheric pressure.

The Hiver
Starfish-shaped generally peaceful sentients who get their kicks from manipulating other races.


 * Conveniently an Orphan: Hiver reproduction is such that no Hiver knows who its parents are - they are effectively all adopted.
 * Hive Mind: Averted, despite the name. Although the Hivers were described as this in the very earliest Traveller material, it was Ret Conned fairly quickly into a misunderstanding based on the look of their cities.
 * Manipulative Bastard: What every Hiver hopes to be. "Manipulator" is actually a title they aspire to, like "Doctor".
 * One-Gender Race: The Hivers have only one gender.
 * The Speechless: Hivers don't have vocal cords. They can use voice synthesizers to speak but use hand gestures among each other.
 * Starfish Aliens: They even look like starfish.
 * Technical Pacifist: Most Hivers are incapable of directly attacking anyone. They have little problem with getting others to fight for them, though.

The K'kree
Centaur-like creatures on an everlasting crusade to rid the universe of carnivores


 * Animal Wrongs Group
 * Claustrophobia : All K'kree have this
 * Cool Horse
 * Real K'kree don't eat meat: In fact they like to kill anyone who does eat meat.
 * Stay in the Kitchen: the only purpose of K'kree females is to adore the males. Oh, and produce more males.

The Vargr
Uplifted wolves who live in a chaotic society.


 * Asskicking Equals Authority: Vargr societies that get too big for one leader to personally dominate tend to break up.
 * Big Badass Wolf
 * Chaotic Neutral : Sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes neutral, always chaotic.
 * The Horde
 * Proud Merchant Race
 * Space Pirates: The Vargr recognize corsairs as a sort of cultural hero stereotype.

Humaniti
Space Spelling for the most important race of all in the Traveller Universe. By chance it is the one to which most PCs belong to. As far as research indicates, most writers do too. The Three Main Human megatribes are the Vilani, the Solimoni, and the Zhodani. By Emperor Strephon's time the first two have merged. These groupings are divided into umpteen states, clans, factions, and sects and there are minor human races as well


 * Humans Are Special: Because Humans Are Leaders, Humans Are Warriors, and Humans Are Diplomats

Characteristics of the individual human races:

Solomani
See Terran Confederation / Second Imperium


 * Us
 * Earth Is the Center of the Universe / Insignificant Little Blue Planet: Earth varies in political importance but still retains an emotional appeal and a cultural effect.
 * Humans Are the Real Monsters : Interestingly enough Solomani are often presented as bad guys. Especially the Solomani Confederation. At the least, they are often described as unusually militaristic.
 * Humans Are Warriors
 * Humans Advance Swiftly
 * Proud Merchant Race
 * Proud Scholar Race: Scientific type rather then mystic type
 * Planet of Hats: Probably inventiveness and flexibility.
 * Planet Terra

Vilani
See First Imperium


 * Fantastic Caste System: Vilani are dominated by three organizations, one for food production, one for government, and one for industry and trade. The jurisdictions over various suboccupations and things like that are arranged in an complex manner which may be incomprehensible to a non-vilani.
 * Good Old Ways
 * Sacred Hospitality
 * Supreme Chef: Vilani lived on a planet with a lot of poisonous influences making skillful cooking a matter of survival. Thus chefs(called Shugalli) became glorified until they filled much of the work doctors and clerics would among the Solomani.
 * Transplanted Humans
 * Vast Bureaucracy
 * Youngest Child Wins: By Vilani tradition the third child in the family gains the estate. This is to make sure that no position is frozen within one dynasty for to long.

Zhodani

 * Psychic Powers : Zhos are unique among humaniti in giving free rein to this.
 * Fantastic Caste System: Those Zhos that do not develop Psionic capacity are a lower caste.
 * Transplanted Humans

Random Cultures
Cultural Groupings not yet mentioned, listed for plot importance or just interest. Some are subsets of the above.

Sword Worlds
Mostly Solomani race descended from soldiers of Scandinavian and German descent who fled from Terra during an ancient civil war. Known for their admiration for Vikings. Known also for their curmudgeonly behavior but also for their sheer resilience. Divided into the Sword Worlds Confederation, a small rival Federation to the Imperium, and the Border Worlds Authority, a recently established Puppet State of the Imperium. Both in turn are minimal states with most power being local.


