War in Charted Space
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Interstellar War is still very much a part of Charted Space.
- The Major Race powers collude to avoid conflict, but sometimes interstellar relations fray and war lays waste to great swathes of Charted Space.
Library Data Referral Tree
Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:
- Interstellar War
- Military Technologies
- Defensive Technology
- Armor
- Battledress (power armor)
- Combat Armour (unpowered armor)
- Defensive Energy Fields
- Armor
- Offensive Technologies
- Ironmongery
- Heavy Arms
- Small Arms
- Vehicle Weaponry
- Starship Weaponry
- Energy Weapons
- Guided Weapons
- Projectile Weapons
- Spinal Mounts
- Weapon Types
- Ironmongery
- Military Vehicle Types
- Wheelcraft
- Trackcraft
- Watercraft
- Aircraft
- Walkers
- Gravcraft
- Speeders
- Defensive Technology
- Mercenaries
Description (Specifications)
Most war in Charted Space is that of Interstellar Navies. The role now played by interstellar armies is a lesser one in support of the navies.
- Low-level conflicts often include grand wars, but in high-level conflicts, there is no reason to take or hold a planet or star system unless the real estate is particularly valuable. It is far easier to scrub a planet and move on.
The great navies maneuver back and forth hoping for their opponents to be caught without fuel or logistics, or caught in a vulnerable location such as a gravity well. But, when it comes down to it, interstellar naval warfare is a battle of attrition with all of the other factors remaining minor in comparison. The great battleships slug it out and the winner remains the last starship standing.
Systemic-Planetary Conflict (Micro-scale)
He who controls space, controls the worlds of Charted Space. The mobility of gravcraft combined with battledress has transformed land battles. High tech battles range over continents, not isolated battlefields. Armies with naval support invariably defeat their opponents. Occasional upsets occur, but the overwhelming force of air support, artillery, and ortillery usually carries the day.
History & Background (Dossier)
Battles between the major race superpowers have rocked Charted Space a number of times over the millenia. By mutual agreement, the great powers limit these destructive conflicts. No one wants interstellar trade to be crippled and that's what war does: shut down the gravy train.
Major Race Conflicts
Some of the Major Race Conflicts include:
| Major Race Conflicts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict | WARCON | Remarks | ||
| Aslan-Imperial Conflict | 2 (Cold War + Low Resource Investment) | Despite several wars and numerous Aslan ihatei invasions, the Aslan Hierate and Third Imperium are formally in a state of relative peace. Of course, this peace is not recognized by all of the Aslan Clans. And some Imperial Aslan hold great vendettas against Aslan within the Hierate. Rich trading between the two has also forestalled conflict. And yet conflicts occurring within independent and balkanized space between the two great powers concern observers. Peace has held out for the time being. | ||
| Aslan-Solomani Conflict | 4 (Cold War + High Resource Investment) | The Aslan and Solomani are close to open warfare. Hostilities run deep and the Tlaukhu frequently discusses raising a great combined Aslan Clan Grand Fleet to crush the Solomani Confederation. The superior organization and tactics of the Solomani Navy have so far been able to best any single Aslan Clan, but potentially united clans could surely overcome Solomani forces. A potential peace between the Aslan and Solomani looks highly unlikely. | ||
| Aslan-Zhodani Conflict | 3 (Cold War + Moderate Resource Investment) | The Aslan and Zhodani possess no formal borders. But Aslan and Zhodani interests have long fallen afoul of each other rimward of the Zhodani Consulate. The two sophont species hold great reservations about each other. Aslan indifference to Droyne populations greatly concerns Zhodani sensibilities. Some have even accused the Aslan of exterminating opportune Droyne societies. And the general Aslan resistance to psionics also rankles the Zhodani. But trade is still rich between the two species and that's a positive sign. | ||
| Hiver-K'kree Conflict | 3 (Cold War + Moderate Resource Investment) | While a formal state of peace was never declared after the initial wars between the Hivers and K'kree nearly three millenia ago, both species tend to keep their distance from each other. The K'kree very openly hate the Hivers and the strange government of the Hive Federation, but the Hivers seem to take little to no notice of this hatred. Those K'kree willing to buck K'kree society find willing trade partners in the Hivers and their allied species. And those surviving geneered omnivorous K'kree keep warm relations with the Hivers. Hiver forces keep a close eye on K'kree forces and vice versa. | ||
| Imperial-Julian Conflict | 2 (Cold War + Low Resource Investment) | The Julian Protectorate was largely formed in response to aggression from the Third Imperium. While there is currently a lukewarm peace between the two parties, some bad blood still exists. Several lucrative trade agreements have been brokered and hopefully hotter heads will not prevail. Numerous Imperial observers have been studying the harmonious integration of human and Vargr populations within Julian Space. Only the Hivers can match the marriage of species that the Julians have achieved. | ||
| Imperial-K'Kree Conflict | 4 (Cold War + High Resource Investment) | The Third Imperium and Two Thousand Worlds share no formal border, even though they exchange embassies and cultural attachés.
