Collapse

The Collapse is the collective term for the combined social, political, and economic effects of the release of Virus at the end of the Second Civil War.

Description (Specifications)

Aftermath: In almost all cases, the trauma of the Collapse — both the terrible casualties it caused and the suddeness of its onset — left deep emotional scars on the survivors, and the societies they have built are reflections of that trauma. Most of these societies are both xenophobic and technophobic to a greater or lesser degree.

The Great Break

And, perhaps even worse, the Collapse happened in the shadow of the Rebellion. Some historians believe that an unhobbled Third Imperium might have been able to resist and even overcome the Collapse.

History & Background (Dossier)

The Virus was released in 1130. Within a few years, the immensely destructive virus strains destroyed much of the existing technological infrastructure.

Technological Collapse

On worlds with environments maintained by artificial means, casualties were probably 99.9 percent within the first week. If small pockets of survivors managed to hold out past the first shutdowns by using emergency shoring equipment, it was only a matter of time before their supplies of food, water, and oxygen ran out. Depending upon the local environment, access to breathable air, drinkable water and production of food without technological intervention determined how well or poorly the remaining population of the world survived.

Interstellar Interdependency Severed

On other worlds, the casualty curve was more gradual. The crash destroyed food distribution networks, forcing surviving urban dwellers to retreat to the countryside. Here, the government attempted to protect the agricultural areas of the world in order to continue to feed the increasingly desperate people. The combination of famine, disease, and violence continued to reduce planetary populations.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Traveller: The New Era Main Rulebook
• Hard Times
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science