Travel Zone
A Travel Zone is a standard form of classification for worlds in terms of relative danger.
- Not all races use the classification system although many of them use it outright or in modified form.
Please see the following AAB Library Data articles for more information:
- Interstellar Travelling (Travelling in Charted Space)
Please see the following AAB Library Data articles for more information:
- Observing Charted Space
- Universal World Profile (UWP)
- Starport (Sp)
- Planetary Size (S)
- Atmosphere (A)
- Hydrosphere {H)
- Population (P)
- Government (G)
- Law Level (L)
- Tech Level (TL)
- PBG Sequence
- P: Pop Multipliers
- B: Belts
- G: Gas Giants
- TZ: Travel Zone
- COG Sequence
- Other System Data
- Universal World Profile (UWP)
Description (Specifications)
Travelling Societies and navies developed informal systems of planet classification that were eventually developed in to the current system. The Travellers' Aid Society is most closely associated with Travel Zones.
Standard Travel zones
Standard classifications include:
TAS Zone | Zone Code | Status | TC | World-Type | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Green Zone | - or G | (no danger) | Gz | Regular World | Unrestricted. Worlds given a Green Zone rating are usually indicated by leaving the data field blank or - (dash).
|
Amber Zone | A | (caution advised) | Pz | Puzzle World | Restricted. A world with an environment, laws, customs, life forms, or other conditions that are not well understood and might be a danger to visitor. |
Amber Zone | A | (caution advised) | Da | Dangerous World | Restricted. A world with an environment, laws, customs, life forms, or other conditions make it dangerous to visitors. |
Red Zone | R | (severe danger) | Fo | Forbidden World | Frobidden. This is a world considered "Forbidden", with an environment, laws, customs, life forms, or other conditions that make it extremely dangerous to visitors. Everyone is forbidden to travel here. |
Blue Zone | B | (caution advised) | Wi | Balkanized World | Restricted. Balkanized — code is dominant government. |
Black Zone | W | (Wilds) | Wi | Wilds | Restricted. Unknown. Should be considered dangerous. |
History & Background (Dossier)
As a service to spacefarers, the Travellers' Aid Society publishes travel zone classifications which indicate the degree of danger a world presents to visitors.
The IISS also uses the zone classifications and originated the system. However, due to the impossibility of constantly tracking tens of thousands of worlds, current ratings are often maintained by TAS members.
Hiver Travel Zones
Hiver Zone | TAS Zone | Zone Code | Status | TC | World-Type | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Life Zone | Green Zone | L | (no danger) | Yw | Youngling World | Unrestricted. Hivers consider these worlds especially ripe for settlement and potential uplift.
|
Very Intriguing Zone | Amber Zone | V | (caution advised) | Pz | Puzzle World | Hivers consider these worlds abundantly worthy of exploration and study. |
Intriguing Zone | Amber Zone | I | (caution advised) | Da | Dangerous World | Hivers consider these worlds worthy of exploration and study. |
Fascinating Zone | Red Zone | F | (severe danger) | Fa | Fascintating World | Hivers are especially curious about red zone worlds and while taking many precautions, are drown to such worlds like moths to a flame. |
Former Life Zone | Blue Zone | U | (caution advised) | Wi | Uninteresting World | Hivers greatly prefer worlds with active lifeforms and potential sophonts. Ruins or recovering governments hold promise, but not to the same degree as life zone worlds. |
Barbarian Zone | Black Zone | W | (Wilds) | Wi | Wilds | Unknown. Should be considered dangerous. |
Zhodani Travel Zones
Zhodani Zone | TAS Zone | Zone Code | Status | TC | World-Type | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Psi Zone | Green Zone | - or P | (no danger) | P | Regular World | Unrestricted. Worlds given a Green Zone rating are usually indicated by leaving the data field blank or - (dash).
|
Unabsorbed Zone | Amber Zone | U | (caution advised) | Pz | Puzzle World | Access restricted.
|
Unabsorbed Zone | Amber Zone | U | (caution advised) | Da | Dangerous World | Access restricted.
|
Forbidden Zone | Red Zone | F | (severe danger) | Fo | Forbidden World | Access prohibited.
|
Unexplored Zone | Blue Zone | X | (caution advised) | Wi | Balkanized World | Balkanized — code is dominant government.
|
Unexplored Zone | Black Zone | X | (Wilds) | Wi | Wilds | Unknown. Should be considered dangerous.
|
The Zhodani have a formal system of planet classification:
- Forbidden (Interdicted) Worlds: (...equivalent to Imperial Red Zones) have access prohibited by the Consulate. Some examples of forbidden worlds include:
- Ancient sites
- Most military sites of the Zhodani Consulate Combined Interstellar Forces including bases, depots, and the like.
- Military training grounds
- Planetary bombardment test ranges
- All Intelligence facilties
- Secret Consular research stations
- Many elite training centers for Psionics
- Interdicted worlds
- Extremely hostile or dangerous sophonts and/or cultures
- Sources of rare or valuable resources
- Unabsorbed (Sequestered) Worlds: (...equivalent to Amber Zones) are claimed and governed by the Consulate but not absorbed into the mainstream Zhodani culture. Essentially they are permanently unabsorbed worlds. Reasons for a world to be dsignated as unabsorbed include:
- Hostile or dangerous lifeforms (creatures)
- Hostile or dangerous sophonts and/or cultures (minor races)
- By request of a sophont culture and/or society (minor races)
- Biological Quarantines (Plague or contagious pathogens)
- Dangerous environments (Exotic, insidious, and/or corrosive atmospheres)
- Highly vulcanistic worlds (Dangerously worlds of high geological activity: Volcanos, lava, acidic seas, etc.)
- Reservation (Circumscribed) Worlds: (...equivalent to Amber Zones) belong to friendly non-Human races that have signed binding treaties with the Consulate. Another possibility for reservations include areas of ecological or scientific importance. Some of these areas might include:
- Friendly sophontic races with binding treaties
- Garden worlds containing suspected biorganic treasures (New medicines, foodstuffs, etc.)
- Worlds containing source materials for the manufacture of Anagathics
- Zhodani (Mainstream) Worlds: (...equivalent to Green Zones) are astrographic locations over which the Zhodani Consulate holds sovereignty (control) and are considered accessible to the public. These worlds include the vast majority of the Zhodani Consulate including nearly all highly-populated worlds that conduct trade and/or interstellar commerce. Some of these worlds include:
- Province (Sector) capitals
- Zhodani Trade Stations
- Zhodani communication centers
- Almost all worlds inhabited by the general Zhodani populace
References & Contributors (Sources)
- Marc Miller. The Kinunir (Game Designers Workshop, 1979), 41-42.
- John Harshman, Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman. Library Data (N-Z) (Game Designers Workshop, 1982), 25.
- Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science