Some K'kree Steppelords desire peace with the humans while others cannot move past hatred for the meat eaters. The Lords of Thunder are an offshoot society of the K'kree and are aggressively moving into non-Imperial human-held territories. This understandably concerns the Third Imperium. Both sides accuse the others of funding a cold war between human pocket empires and the Lords of Thunder. | ||
| Imperial-Vargr Conflict | 3 (Cold War + Moderate Resource Investment) | The Vargr took advantage of the fall of the Ziru Sirka to retake space that was once conquered. The truth be told, the Vilani in the Vargr Extents were not faring well before the end either. A number of Vargr polities have declared blood vendetta against all humans. Vargr corsairs sometimes raid across the borders causing great tragedy. This sometimes causes problems with Imperial Vargr, causing some Imperial populations to question Vargr loyalty. While humans and Vargr possess a natural affinity for one another as kindred sophont species, interstellar relations between the Vargr Extents and the Third Imperium remain troubled. | ||
| Imperial-Zhodani Conflict | 4 (Cold War + High Resource Investment) | Early relations between the Zhodani Consulate and the Third Imperium were quite warm, despite several frontier wars, before Imperial society turned against the use of psionics with the Psionics Suppressions. The Suppressions have kept interstellar relations between the two superpowers quite cold although on a very human level, it is not unheard of for Zhodani and Imperials to intermarry. And the several conflicts have left native populations on both sides of the borders. Despite these promising signs, most observers expect a sixth frontier war sooner rather than later. | ||
| K'kree-Vargr Conflict | 3 (Cold War + Moderate Resource Investment) | K'Kree and Vargr forces have begun to butt heads in the trailing portions of the Vargr Extents and to a lesser degree in independent and balkanized space between the Two Thousand Worlds and the Third Imperium. The K'kree tolerate the few vegetarian Vargr societies, but will openly exterminate any omnivorous or carnivorous Vargr they find. The K'kree very early on discovered the lack of unity among the Vargr, which makes them vulnerable to concerted K'kree military pushes. The K'kree are still exploring formal interstellar relations with the Julian Protectorate and have several embassies within Julian Space. | ||
| Vargr-Zhodani Conflict | 3 (Cold War + Moderate Resource Investment) | The Vargr and Zhodani have had a cold war in the spinward sections of the Vargr Extents for several millennia. Some Vargr are close allies while others are mortal enemies of the Zhodani. The lack of unity within the Extents makes formal Zhodani policy towards the Vargr difficult. Zhodani policy has been to maintain entente with willing Vargr and keep their distance from the rest. Vargr traders do not enjoy free access to Zhodani Space. Vargr corsairs are dealt with mercilessly after millenia of predation. | ||
Military Technology
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 Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.
- This article is an amalgamation of many different materials published since 1977.
- Periodical: Challenge 25 in article: "Planetary Invasions in Traveller" by: Steven Birnich & James Schwar
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science, Emeritus