You could with a lot of handwaving put something like that into canon
Traveller Ancients backstories.
Non human races are definitly not a problem, with all the genetic
engeneering the Ancients have done.
But it remains that Traveller as it is presented comes off mostly as
cynical cyberpunkish (even if there is practically no cyberware)
shades of grey background, including the known background about the
ancients. And ME has a pretty clear divide between alignments.
If you put characters of either setting into the other, either settings
tone is changed.
If the 3 or more grand philosophies turn out to be more then quaint local
ideas, that are not applicable outside a very specific society, then you
change Traveller to a more Star Wars style background, where there
really is the light and the dark side, and just most people are too
ordinary that it matters for them.
If it is the other way round, you change the look and feel of ME.
Either changed background can be used for good campains. You can also make
good campains where the background actually turns out to be different then
as you have presented it originally to the players.
But it is good if you are aware what you do, to make sure you are
consistent and to detect any problems with pcs or player expectations,
that contradict your settings early.
If you want a setting with a star wars like "if you advance enough in
power, you need to decide between the light and the dark side", then a pc
with psi powers, a limited code of honour and a mercenary attitude
otherwise, that fits well into a standard Traveller background, is a
potential problem.
I have seen campains not work well, because gm and players had expected a
different tone, or because gm and players had different expectations how
the pcs will develop. And often it's not trivial to find out and formulate
the root of the problem.
Mixing existing backrounds, likely opens that can of worms. I am not
saying you should not do it, but it's a good idea to be aware what you are
doing, and to decide if you attack a ME looking landscape in a Traveller
background or the other way round.
On Thu, 28 Apr 2011, Travis Watkins wrote:
Why would not the traditional wizard robe colors be a hold-over from
the uniforms used by two different philosophies pursued by the
ancients?
Sort of like the Vorlons and the Shadows from B5 but with a third
'balance' or 'undecided' group. You have the 'strength through
conflict' and the 'strength through cooperation' schools, and anyone
chooses one of those paths for acquiring access to the ancients
technology(probably some long-life wireless power-sources buried
around the planet to power each of the three 'factions').
The Ancients just up and vanished while this whole thing was being
hashed out, leaving their foot-soldiers fighting a war that has become
without meaning just because that is what they were designed to do.
(intelligent non-humans could all of course be manufactured races)
This would have no real impact on what happened in the books, just on
some of the forgotten background thereof.
One mans groundfloor is an other mans earthmissle
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Johannes Trimmel
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