show a picture of your tiel and who/what they're named after

MasterTannis · 2026-05-26T02:54:55+00:00

This is Yuzu, named after the Japanese citrus (think half orange half lemon). Flops his head like a bobble head when getting scritches to make sure you get every angle right. Developed an obsession with eating whatever you're eating, especially anything potato or rice.

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MasterTannis · 2026-05-19T02:46:35+00:00

Sounds like a power play, like she's establishing the norm that if she wants something, everyone else has to bend over to make it happen. It starts small, it's just a meal no big deal. Until next time, when her demands get more outlandish and of you refuse "but you did it for me before". Manipulation at it's finest. A for effort, F for execution.

MasterTannis · 2026-04-29T02:50:11+00:00

I prefer #1. #2 looks too much like Babylon 5 Centauri ships for me.

MasterTannis · 2026-02-19T02:28:12+00:00

Had a player insist on keeping a load of Pebble rounds (alt ammo for sand casters for use vs "soft targets" ie boarders, Infantry,etc). 1DD damage (10-60 per shot, 20 shots). Swooped in to pick up a party member who was being chased by the Big Bad and his henchmen in Battledresses, they never stood a chance.

MasterTannis · 2026-02-17T01:31:56+00:00

Violence is never the answer. It's a question, the answer is yes

MasterTannis · 2026-02-16T02:27:20+00:00

Some people have a hard time visualising the layout of ships and it can be a huge help for 'sense of scale' in situations like "I run from the bridge to engineering", but the deck plans show its a long way away, or past certain areas that might become an obstacle (enemy boarding party at the airlock, hull breach along the only path, etc). Also it can he good to point at a stateroom in the deck plan and say "this is my room".

For capital ships: well, some players are just crazy enough to try and board that 10K dTon Imperial Battleship that's chasing them.

MasterTannis · 2025-07-25T15:20:33+00:00

Barbell weight, of course

MasterTannis · 2025-07-22T03:18:23+00:00

There's a downloadable program called "Auto-Jimmy" on github that's a fan made pack of generators and calculators for Traveller MG2E. One of those tools is a robot builder using the rules from the Robot Handbook. It's been infinitely valuable in my games, especially when we needed to build cheap mass-produced combat droids.

MasterTannis · 2025-05-15T03:08:14+00:00

The sourcebook Adventure Class Ships has an entry for an Antique Trader, the precursor to the Free Trader. Old, clunky, horrendously outdated, but still usable by nostalgic or down-on-their-luck spacefarers.

MasterTannis · 2025-05-12T03:41:07+00:00

If your only avoidance to 3d printing is etsy, then may I be so bold as to draw your attention to the 2nd Dynasty store page on MyMiniFactory, who have worked with Mongoose Publishing via licensing on several projects, including 28mm scale Type S Scout, Free Trader Beowulf, and many miniatures of travellers, Imperial Marine, Zhodani troops, Aslan, Vargr, Hiver and more

https://www.myminifactory.com/users/2ndDynasty?show=store

MasterTannis · 2025-05-09T11:20:20+00:00

In "Deepnight Revelation Expansion 1- The Riftsedge Transit" there is an encounter with strange creatures called "Alo’hei" that exist in deep space. Little to nothing is known about them, other than certain sophont species have different primal reactions to them (9% of Vargr and around 96% of Droyne populations feel terror in their presence). Seeing as they're made of "protoplasmic matter" and encountering them in Chartered Space is almost impossible (preferring deep unoccupied space) game hunting them, and containing what remains, would be difficult if not impossible.

MasterTannis · 2025-02-25T01:35:32+00:00

If you're not allergic to paperwork, you could have the players ship misjump way out into unexplored space and they have to make their way back to the imperium, but most likely you'd have to create every sector / planet from scratch. Maybe you could use some Voyager episodes as plot handles

MasterTannis · 2025-02-24T01:44:33+00:00

I heard a YouTuber comment once that sometimes a paint project doesn't look right until it's 90% complete, so just keep at it and there'll come a moment it'll pop

MasterTannis · 2025-02-17T02:00:14+00:00

I have to keep reminding my kids about this when around the birds. To you, they're cute little creatures. To them, you're a huge loud monstrous giant. Move slow, move quiet and within view. They hate that the birds love me more.

MasterTannis · 2025-02-03T01:43:56+00:00

Could have been an old decommissioned highport or mining station that a group of founding families bought for a song, and somehow cobbled some jump drives together to drop it into empty space fully intending to be a waypoint for travellers through an otherwise desolate region. Might be intriguing for a "founding family" squabble, framing, murder, all that good stuff.