 * The Alliance: Sword Worlds Confederation to Zhodani
 * Also internally; their central government is minimal.
 * Apron Matron: The Sword World female ideal is somewhere between this and Yamato Nadeshiko
 * Barbarian Tribe: Subverted. Although they sometimes act in a rather barbaric manner they are an advanced if rather eccentric civilization.
 * Determinator: Their chief virtue. They are stubborn, quarrelsome, and widely accused of Testosterone Poisoning. But they can also survive anything life throws at them.
 * Determined Homesteader: And every determined variant thereof. The ideal Sword Worlder.
 * Elves Versus Dwarves: To the Darrians; Darrians are like elves making Swordies like Dwarves. Also swordies do have some traditional dwarvish characteristics.
 * Fantastic Racism: To Darrians
 * The Federation: The SWC is a small federation, compared to the Imperium, but yeah.
 * Foe Yay: With the Darrians
 * Fire of Comfort: They consider hearthfires sacred.
 * HAD to Be Sharp: Swordies have lived for centuries dealing not only with nature(and some of their planets would qualify as a Death World ), but with the Darrians, the Imperium, and not least each other.
 * Hidden Depths: Despite their backward seeming appearance, they are an industrial powerhouse. They also have made splendid if obscure artwork(notably the Hall of Planets on Tizon), and even possess a number of geeks among them, though their stereotype runs more toward Bruiser with a Soft Center.
 * Honor Before Reason
 * Made a Slave: Played with. There is no mention in canon of a chattel caste or of institutionalized kidnapping or the normal things associated with this, in Sword World culture. However some Sword World governments have judicial thralldom as a punishment for certain offenses.
 * The Migration: Their founders arrived in an epic Migration
 * Mr. Fixit: While they are hardly as technologically advanced as the Imperium, let alone the Darrians, they make large quanitys of cheap, durable equipment that is intended to be easily modified by a clever Determined Homesteader.
 * The Patriarch: The Sword World male ideal
 * Proud Warrior Race : Sword Worlds in general.
 * Proud Merchant Race: The planet Tizon more specifically. They are more urbane and sophisticated then most Sword Worlders and trade widely through the Spinward Marches. However when they are put upon, the Tizonian Navy will most certainly show that they are are still Sword Worlders.
 * Puppet State: The Border Worlds Authority. The Imperium conquered several of the Sword Worlds during the Fifth Frontier War and didn't know what to do with them so it formed the Border Worlds Authority as a rival government to the Sword Worlds. That didn't work out particularly well and the best that can be said about the idea is that the Imperium does not at the momment have to spend lives maintaining an occupation force in hostile territory.
 * Rated "M" for Manly: The whole Sword Worlds thinks it is this.
 * The Remnant : The founders of the Sword Worlds
 * Shout-Out: To Piper's Space Viking. In verse they make Shout-Out s to Vikings and to JRR Tolkien.
 * Space Police: The Confederation Patrol, a sort of space coast guard which chases pirates as well as criminals who wish to flee from planet to planet.
 * Terraforming : One noted movement on the planet Orcrist(which is something of a Death World and difficult for agriculture), is a series of experiments called the Orcrist Soil Manufacturing Project. This is a populist movement rather then one funded by a Vast Bureaucracy and the more geeky Swordies on the planet of Orcrist will do experiments in there own gardens and enter it on the planets internet to be processed and discussed.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Beer. Swordies make some of the best beer in known space. It is the only true manly drink according to Swordies.
 * Space Cossacks: To some degree yes, although it has been an awfully long time since they arrived here. However they maintain independance in the face of the Imperium. Also the sample campaign 100 Parsecs is one of the best examples of this trope.
 * Space Vikings: Played with. They are really not much like Vikings, though they like to think they are.
 * Stay in the Kitchen: On the whole yes. But traditional provisions are made for women who want to get out and the kitchen is theoretically considered a very dignified position, because tending hearthfires is a sacred task.
 * The Stoic
 * Yamato Nadeshiko : The theoretical ideal of a Sword World female. Female influence is often considerable behind the scenes. Two examples the volume Sword Worlds notes are high class diplomat's wives talking "secretly" to each other in the kitchen to informally help their husbands, and Sword World women getting their Love Interest out of a rash and dangerous promise by providing the face saver of reminding them of their point of view which argument he can in turn plead to other sword world males.
 * We ARE Struggling Together!

Darrians
An enlightened people that revere arts and sciences. Made of a mixture of Transplanted Humans and Solomani.