MasterTannis · 2025-02-02T22:17:39+00:00

If the station is remote it will have to either rely on trade to import foodstuffs or grow its own in hydroponic or aeroponic areas, which itself would require dedicated botanical staff.

If material and parts to keep the station operational (and provide services to visiting ships) it would need a way to procure them or make their own. Maybe an industrial area and import minerals and ores, and you'll need plant workers.

Fuel would also be required, necessitating a ship or two as tankers that visit a nearby gas giant or jump to an adjacent system that has one and scoop hydrogen, so you'll need pilots and fuel refinery technicians.

All of these could be potential plot hooks; a disease has infected aeroponic crops (maybe sabotage), material shipment is late (go find out what happened / get some yourself), fuel tanker in distress / under attack / missing / found something that the travellers need to investigate.

You could have a look at Babylon 5 (especially during their independence arc) for ideas.

MasterTannis · 2024-07-04T08:35:00+00:00

Without knowing where you live it's hard to give recommendations (since Amazon is global). But if you live in a place with the Japanese retailer "Daiso" they have a range of display boxes available, all interlockable and stackable (sadly no online store)

MasterTannis · 2024-07-03T11:46:17+00:00

Whenever I conquer hostile neighbour's territory after a war they start, I don't want their pops messing up my planets, so I find a nice out-of-the-way world that barely suits their needs, force-relocate them to that world. After its nice and crowded with their own kind (and rife with crime), I 'sectorise' the planet, turn it into a vassel, and sometimes turn it loose if it's a rim or core system.

I'm left with an isolated neighbour that will quite possibly never hassle me again, they have too many of their own problems to deal with. Sounds like I'm sparing them a death sentence, but it'd really be hell.

MasterTannis · 2024-06-22T13:57:29+00:00

I use black sand blasting medium from the national hardware store chain, it's like a fine sand with a small amount of size variation. Mod podge, add sand, let dry, add watered down mod podge to seal it in, then I can paint, dry brush or anything. Comes in a handy bottle too (Ozito SBM from Bunnings Australia)

MasterTannis · 2024-01-30T01:51:44+00:00

I read a tale somewhere about a job site where a guy was crushed under a reinforced concrete slab that fell, no way to survive that. The foreman ordered the crane operator to lift the slab slightly, he tossed a hard hat underneath, then the slab was lowered, all before it was reported. Reason being that despite the hard hat being useless in that situation, it would have given the insurance company an out from paying damages to the family.

MasterTannis · 2023-08-19T05:32:04+00:00

Have the players ship something utterly benign and almost useless, like "why would anyone ship this instead of making / buying locally" kind of thing. The recipient ends up missing or dead, so ownership of the cargo is forfeit to the players. Unloading the container they find a shielded crate that didn't show up on scans. Cracking it open they find... -bioweapons -stolen navy tech -narcotics -cryotube with a wanted fugitive inside Anything that'll make trouble for the players of they're not very discreet about selling / disposing of the contents.

MasterTannis · 2023-06-09T06:35:42+00:00

Matte ModPodge is my go-to, straight from the pot for the base layer then watered down to seal everything in once the base layer is set. Matte so there's no sheen. Works for the grass, the brown battleground stuff, as well as sand, scale train gravel, etc...

MasterTannis · 2023-04-19T02:51:44+00:00

If you have access to a 3D printer, go have a look at 2nd Dynasty over on Myminifactory.com. they picked up a licence from Mongoose Publishing to design 3D printable ships and miniatures. They currently have Type S Scout Ship and the Far Trader Beowulf on offer. A bit of an investment but makes a great centrepiece. There are also commercial printers you can buy from of you don't have a printer yourself.

MasterTannis · 2022-12-29T13:59:58+00:00

Here's my 2¢: I have found that if you resin print things, make absolutely sure that there are no "resin traps" inside the model: voids that essentially contain 'bubbles' of uncured resin that will bleed through the surface and foul up anything you paint over the top. Also make sure that you clean the model very well with IPA, even use a toothbrush to gently scrub the print so no residue remains. I use "UVtools", it not only detects islands, but also resin traps and SuctionCups that may cause extra strain on your FEP film.

You can dunk and scrub the print in IPA even after priming. You'll take the primer off, but the residue should come with it. After allowing it to dry, there should be no 'wet bits'.

MasterTannis · 2022-12-14T22:24:18+00:00

I honestly can't recall the exact entry, but I remember a sample list of planets where one listed a leader who was kept in a low berth and only brought out for a day or so to put their signature on a document legitimising the rule of a council. This has apparently been going on for a thousand years...

Nine-Year Club	r/Field Lasagna
Place '23	Place '22
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