 * The Alliance : With the Imperium
 * Badass Bookworm
 * Can't Argue with Elves
 * Combat Pragmatist: Because they regard war as rather an unpleasant chore, they could never be suspected of putting Honor Before Reason at least with regard to warfare, and it is feared that they could do almost anything if provoked.
 * Elves Versus Dwarves: Sword Worlders are like Dwarves to them
 * Fantastic Racism: to Sword Worlders
 * The Federation: but not nearly as big as the Imperium
 * Feudal Overlord: They allowed Aslan to settle on their territory in exchange for military service. Despite the cultural difference some of their most loyal soldiers are Aslan.
 * In turn the Imperium can be interpreted as almost their Feudal Overlord.
 * Foe Yay: Sword Worlders
 * Insufferable Genius : Comes across as this at times.
 * Minored in Asskicking: While they hate war, they are some of the most fearsome fighters on the Spinward Marches.
 * Our Elves Are Better: Played with and probably depends on who you ask. In-verse some would certainly think so.
 * Imperfect Not Quite Pacifist People: The Darrian homeworld was once something of a garden world where the only survival demand was to breed out bellicosity. When other humans arrived from Planet Terra the Darrians had to adapt to more common human instincts. This is perhaps one reason why Swordies and Darrians not only dislike each other but can't comprehend each other.
 * Playing with Fire: Their most unique art form involves making sculptures out of flame with gravity manipulators
 * Proud Scholar Race
 * Reluctant Warrior
 * Science Hero
 * Space Elves
 * Star-Killing : The only ones in the traveller universe that can do this.

Bwaps
Froglike aliens scattered throughout known space. Known for their skill and persistence at recordkeeping.


 * Badass Bureaucrat: Their hat. They are widely employed by governments and businesses to keep things running.
 * Good with Numbers
 * Lawful Neutral: Usually though not always Lawful Good. Exceedingly lawful.
 * Little Green Man in a Can: A mild example. They need to wear protective clothing to keep them wet in human-favorable climates but it doesn't hide their appearance.

Ithklur
Lizardlike aliens that serve the rather courage-deprived Hivers as warriors when needed. Friendly but absolutely love a good fight.


 * Blood Knight
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Bruiser with a Soft Center
 * Our Orcs Are Different: They are probably the closest thing to Traveller orcs but they are more like some of the later varieties then like Tolkienite orcs, not being evil per se but simply energetic and ferocious when called upon.
 * The Reptilians
 * Proud Warrior Race
 * Vassal Race : Not really a Slave Race but fills the same niche so to speak.

The Virus
Living computer virus launched during The Rebellion which ends up destroying the Third Imperium. Not seen in GURPS Traveller.


 * Exclusively Evil
 * And Man Grew Proud
 * Exactly What It Says on the Tin
 * Hollywood Hacking
 * The Virus
 * Weapon of Mass Destruction

Imperial Intersteller Scout Service
The Third Imperium's agency for exploration, intelligence, and frontier diplomacy. Its missions include long exploratory voyages, local planetary surveys, and purely scientific endeavors as well as espionage, border patrol and dealing with the natives. Also handles the carrying of strategic messages. Sometimes even acts as Space Police, notably when an interdict is placed on a planet. Being scouts is one of the favorite settings in Traveller.


 * Adventurer Archaeologist
 * Ambadassador
 * Badass Bookworm
 * Badass Intell
 * Cool People Rebel Against Authority: Scouts supposedly have no rank. Whatever that means.
 * Courier
 * First Contact: The IISS are the ones who are supposed to do this and have elaborate procedures for doing so.
 * Government Agency of Fiction
 * Knight Errant
 * Mildly Military
 * Space Police: some of the time
 * Wagon Train to the Stars
 * Walking the Galaxy

Imperial Marines
The Marines of the Third Imperium


 * Badass Army
 * Everything's Louder with Bagpipes: this is a tradition of the Imperial marines
 * I Like Swords: And Marines love cutlasses. For ceremony, sport, and dueling, not for war.
 * Space Marine
 * Powered Armor

Sol Sec
Solimani Security. The Secret Police of the Solimani Confederation


 * State Sec
 * We Are Everywhere: Subverted. In the time-lag of the Traveller universe they cannot possibly be everywhere. They are only thought to be so

Confederation Patrol
The intersteller police of the Sword Worlds Confederation.


 * Always Gets His Man
 * Badass Police
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy s. They are sword worlders after all
 * Space Police